Scan Magazine

By Signe Hansen

If you and your business are considering expanding into the UK market, it may be a good idea to stop by Goodwille Limited on your way. Goodwille was established as an independent service provider focusing on Nordic companies in the UK in 1997 by Swedish Annika Aman-Goodwille, a qualified Chartered Secretary with a legal and financial background.

“Our main competitive edge is that we can provide large companies in the Nordic region with all the services they require when establishing a business in the UK,” Goodwille says. “Another competitive edge is the language and cultural aspect. In Nordic companies, the board and management often speak English fluently, but the technical vocabulary that is necessary in financial or legal matters is challenging for anyone who is not familiar with it. Here Goodwill can assist and remove the insecurity.”

Goodwille has 20 employees who between them speak a total of 11 languages. If your company needs other competences than the ones they have in-house, Goodwille can also provide a big network of professional firms to tap into when required.

Since her beginning Goodwille has successfully helped more than 500 companies establish business enterprises in the UK, among them the Swedish retail giant Clas Ohlson, which recently opened two stores in the UK.

The start-up period for the companies Goodwille helps is normally around three to four years and throughout this period Goodwille can help them to find cost efficient solutions. “With us you can provide a complete service without any fixed overhead costs because you don’t have to employ people before you are up and running and that takes away some of the pressure,” Goodwille says. The time and work involved often comes as a surprise to companies which are, she adds, not always as prepared as they should be. “One of the biggest pitfalls is that the company employs the wrong people. Often the board takes the decision to go to the UK market without planning it properly.”

This is why Goodwille prefers to get involved at an early stage, so that she and her staff can ensure that all the efforts go in the right direction.

Three good tips when setting up a business in the UK:

- Do not underestimate administrative functions and set out a time span to get them all in place.

- Make sure you have the right people to run the business in the UK: make sure to take references.

- Remember that everything takes much longer than you think.

For more information visit: www.goodwille.co.uk