How do Scandinavian companies actually evaluate nearshore partners today – and what is changing in their expectations? In this episode Sebastian speaks with Erik Wärn, Business Area Manager at Nexer, working closely with international entities and clients across the Nordics.

They discuss trust, transparency and long-term collaboration, as well as the shift from traditional time-and-material resourcing towards outcome-based partnerships. Erik also explains why domain knowledge, industry expertise and genuine business understanding are now becoming decisive factors for Scandinavian clients choosing vendors in Central Europe.

This episode covers:

• What non-negotiables Scandinavian clients expect from partners
• Why transparency, flat hierarchy and cultural fit matter so much
• How nearshore delivery matured from coding capacity to advisory roles
• Why Central Europe is viewed as high-quality rather than low-cost
• How outcome-based and value-driven models are changing cooperation
• Why domain expertise and specialisation are now strategic differentiators
• Where misconceptions about “cheap delivery” still remain – and how to counter them

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

01:43 – Transparency and stability as non-negotiables for Scandinavian clients

05:43 – The market trend of moving away from time-based materials toward outcome-based models

07:29 – Building engagement by removing communication filters between teams and clients

08:58 – Why domain knowledge and understanding the business are more important than the tech stack

17:39 – The "cheap service" trap and why focusing only on lower rates can be expensive

🎙 Guest:

Erik Wärn Business Area Manager at Nexer Group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-w%C3%A4rn-2011747/

🎙Host:

Sebastian Dzieniak LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-dzieniak/

What do Swedish companies really expect from nearshore partners in Central Europe? Is cost still the priority, or is something else driving cooperation today? In this episode Sebastian speaks with Staffan Strand, President at Nexer Group, responsible for international markets including the Nordics.

They discuss Scandinavian business culture, transparency, and the shift from traditional outsourcing to expert-driven delivery. Staffan also explains why Central Europe – and Poland in particular – has become such a strategic region for digital talent, AI, cybersecurity, and high-competence engineering.

This episode covers:

• How the Scandinavian consulting market is changing after difficult years
• Why cost efficiency matters – but never at the expense of quality
• What Swedish customers value most: honesty, craftsmanship, domain expertise
• How Central Europe evolved from cheap labour to strategic delivery hubs
• What risks companies face in nearshoring and how to mitigate them
• Why culture, trust, and face-to-face contact still matter in remote delivery
• Why “daring to specialise” is the only long-term competitive strategy

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction
01:00 – The Scandinavian perspective on nearshoring
03:10 – Cost efficiency versus quality and transparency
09:46 – Central Europe’s shift from low cost delivery to full service ownership
19:55 – Why specialisation matters more than competing on price

🎙 Guest:

Staffan Strand President at Nexer Group
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staffanstrand/

🎙Host:
Sebastian Dzieniak, Client Relationship Manager
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-dzieniak/

Outsourcing is no longer only about cost savings. As companies face pressure to scale faster and adopt new technologies, outsourcing models are evolving beyond traditional time-and-material contracts. In this episode, Sebastian Dzieniak speaks with Maciej Reutt, Managing Director of Holisticon Connect, about how outsourcing is changing, why it continues to grow instead of fading away, and what this shift means for business leaders navigating delivery, risk, and AI adoption.

Key topics include:

• Why is outsourcing growing towards 600 billion dollars by 2030 instead of fading away
• How companies are moving beyond time-and-material contracts toward more outcome- and value-oriented delivery models
• What benefits businesses gain from outsourcing, including faster scaling, reduced overhead, shared risk, and higher efficiency
• What are the main challenges leaders face when starting an outsourcing journey and how to avoid common pitfalls
• How AI-first approaches are changing delivery models and why smaller organisations often struggle to adopt them
• What differentiates Holisticon Connect by combining an entrepreneurial culture with the scale of the Nexer Group

⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
01:40 – The idea behind the podcast
08:50 – From effort to value in software services
18:10 – AI challenges for non tech companies
24:00 – How Holisticon Connect supports clients
30:45 – What to consider before outsourcing

🎙 Guest:
Maciej Reutt, CEO at Holisticon Connect and Vicepresident at Nexer Group
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mreutt/

🎙Host:
Sebastian Dzieniak, Client Relationship Manager
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-dzieniak/