Tellusgruppen , a family-owned business, aims to create long-term value for society

Even when Narges Moshiri and Bijan Fahimi acquired their first preschool in 2007, their goal was to offer high-quality, professional educational services based on the children’s needs. Today, Tellusgruppen owns and operates over 30 schools and preschools, and the passion that drove the married couple during the startup phase remains as strong as ever.

– From the start, we didn’t have any quantitative goals. But we knew we wanted to build a large company that provides high-quality care and education to many families. Today, we do this by addressing the diverse needs that exist in society. The most important tool is to provide our employees with a well-functioning organization so that their expertise and dedication translate into high-quality services for the children and students, says Bijan Fahimi, CEO of Tellusgruppen.

The story of the family-owned business Tellusgruppen begins in 2004. Narges and Bijan had just met, and early in their relationship, the idea of running a preschool was born.

– I’m a preschool teacher by training. I completed my preschool teacher training back in Iran, which I then supplemented with Swedish. Later, I was also selected for a management training program for public sector managers, as one of 24 participants in the Stockholm region. “After working at a number of preschools—both on the front lines and as a department head—I began to dream of doing this my way, our way,” says Narges Moshiri, vice chair of the board at Tellusgruppen.

Running a school places extremely high demands on professionalism, knowledge, and a long-term approach to business—something that Bijan and Narges carefully considered before launching their venture and continue to live up to every day.

“Unlike Narges, I had no prior experience in the education sector, but I am an entrepreneur and good at running a business. Our respective skills and experiences complement each other perfectly, which is a major reason why we’ve succeeded in making Tellusgruppen a stable and thriving company,” says Bijan.

The First Preschool

The first preschool the couple acquired was where Narges had previously worked.

“Running a school comes with a great deal of social responsibility; it’s about providing new generations with a safe school experience, and everything must be planned for the long term. This is a responsibility we treat with great care and take very seriously. The fact that we’re a family-owned business means we’re even more careful about looking after the company—after all, this is our life’s work,” says Narges.

The goal of creating a thriving and secure company has been a guiding principle for Narges and Bijan throughout this process; their commitment stems from the needs of the community and their dedication to performing their work with the utmost professionalism.

– We have never seen any conflict between serving the public good and entrepreneurship. The fact that we operate on a business basis and aim to develop a financially stable company does not conflict with our ambition to offer high-quality services to the children attending our preschools and schools, their guardians, and local municipalities. On the contrary, long-term profitability requires satisfied customers, and that, in turn, requires that we have a well-organized operation with competent and motivated employees. It’s all interconnected.

Leveraging Expertise in Acquisitions

Today, Tellusgruppen operates a total of over 30 preschools and schools under the following brands Tellusbarn and Tellusskolan. The company also offers academic tutoring and native-language instruction (Omniglot) and childcare (Nanny by Tellus). The company has been listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market since 2021.

“When we acquired our first preschool, we didn’t have a clear picture of what the business would look like in the long run, but we learned as we went along. Many ideas and opportunities have emerged through the acquisitions we’ve made, while other initiatives have developed in collaboration with employees who have joined us. In a learning organization, development and progress come from many different directions,” says Bijan.

– The goal is to continue to be an engaged and active majority owner that, through close contact with school principals and staff, identifies and communicates knowledge and needs within the group.

A stable family-owned business

The Tellus Group’s journey as a responsible, stable family-owned business focused on the greater good of society has only just begun. By being a publicly traded company listed on Nasdaq, it provides the outside world with significantly more information about its operations than it would have if it were privately held.

– The overarching goal is to combine quality, financial stability, growth, and development. Now that we’ve grown and acquired new businesses, it’s no longer just about our own educational ambitions and ideas. It’s about enabling others to bring their ideas to life. “We offer a professional platform and a foundation where new and good ideas can flourish and grow,” says Bijan Fahimi, CEO of Tellusgruppen.

Learn more about the Tellus Group's business concept and vision.