The Resilient Recruiter Zero to $5M: A Nordic Recruitment Agency's Organic Growth Blueprint, with Rickard Fritjofsson, Ep #244
In this episode, we are joined by Rickard Fritjofsson. He’s the founder and CEO of a successful multi-brand recruitment company, Worldwiders, that has placed over 5,000 people in 40 countries.
Rickard discussed key elements of their company culture, influenced by sports principles, including clear career paths and collaborative goal-setting. As a recruitment business owner, it will also resonate with you how he addressed challenges such as downsizing due to market fluctuations which is a great business case of how being resilient will allow you to turn around unfavorable situations into learnings and advantages.
Episode Outline and Highlights
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[03:48] How Rickard got into recruitment and how his role as the coach of Norway’s national Bandy team influences his leadership.
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[08:11] Why Rickard focuses on international jobs as his niche.
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[13:34] Growing from 0 to $5m in six years - discussion of Nordic Jobs Worldwide’s early days.
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[21:56] Trigger to decide on when to make the next hire in your recruitment firm.
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[23:35] Discussion about the business model and the management of portfolios.
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[26:46] Key success factors when rapidly growing their team.
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[36:42] Prioritizing career development of team members via progression and support projects.
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[45:30] Learnings that forced them to downsize and restructure.
Targeting International Jobs as a Niche
A unique selling proposition of Rickard and his team is their focus on international jobs as a niche. “So I did some research and figured out that no company in the world, even if the recruitment industry is big, is doing the niche of language recruitment of Nordics… So we were the first to step into that niche in 2016. So Norwegian, Swedish Danish, and Finnish were the specialization, and the business developed there. And we decided also to build it organically, like stone by stone.”
Being observant of industry needs, Rickard came up with an impactful solution and built their business from there. He shared their three main objectives when launching their recruitment business: build a company organically, scale the business, and be the best in what they do. So far, Rickard and his team are on track to achieving these three main goals since starting their business in 2016.
Key Success Factors Contributing to Rapid Growth
An astonishing feat that Rickard and his team have accomplished is the rapid sustainable growth of their company since its inception. He grew the company from 0 to $5m in just six years. They have placed over 5000 people in 40 countries and they have 400+ clients worldwide. What would Rickard consider as a success factor contributing to this growth? Here are some takeaways:
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Core Values-Driven Culture – Embedding Courage, Trust, and Results into daily operations and decision-making.
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Clear Career Progression – Offering fast internal growth opportunities, and motivating employees to excel.
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Decisive Expansion Strategy – Rapidly opening offices in Barcelona and Lisbon, executing growth plans with confidence.
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Market-Aligned Scaling – Capitalizing on post-2022 industry demand to scale efficiently.
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Performance-Driven Mindset – Fostering a "best in the world" mentality, akin to elite sports teams (due to his background in Bandy)
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Client Partnership Approach – Positioning as strategic advisors rather than just service providers.
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Culture of Celebration – Recognizing achievements through company-wide events, awards, and gatherings.
Rickard said, “From day one, when we started the business, we also put up core values and they are still active in the company. We also have three keywords: courage, trust, and result. So it's like having the courage to climb Mount Everest and call it taking strategic risks, putting the trust in the people we are hiring, and from that getting the results”
Overcoming Challenges - From Scaling to Downsizing
Rickard has also been very generous in sharing their resilience mindset when overcoming challenges. The last two years have been challenging: from scaling from 0-90 employees to downsizing to 60 again and cutting costs to meet the market situation is a scenario that Rickard is not used to.
However, you will hear in our conversation his resilient recruiter mindset and how getting out of his comfort zone makes him a strong CEO who can turn around unfavorable situations. He was specific in action points that they are doing differently such as implementation of stricter financial controls and a return to foundational recruitment practices, with plans to scale responsibly with improved processes.
If you are a recruitment entrepreneur and leader, you will surely be able to relate to what he shared in his experience. Have you navigated a similar scenario as a leader before?
Rickard Fritjofsson Bio & Contact Info
Rickard Fritjofsson is a Swedish citizen living in Norway for the past 15 years, with an apartment in Málaga, Spain that allows him to enjoy both northern and southern European lifestyles. He is the founder of Worldwiders, a multi-brand recruitment company specializing in Language Recruitment, IT, and Executive Search, serving 400+ clients across 40+ countries. Passionate about the blend of sports and business. Former bandy player, now the national coach for Team Norway, leading them to a World Cup bronze medal.
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Rickard on LinkedIn
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Worldwiders website link
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Nordic Job Worldwide website link
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Asian Job Worldwide website link
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IT Jobs Worldwide website link
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Multilingual Jobs Worldwide website link
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