Recoma – both companies and people need to grow together
When you are in the early stages of setting up a business, it is easy to focus on the road ahead and the day-to-day challenges the company faces. But thinking about the company’s core values and making sure that all employees are driven by the same values can be just as important for the future of the company. This is something Max Rosenberg, founder of Recoma, knows firsthand.
Max Rosenberg saw an opportunity to create a product that could reduce emissions and give new life to discarded waste. The result was construction boards made from packaging consisting of several different materials, such as milk cartons. These boards can be used for everything from interior walls to furniture and contribute to a more sustainable construction industry.
“It’s passionate people who choose our boards,” says Max Rosenberg. “The ones who are truly passionate about sustainability.”
The company was founded in June 2021, and the first board was produced in Hässleholm in February 2023.
“We hired the first person in production in March this year, and now we have ten people working in three shifts,” says Max Rosenberg.
Max Rosenberg founded Recoma together with Fredrik Rosenberg, who handles sales; Tobias Stihl, who is responsible for production and logistics; and Henrik Lennartsson, who handles the financial aspects.
The four founders complement each other with different skills sets and experience. And even though they had a clear plan for Recoma and knew what they needed to do, they contacted Krinova to see what possibilities there were for the company to get some kind of support.
Recoma was accepted into the Krinova SCALE programme, which is designed for already established companies that want to grow. There, they worked with business designer Niclas Persnil. His approach is that you never build companies, you develop the people who, in turn, build the companies.
“I think it’s magical to first see the entrepreneurs and then their companies grow and develop,” he says.
In Krinova SCALE, Recoma has been working on sharpening pitches, developing its business plan and business model and, not least, building up its core values.
“It’s in the back of your mind that these are important things that must be included sooner or later, but you rarely get the chance to do them yourself,” reflects Max Rosenberg. “It’s easy to focus on the urgent, day-to-day stuff to ensure the company’s survival.”
“But you shouldn’t underestimate what someone else can contribute,” he continues. “We all agree that sometimes you need someone who asks different questions.”
For a few months, the entire company met at Krinova almost every Monday. These meetings proved to be important because it was one of the few times when all four founders had time to meet together during the intense phase the company was in.
The meetings have welded them together and made the vision for the company clearer.
“The biggest thing we’ve gained is an understanding of each other’s differences,” says Max Rosenberg.
Niclas Persnil also underscores the importance of having a common foundation for the company to have the best possible conditions for success.
“For a growth company, it is important to have a team that works well,” he says. “The situation is difficult and the company vulnerable if a single person has to manage everything.”
Even though Recoma is affected by the economy and developments in the construction industry, Max is optimistic about the company’s future.
“We are a small manufacturer, and everything we’ve produced we’ve managed to sell,” says Max. “Right now, we’ve stopped production in order to install new equipment that will allow us to double our capacity.”
