Trifid is already operational in Denmark, soon will be in Sweden, and we have been making connections in Germany, the Netherlands and United Kingdom.
Watch out, world – Trifid is coming!
I am proud to be able to say that soon we will be a company which has branches in three countries. Our international ambitions will make 2020 a year that is just as exciting as 2019 was.
Our consultants have now settled into their work in Denmark. And soon we will also be established in Sweden. The process of getting established abroad has been incredibly exciting and educational. I am really looking forward to seeing what we will be able to achieve outside Norway.
For me, it is wonderful to be able to say that Trifid is no longer a solely Norwegian business. That means we are moving in the right direction. Getting established internationally has been one of our goals from the very beginning. At least 300 employees in no less than 5 countries, is what we said when we started up, and now we are well on our way towards achieving that goal.
We have made important connections in Germany and the Netherlands, and have also been working closely with some highly skilled companies in the UK. And no one can be surprised at the progress we have made. We said that we wanted to get established outside Norway, so naturally that is what we were going to do!
Models and methods work well with local tweaks
Becoming an international company is challenging, and we could not have imagined that the differences involved in running businesses in Denmark, Sweden and Norway would be so great. We have learned a great deal through building connections and getting our infrastructure of lawyers, auditors and accountants in place.
Learning the local rules has been time-consuming, but that just makes it all the more rewarding when we succeed! So far, we have found that the models and methods we use in Norway work just as well in other countries, once we have made a few minor local tweaks. Things look promising for the future!
One of the things that makes getting established internationally so exciting is being able to offer our staff opportunities beyond national borders. Now that the processes for working across borders are in place in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, anyone working for our Trifid companies will be able to accept assignments outside their home country.
Many of our staff have expressed an interest in working abroad, on assignments such as getting the new branches established. That is great to hear! In my opinion, we will all benefit from working in the international market. We will encounter different and tougher competition there, both in terms of price and expertise, and I think that this will make us better consultants. When our environment puts us under more pressure, we tend to raise our personal bar and perform better.
Growing pains?
When newly established companies are growing, you often hear the term "growing pains". It is no secret that we have also suffered these. There will always be demanding, exhausting and difficult challenges along the way, but these do not just have to be negative – in fact, quite the reverse. The way we handle and solve these challenges gives us experience that develops us and makes us better as a team.
One of our challenges is stretching our wings and flying beyond the safety of Norway. Here on familiar territory, the market is very good and it is relatively ‘easy’ to grow. Our ‘comfort zone’ here can make it more difficult to take the next step and have the courage to direct resources at becoming international. Fortunately, at Trifid, we are not looking to make things easy for ourselves. Our focus is still on achieving the goals we have set ourselves, and one of these goals has always been to get established in at least five countries. We will continue working towards this goal, even though it is difficult, will take a little time and involves the risk of failure.
