Linnea Johansson worked at a Stockholm startup as an operations manager earning SEK 45,000 per month. On the side, she fixed her colleagues' phones and laptops — iPhone screens, Samsung batteries, MacBook keyboards — because she was the only person in the office who could.
Her colleagues loved her. Her employer did not compensate her for it. She was giving away skill that the market paid SEK 1,500–3,000 per job.
"I was doing 8–10 repairs per month for free," she says. "At SEK 2,000 each, that was SEK 20,000 I was giving away. More than a week's salary. Every month."
The Decision
In early 2025, Linnea left the startup and signed a lease on a shop unit in Södermalm — Stockholm's coolest and most densely residential district — with SEK 180,000 in savings. She signed up for RepairCoreX on the free plan the same day.
"I come from operations," she says. "I understand what a job management system does. RepairCoreX was the obvious infrastructure for a repair business. Digital tickets, customer notifications, inventory management, revenue reporting. Everything I needed."
The First Month
Her former startup colleagues were her first customers. They came the first week, brought their partners and flatmates, and left reviews.
Month 1 revenue: SEK 380,000. Net after costs: SEK 130,000.
"I was earning SEK 45,000 at the startup," she says. "I made three times that in my first month of owning a business. The emotion of seeing that report is something I will never forget."
The VAT Advantage
Swedish repair VAT is 12% — half the standard consumer goods rate. Linnea used this to position her prices slightly below what customers expected to pay while maintaining strong margins.
"I explain the Swedish repair VAT to new customers," she says. "It reinforces that repair is the smart, sustainable choice. In Stockholm, that message resonates deeply."
Today
Linnea earns SEK 130,000–SEK 150,000 monthly net. She employs a full-time technician and a part-time receptionist. She has corporate accounts with two Södermalm media companies.
"Sverige har skapat rätt förutsättningar för reparationsföretag," she says. "RepairCoreX ger dig systemet. Resten är ditt."