From Heerde to East Sweden

Corien Leemburg previously lived in Heerde, in the middle of the Netherlands, where she worked in the health care sector as a communication officer for almost 10 years. After a vacation trip Corien fell in love with the beautiful environments of Sweden, along with the nice people and the delicious food. Three years ago, she and her family decided to move to Norrköping and in August 2020 Corien started her own company – DutchCom.

– DutchCom’s purpose is to help Swedish companies improve their sales to the Netherlands. We transform the challenges that Swedish companies are facing – such as language, culture, and communication – into new opportunities. You could say that we act like a bridge between the two countries, says Corien.

She continues to explain that the interest in Swedish quality and design is huge among the inhabitants of the Netherlands, which amounts to great opportunities for Swedish companies.

– The idea is that with the support of DutchCom, people in the Netherlands can get access to all the great products and services that Sweden has to offer.

The fact that moving to East Sweden made Corien take the leap to start her own business is just one of many upsides compared to her previous life in the Netherlands.

– Since moving here, life has become much less stressful and calmer. In Heerde we had close neighbours all around, and there were always a lot of disturbing noises. Today we live on the sixth floor in a quiet area with amazing views looking over the countryside as well as the city. Overall, I appreciate that everything is accessible here, that we can spend our time in nature but still be close to the city and everything it has to offer. 

The only downside with moving away from home, Corien explains, is being away from family and friends. But with direct flights between Linköping and Amsterdam, they never feel too far away.