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Growth in balance

Grow into new markets without breaking your organisation.

We combine international market entry with leadership and team development. Two sides of the same growth, whether you are going abroad from the EU or coming into the EU from outside.

The test runs on export4future.com, EP Consulting’s own assessment tool.
One mountain with two slopes: a navy slope for markets and a pink slope for people, meeting along a yin–yang curve.
Patrick Gerber and Evelyn Soidla, founders of EP Consulting Services

Sound familiar?

Most market entries don’t fail in the market. They fail inside the company.

  • Yang runs aheadFirst customers abroad, but no capacity to serve them.

    Sales grow faster than the team that has to deliver.

  • Decisions jamManagers stuck in sales, decisions stuck at head office.

    Every answer waits for one person or one approval.

  • Yin left behindA team that feels left behind.

    The new market gets the attention; the people at home lose sight of the plan.

About us

Two founders, two sides of the same mountain

One of us builds your path into the market, the other makes sure your leaders and team can carry the growth. We work with the same client, at the same time, in the same rhythm.

Patrick Gerber
Yang · markets

Patrick Gerber

Markets, sales, partners and time-critical projects.

  • 20 years of international business development
  • Worked with 250+ companies
  • Dipl.-Ing., energy and CleanTech, interim management

Leads: Export Sprint · EU Foundation · Interim and Part-time COO

LinkedIn profile
Evelyn Soidla
Yin · people

Evelyn Soidla

Leaders, teams, culture, change management and hidden dynamics.

  • 25+ years as a trainer, coach and supervisor
  • 1000+ hours of coaching and supervision
  • ICF PCC, ESCÜ supervisor-coach (level 7), systemic team coaching

Leads: Leadership Scale Intensive · Key People · Coaching and Supervision

LinkedIn profile
45+years of combined experience
250+companies
1000+hours of coaching and supervision
3working languages: Estonian, English, German

Our ethics

Confidential, by principle.

All our coaching and supervision follows the ICF Code of Ethics. Evelyn is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the ICF Coaching Supervisor Specialization. Everything you share with us stays confidential, and we never name a client without their permission.

How we start

Every path starts with a free test and ends with your own team

  1. 1

    Free test

    10 minutes. Two scores: market and people. A follow-up report and a free 30-minute call.

    Free
  2. 2

    Growth Diagnostic

    Your next market and your team’s readiness, in one plan.

    2–4 weeks · fixed price
  3. 3

    Your programme

    Yang, yin or both, as the diagnostic shows.

    From 60 days
  4. 4

    Handover

    We step back when your own team can carry the growth.

    Planned from day one

Two directions

Where are you growing?

The same method works both ways. Choose your direction and we show you the services that fit.

Services

Nine services, two slopes

Every service strengthens one side of growth, or both. Showing services for companies based in the EU.

Yang · market

Direction and pace

Led by Patrick

Export Sprint

60 days

From market choice to first customer meetings, with daily support.

EU marketsHong Kong and ChinaEnergy and Cleantech
Details

EU Foundation

4–8 weeks, then ongoing

Your EU company in Estonia with bank, accounting, tax and compliance roles. One contact for all partners.

For non-EU companiesDetails

Interim and Part-time COO

from 6 months

We run your operations in the new market one to five days a week, until your own manager takes over.

Details
Balance · both

Market and people together

Patrick and Evelyn together

Growth in Balance

3–6 months

Our flagship for going abroad: market entry and organisational development in one plan, with one team.

For EU companiesDetails

EU Soft Landing

6–18 months

Our flagship for entering the EU: we set up your European base, run it with you and hand it over.

For non-EU companiesDetails

Integration after Acquisition

6–12 months

Buying or being bought across borders: culture check, integration charter and coaching so key people stay.

Details

Patrick and Evelyn work on these together. Book a call with either of us.

Book a call with PatrickBook a call with Evelyn
Yin · people

Capacity to carry growth

Led by Evelyn

Leadership Scale Intensive

2 days + review

Management teams learn to lead through fast growth. Cross-border edition for head office and the team abroad.

Details

Key People

about 4 months

Selecting your country or export manager and coaching them through the first 100 days.

Details

Coaching and Supervision

ongoing

Leadership and team coaching and supervision while change is happening, also for managers posted abroad.

