Maddja, you moved to Sweden 10 years ago - and according to you, the move 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 usually don't move out and become self-sufficient when you turn 18.
Coming from those conditions and getting financial responsibility for the first time in my life, plus everything that it means to move to a new country, made it all even more overwhelming. I got a whole new life overnight, and it was everything from studying, learning to cook, taking financial responsibility, applying for jobs, 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 little bigger for me.
Today, 10 years later, I look back on that journey, from the first job after the 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 entirely wrong to call such a journey "the most important journey of my life."

How has Sweden changed over the past ten years?
The era when people talked about the USA being "the land of opportunity" is over. There are no such countries. Opportunities are created by the individual's efforts and hard work. My experience of Sweden has changed somewhat during these years, but it has largely to do with my own choices. The first time I got a different picture of Sweden was when I started speaking Swedish. It is, of course, for the natural reason that communication becomes easier, and you can keep up with the discussions. The 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 into 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, newly 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 all other projects, moving to a new country is about having a clear purpose. As long as you have a clear purpose, it is much easier to handle the difficulties. For me, it has been about being able to live the life I have wanted to have. To be able to think and feel freely, to free myself from limitations and prejudices, to prove that I can and to develop. When it has become difficult, the pursuit of the goals has helped me to fight through, and it is something that still helps me in everything I do.