The entrepreneurship is the best work in my life!
-I have been more than 20 years as an entrepreneur. It has been the best work a life can offer. I was interested in teaching already as a child and now I have been acting as a trainer for the whole period of my entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur Kaarina Suonperä opened the “Syty yrittäjäksi – seniori”-seminar in Aalto Protomo Helsinki on Monday. There were more than 30 people listening to very interesting presentations about entrepreneurship for the experienced professionals.
-The entrepreneur needs some basic elements for creating his or her success. Firstly, he or she has to have good networks. And one has to build them up when times are good. Secondly, one has to make his or her work better today than yesterday. Especially, the entrepreneur can not do his services or products by “left hand”, with negligence. Thirdly, one has to take care of the network continuously. Without it, every contact becomes cool and it is better always to start the next meeting with people who you have left in the good feelings. And finally, one has to rely on his or her skills, has to have good self-confidence. To be modest is not a fascinating feature for anyone, Kaarina Suonperä emphasized.
The future working places are in SMEs
Managing Director Matti Vanhanen, Perheyritysten liitto, encouraged the audience to consider the role of an entrepreneur. – You have some very essential features important to the entrepreneurs. You have seen many kinds of arrangements and stories in your working environments. You have good connections with many important partners and potential customers. And finally, in most cases you have much better financial circumstances than the youngsters starting their businesses. Still remember to be careful with agreements you are doing in starting your ventures, Vanhanen presented the advantages the experienced people have. – The fact is that the working places in the future are in small and medium size companies. I have seen a study in the US and it clearly shows the development – the future is the entrepreneurs’, Matti Vanhanen continued.
Flexible ways to the entrepreneurship of the experienced people
Professor Paula Kyrö from Aalto University School of Economics clarified the very versatile and flexible models the experienced people can use in the starting phase of their own firms. – In Finland, we have really plenty of possibilities to move forward in the path of the entrepreneurship. We publish our research in a few days and there are only two minor issues which have to modify. We suggest the corrections to the Finnish government very soon. There are three main ways to start your own companies. Firstly, you find a clear uncovered need in the market. Secondly, you test your idea and decide after getting some results if start or not. The third model is to start and evaluate and develop the service or product simultaneously with the marketing work. Every method works, professor Kyrö presented the main findings of their research.
Buy the existing company
Area Director Simo Poikola, Suomen yrityskaupat Oy, told some examples of how to start the entrepreneurship by buying an existing firm. – In most cases, this is less risky than start your own venture from zero, Kauppila argued.
"Klub E" as a part of Aalto Protomo Helsinki
Seppo Rantalainen, the facilitator of Aalto Protomo Helsinki, was really satisfied with the afternoon seminar. – The participants were really interested in hearing and seeing some concrete examples of the entrepreneurship. And we establish a “Klub E” for speeding and encouraging the starting phase of the experienced people’s companies. We start next autumn.