Details
Energy and Cleantech track. For battery storage, solar, heat pump and charging companies, inside the Export Sprint and the EU Soft Landing.
All services in detail

References

Companies we have grown with

Yang · market

Market entry, sales and projects

  • Insta Globe EngineeringInsta Globe Engineering
  • HeptaHepta
  • FuseboxFusebox
  • EnematEnemat
  • TehnopolTehnopol
  • IntarIntar
Yin · people

Leadership, coaching, supervision and training

  • MultilinguaMultilingua
  • Estonian Academy of Security SciencesEstonian Academy of Security Sciences
  • EstDevEstDev
  • SK ID SolutionsSK ID Solutions
Malle Nei

What clients say

“Evelyn is the best example of lifelong learning and a commitment to growth.”

Evelyn developed, piloted and refined a unique development programme for teachers. She also created the training “From language teacher to language coach”, which participants have rated as extremely useful. Evelyn is the best example of lifelong learning and a commitment to growth. She is purposeful and hard-working. I would describe her as a pleasant and curious person who started “from the grassroots” and has invested confidently and with real expertise in her own professional development.

Malle NeiHead of Multilingua Language School and Competence CentreTranslated from Estonian.
Yang · market

Enemat OÜ

Endoscopes for milling and drilling · Estonia → Germany

Challenge
Entering the German milling and drilling sector, where customers set very high quality demands.
What we did
Lead generation, guidance through the proof-of-concept phase, communication with the client and technical advice on the German customer’s quality demands.
3requests for quotation from German companies
€50kfirst batch order after 5 months, following 5 test products
See the service: Export Sprint ↗
Yang · market

Hepta Insights OÜ

SaaS for predictive maintenance of overhead power lines · Estonia → Germany

Challenge
German data protection (GDPR), especially for drone images, and permission to fly drones beyond visual line of sight.
What we did
Lead generation and one point of contact for leads through all phases, from acquisition to proof of concept; guidance through GDPR in Germany with a German privacy lawyer we brought in; rules and permits for drone flights beyond visual line of sight; PoC coordination and customer relations.
3proofs of concept with different types of grid operators
2regulatory hurdles cleared: data protection and drone permits
See the service: Export Sprint ↗
Yang · market

Dipperfox OÜ

Tool for fast tree-stump removal · Estonia → Germany

Challenge
The market segment the original product was built for did not exist in Germany.
What we did
Market investigation and feedback, lead generation, the impulse to develop a smaller product for the German market, market feedback on the new product, customer relations and representation at the Hannover Messe.
1smaller product developed for the German market
1presence at the Hannover Messe on the company’s behalf
See the service: Export Sprint ↗
Yang · market

SMA Solar Technology AG

Hybrid inverters and battery storage for homes · Germany → USA

Challenge
Launching an integrated hybrid inverter, battery and rapid-shutdown system for US homes, with UL certification required and the market launch behind schedule.
What we did
Interim product management on site and remotely: defining US market requirements, steering internal and external development teams together with storage manufacturer BYD, managing the UL certification and the crisis management during launch delays.
2.5years of interim product management
6 monthsto complete UL certification for North America
See the service: Interim and Part-time COO ↗

Our approach

Growth in Balance

Yin and yang first described the two slopes of one mountain: the shady side and the sunny side. Market and people, strategy and culture are one system. Trouble starts when one side is built at the expense of the other.

Entering a new market speeds up growth and brings the next crisis sooner. We help you see which phase you are in and move to the next one without the crisis stopping growth.

EP Consulting founders Patrick Gerber and Evelyn Soidla
Greiner’s growth phases alternate between yin and yang sizeage of organisationcalm growth (evolution)crisis (revolution) 1. Creativityyincrisis of leadership2. Directionyangcrisis of autonomy3. Delegationyincrisis of control4. Coordinationyangcrisis of red tape5. Collaborationyinfatigue?

Larry Greiner’s growth phases alternate between yin and yang (our reading of the model). Illustrative, not to scale.

Free test

Measure your growth balance

What it measures
Market and sales readiness (yang) and organisational and leadership readiness (yin).
How long it takes
About 10 minutes. It is free.
What you get
Two scores, a picture of how they balance, and a recommended next step. A follow-up report within two working days.

See an example report →

Reviewing growth balance test results together

Where results usually lead

  • Low yin score→ Leadership Scale Intensive
  • Low yang score→ Export Sprint
  • Both in the middle→ Growth in Balance
Shown for companies based in the EU.

For institutions. Development agencies, clusters and chambers: export boot camps for 5 to 7 companies and the Tallinn Landing Week for foreign delegations.

See the Institutional Partnership ↗

FAQ

Questions we are often asked

EP Consulting Services OÜ is an Estonian consultancy near Tallinn that combines international market entry with leadership and team development. Patrick Gerber leads the market side, Evelyn Soidla the people side.

