Welcome, Martina! Tell us, who are you?

Thank you! I am an entrepreneur and the founder of Telness, a telecom company. I’m originally from Halmstad, have an engineering background, and have been running Telness since 2016.

If you had to describe what Telness does in one word, what would you say?

Telecom tech. We are actually two companies. Telness is a mobile operator for businesses in Sweden, where we focus on small businesses and offer mobile subscriptions and switchboard services. Our sister company, Telness Tech, develops telecom software that enables a digital experience for both end customers and operators, both in Sweden and internationally.

Interesting! You started Telness in 2016. Did you have experience with this problem beforehand, or how did you come to start the company?

I previously worked at Telenor, both in Sweden and internationally, and I clearly saw that the telecom industry is big and important, but not known for its customer experience. Telecom is often stuck in “legacy technology,” making it difficult to deliver the modern experience that customers expect today. Small businesses often fell between the offerings for consumers and large companies. I saw an opportunity to start from scratch and create something better for small businesses, with a focus on a smooth and digital customer experience.

I understand, so small businesses are Telness target group. What do they need in telecom?

Small businesses need classic services like mobile connectivity and business numbers, but they also want control. This can be about managing subscriptions for employees or having a business number that looks professional. It should be simple, flexible, and without long-term contracts, something we focus on a lot.

It sounds like a very well-thought-out solution. But how did you dare to leave a secure job at Telenor and take the plunge?

It was a process. I never dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur, but I felt that someone needed to do it. I was in a meeting where I no longer recognized myself—I had stopped questioning things and realized I needed a new challenge. That was the starting point for daring to take the step and go for Telness.

What did the founding team of Telness look like?

I recruited two people who complemented me well. Jonas Sävenbring, a technical expert, and Karl Sahlin, who came from the financial side. We all went to KTH (Royal Institute of Technology), but I didn’t know them that well before we started working together.

How did you finance Telness in the beginning?

We raised five million SEK to build an MVP (Minimum Viable Product). It was a challenge because we needed money to build, but without anything to show to investors. However, we managed to raise the capital and set clear goals for what we wanted to achieve with the initial funding.

Did you stick to the budget?

Yes, actually! We launched on time and within budget. Since then, we’ve built much more than we initially planned, but that has also allowed us to sell the software to other operators internationally.

How long did it take to get your Telness customer?

It went pretty quickly after the launch. Our big challenge was building trust in the beginning. It took time until we had enough customer reviews and reference customers to show that we were a serious player. But once we got over that hump, we’ve had incredibly satisfied and loyal customers.

Was there anything in your entrepreneurial journey that was a wake-up call or more difficult than you thought?

Yes, I had previously worked at a big company with large marketing budgets and thought it was mostly about having a clear differentiation and value proposition or perhaps a low price. But the biggest lesson I learned was that even if you have a great product and clear pricing, it doesn’t matter if no one knows about it. The hardest part is actually getting the message out. Finding ways to cut through the noise and reach customers is much more important than the content of the message itself.

You mentioned that many customers come through referrals because they are satisfied with your service. How do you reach those who have never heard of you, and what has been the most successful in your outreach strategy?

It looks a bit different for our two companies. Starting with Telness, which targets small businesses in Sweden, we’ve tried to do what big companies can’t. They have larger marketing budgets, but we’ve focused on being more personal and talking about things that other entrepreneurs want to hear, such as the challenges of running a business. We don’t talk much about price, for example, “you can get 20 GB for 299 SEK.” Instead, we focus on being personal and discussing issues that interest our target group.

As for Telness Tech, which targets large telecom companies and mobile operators, it’s more of a niche industry. We’ve managed to gain visibility in the telecom community by attending conferences and events, and that has helped us build our brand. We’ve also positioned ourselves as a modern telecom tech player that can contribute with innovation. This has worked very well for building awareness, and we use direct sales in that segment.

So you do less traditional marketing on social media and instead focus on being visible at conferences and in the right contexts?

Yes, we focus a lot on LinkedIn because both entrepreneurs and people from the telecom industry are active there. We don’t use paid marketing, but we work a lot with organic presence. We invest in building personal brands, not just for us founders but also for key people in the company.

Do you have any creative or crazy ideas that you’d like to try but haven’t yet?

Haha, I sometimes wish we had a B2C brand because there’s so much creativity you can explore there. I recently listened to a podcast where the founder of the dating app Bumble talked about their launch campaign. They put up signs outside classrooms saying you couldn’t use Instagram or Bumble, which sparked curiosity and got them a lot of attention. That’s really creative, but I haven’t come up with anything so brilliant myself yet.

How many employees do you have now, and has your leadership changed since you were fewer?

We’re about 80 people now. When you’re a small team, it’s much easier to lead by example and have an overview. But as we’ve grown, especially during COVID when we transitioned to remote work, leadership had to become more structured. We had to find ways to replace the informal conversations at the coffee machine and build processes that work remotely, especially with international employees.

Is there any structure or process you’ve implemented that you’re particularly proud of?

We’ve worked with OKR (Objectives and Key Results) since the start, and it has worked very well for us. We’ve also always had Monday meetings where we go through the most important tasks for the week, and on Fridays, we have a cultural meeting called “Magic Friday,” where everyone shares the week’s highlights. This has had a very positive impact on our culture.

Finally, what advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?

I have three pieces of advice. First: “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room.” It reminds me that small actions can make a big difference. Second, spend as much time building the company’s culture as you do developing the product. It’s easier to set a strong culture from the start than to try to adjust it later. And third, when you hire, remember that every person you bring on will either be a net positive or a net negative addition. There is no neutral.

Want to know more about OKRs? Be sure to check out our complete guide!