As a kid, I was already investing in stocks
I was born in 1975 in Helsinki, I’m now a mother of three children, a wife, a serial entrepreneur, and a social media influencer. I spent my childhood in Töölö and my favorite book was “Diligence is our joy”. That book has influenced my life in many ways, and that is reflected in what I do today. Performing has always been in my blood, even when I was a little girl and I learned the basics of networking when I won a child modeling competition at the age of seven.
My passion for performance was ignited by Step up and Aira Samulin’s dance school where I danced until adulthood. By education, I am a graphic designer and I followed that at Edita and Focus Business Communication advertising agency until 2004.
The recession also hit my family and my parents did a lot of work to compensate for the increasingly high mortgage rates. My father is a Taxi Driver, so entrepreneurship is well known to me. I even started investing in stocks as a child.
Entrepreneurship gives me the strength and freedom I need
I am an entrepreneur because I am motivated by freedom and its finance aspect. My family has always supported me in my choices, so no one has ever questioned my career path.
I enjoy that my work is not tied to a time or place. I can work from home as well as from a trip to Lapland or under the shade of palm trees. For me, entrepreneurship gives me the strength to counterbalance everyday life with kids.
I had never planned to become an entrepreneur, but it is integral to me
The year 2000 was a year of change in many ways. I founded the Show and PR group for Espoo Blues ice hockey team and found my husband Jonni in Turku. In 2003, when the collaboration at Blues ended, I continued to run the group through my own company. We incorporated the company in 2004 and that’s where my full-time entrepreneurship began.
The journey has been pretty amazing. I had never planned to become an entrepreneur but it all happened by accident in a way. I boldly seize all the opportunities that came to me.
We bought Eventgarden in 2006 and ran it until 2017. I had a turnover of over € 10 million when I ran the event and employed 7 permanent employees and hundreds of freelancers. In 2007, I was elected Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Helsinki and I was actively involved in young entrepreneurs (HYNY).
The mental transformation from an employer entrepreneur to a lifestyle entrepreneur began as early as 2014. That’s when I started a direct sales business at Zinzino, a Swedish company listed on Nasdaq First North. It was one of the best choices for my entrepreneurial career and gave me the courage to sell Eventgarden’s in 2017. Today, I employ myself as a content producer and Marketing and Entrepreneurship Coach.
Being a mother doesn’t have to stop you from being an entrepreneur
My favorite memory so far was getting the Young Helsinki Entrepreneur of the Year recognition in 2007 and getting my story on the cover of Kauppalehti Option. Now if I recall, it felt great winning Finnish Team Build Of The Year in 2016 and Recruiter Of The Year in 2017 while I was at Zinzino. Aside from that, I enjoy every assignment where I can offer my expertise in marketing for the benefit of customers.
The most challenging thing so far has been having children while working as an employer entrepreneur. Juggling all the different things that come with that, while at the same time having a small child in your arm.
That is why I am grateful that today you do not have to pay the salaries of others first before you can pay for yourself. I would rather employ other entrepreneurs and help them succeed than take entrepreneurial risks as an employer.
Entrepreneurship is my lifestyle
Since childhood, I have always been a leader; organizing everyone else at the school Christmas party for example. Entrepreneurship has always been a built-in trait in me. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Entrepreneurship is my lifestyle and I call myself a lifestyle entrepreneur.
Know your worth
You need to have networking skills. Don’t be afraid of change and find the courage to alter your direction if the activity is not profitable and does not feel good. You need a healthy amount of greed so that you don’t undervalue yourself. After all, you want a good reward for your work.
The most important piece of advice for a beginner entrepreneur is to believe in yourself and price correctly!