What does EP Consulting Services do?

EP Consulting Services OÜ (Saue vald, near Tallinn, Estonia) combines international market entry with leadership and team development in one process. Patrick Gerber leads the market side: export, EU company setup and interim management. Evelyn Soidla, an ICF Professional Certified Coach and supervisor, leads the people side: leadership, teams, coaching and supervision.

How do we know if our company is ready to expand into the EU?

Start with the free 10-minute Growth Balance Test on export4future.com. It gives you two scores: market and sales readiness, and organisational and leadership readiness. Typical signs of readiness are a product that already sells well at home, enquiries from European customers, budget for 6 to 18 months of market building, and a management team that can delegate decisions to people in Europe. If one side is clearly weaker, we tell you what to build first before you spend money on the market.

How can a company from outside the EU set up a business in the EU?

The fastest route is an EU company in Estonia: e-Residency for the management, company registration, a legal address and contact person, EU VAT, a bank account and the compliance roles your product needs, such as a GDPR representative, a GPSR responsible person or a CBAM declarant. Our EU Foundation service coordinates all of this with one contact person, typically within 4 to 8 weeks.

What is an EU soft landing?

An EU soft landing gives a company from outside the EU a working base in Europe without building everything at once. We set up the Estonian company, run it with you as interim or part-time COO, align head office and the European team, and hand over when your own manager is ready. It usually takes 6 to 18 months.

Why choose Estonia as an EU base?

Estonia is a full EU member state with fully digital company registration and e-Residency, so management can run the company remotely. Corporate income tax is only due when profit is distributed, English is widely used in business and government, and an Estonian company has full access to the EU single market.

Do we need to move staff to Europe to run an Estonian company?

Not at the start. With e-Residency your management can sign and manage the Estonian company online from your home country. What European customers expect is someone who answers quickly and can decide locally. Until you hire your own manager in Europe, we take that role as interim or part-time COO, then help you select and onboard your manager and hand over.

Which EU rules apply when we sell products in the EU?

It depends on the product. Consumer products sold in the EU, including online, need an economic operator established in the EU under the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), in force since December 2024. Companies outside the EU that process personal data of people in the EU usually need a GDPR representative in the EU. Since 2026, imports of iron, steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers and hydrogen above the annual threshold require an authorised CBAM declarant. Depending on the product, CE marking, REACH and extended producer responsibility (packaging, electronics, batteries) also apply. We check these in the Growth Diagnostic and set up the roles you need.

How long does it take to set up and start selling in the EU?

The Growth Diagnostic takes 2 to 4 weeks. Setting up the Estonian company with bank, VAT and compliance roles typically takes 4 to 8 weeks, with bank onboarding often the longest step. The Export Sprint takes 60 days from market choice to first customer meetings. A full EU soft landing, from set-up to handover to your own team, usually takes 6 to 18 months.

What do your services cost?

Every programme is priced on request, because the effort depends on your product, markets and team. The Growth Diagnostic has a fixed price and ends with a written plan, budget range and timeline. The 10-minute Growth Balance Test and a 30-minute introductory call are free. Running costs of an Estonian company, such as accounting, legal address and bank fees, are charged by the partners we coordinate, and you see them in the plan before you decide.

How do you help EU companies export to Germany?

With the Export Sprint: 60 days from market choice to first customer meetings, including lead generation, the offer, introductions and support through proof-of-concept phases. Examples: Enemat received 3 requests for quotation and a first batch order of €50,000; Hepta Insights ran 3 proofs of concept with German grid operators.

What is the difference between coaching and supervision?

Coaching helps a person or team reach defined goals. Supervision is a reflective process in which leaders and professionals examine their work, relationships and influence. Evelyn Soidla holds the ICF PCC credential and the ICF Coaching Supervisor Specialization; all work follows the ICF Code of Ethics and is confidential.

Which languages do you work in?

English, Estonian and German. The website is also available in Chinese; calls and projects with Chinese and Hong Kong companies are held in English.

Contact

Talk to us directly

Pick a time for a free 30-minute introductory call. Every programme is priced on request; you receive a clear offer after the diagnostic.

Patrick Gerber

Patrick Gerber

Markets, sales, partners, EU setup

Book a meeting with Patrick
Evelyn Soidla

Evelyn Soidla

Leadership, teams, culture, supervision

Book a meeting with Evelyn
info@epconsulting.ee+372 58 859 198

Or write to us

A few lines about your company and your plans. We reply within two working days.

What would you like to talk about?