Maddja, you moved to Sweden 10 years ago - and according to you, it was "the most important journey of your life". What are your biggest lessons learned?
I moved to Sweden when I was 23 and it was the first time I traveled abroad without my family. I come from a culture where you don't usually move out and become self-sufficient when you turn 18.
Coming from that background and being financially responsible for the first time in my life, plus everything that moving to a new country entails, made it even more overwhelming. I had a whole new life overnight and it was everything from studying, learning to cook, taking financial responsibility, looking for a job, finding new friends, learning a new language, etc. It was a big contrast to what I was used to and that's what made it all a bit bigger for me.
Today, 10 years later, I look back on that journey, from first job after internship, moving from Lund to Stockholm, changing industries and then starting a company in CRM/Marketing Automation. All the steps in this journey have made me the person I am today. So I don't think it's wrong to call such a journey "the most important journey of my life"

How has Sweden changed in the last ten years?
The era of talking about the US being "the land of opportunity" is over. There are no such countries. Opportunities are created by individual effort and hard work. My experience of Sweden has changed somewhat over the years, but this is largely due to my own choices. The first time I got a different picture of Sweden was when I started speaking Swedish. It is for the natural reason that communication becomes easier and you can keep up with the discussions. Language is the key to successful integration.
Starting and running a company opened the door to completely new opportunities for me in Sweden. The people I came in contact with, and the development I have had during this journey, I could not have dreamed of 10 years ago when I moved to Sweden, freshly graduated and without work experience.

Do you have any advice to give to others who are facing the same challenge as you to move to Sweden and start a new life?
To be prepared that it will not be easy. Like any other project, moving to a new country is about having a clear purpose. As long as you have a clear purpose, it is much easier to deal with the difficulties. For me, it's been about being able to live the life I've wanted to live. To be able to think and feel freely, to free myself from limitations and prejudices, to prove that I can and to develop. When the going got tough, the pursuit of goals helped me fight through and it's something that still helps me in everything I do.