Episode Details

In this episode we are joined by Staffan Salén – one of Sweden’s most prominent business men. The Salén family has a strong heritage spanning more than one hundred years, where Staffan and his brother Erik represent the third generation. In a fun and engaging conversation, we talk about banana boats, long-term investments, and high-speed lessons.

For more info about the podcast, go to the episode page and make sure to follow us on X/Twitter. We love to hear your thoughts on what you like and what we can improve, so please give us your rating and a review. You’re also very welcome to tell us about great authors, books, and investors you want to hear on the show. Thank you! /Eddie & Niklas with team

This episode was recorded on March 20, 2024.

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Episode Chapters

(00:00) Introduction by Eddie & Niklas

(02:10) Welcoming Staffan Salén

(04:45) The Salén Story

(07:49) Hands-off leadership in the early 20th century

(09:00) The Salén Spirit

(11:10) The family business during WWII and beyond

(18:23) Modern times and societal commentary

(21:18) What the Salén family considers important in early-stage ventures

(23:20) Staffan’s early career

(31:19) The Sagax investment

(38:02) The eWork investment

(41:57) The Green Landscaping investment

(46:44) Creating value from acquisitions

(50:45) What makes a good board?

(52:34) Measuring success

(54:30) The next generation of Salénia

(55:51) Views on life more generally

(01:01:00) Is there too much information available today?

(01:05:21) Book recommendations

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Books Mentioned

• The Salén Story - Staffan Sjöberg with contributions from the Salén family

To receive a copy of "The Salén Story", contact mariana.martell@salenia.se (limited availability)

• The Outsiders - Will Thorndike
• Capital Returns - Edward Chancellor
• Chip Wars - Chris Miller
• What You Do Is Who You Are - Ben Horowitz
• The Wizard of Kremlin - Giuliano da Empoli
• The Essays of Warren Buffett - Lawrence Cunningham
• Poor Charlie’s Almanack - Charlie Munger & Peter D. Kaufman
• Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor - Tren Griffin
• The Price of Time - Edward Chancellor
• Skin in the Game - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

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Companies Mentioned

• Sagax
• Ework
• Green Landscaping
• Carnegie
• P&G
• Swedbank
• Frontline

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More on Staffan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staffan-sal%C3%A9n-34b87a17

• The Salén Group: https://salengroup.se/en/

• X: https://x.com/staffansalen

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About the Podcast

Intro episode: https://www.redeye.se/podcast/investing-by-the-books/817383/0-intro-to-investing-by-the-books

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What is Investing by the Books?

Investing by the Books was founded by Henrik Andersson, Bo Börtemark, Mats Larsson and Michael Persson. It has publ