From student to entrepreneur – three alumni explain why entrepreneurship pays off
Teemu Partanen from Oulu-based Nikamadesign is an entrepreneur, artist and Master of Science in Technology from the University of Oulu. He started as an entrepreneur in 2009.
Partanen's all-Finnish company, which makes stainless steel products, jewellery and gift items from Finnish materials, has the phrase "Meanings of Life" as its slogan. The company's values are based on several ideas, one of which is to keep the blacksmithing tradition alive and the other to be domestic. An important value is also to make timeless, eternal design instead of one-time culture.
"If I can bring beauty, I won't do this for nothing."
Teemu Partanen is a mechanical engineer by training. Even though he comes from an entrepreneurial family, he still didn't want to become an entrepreneur.
"The biggest passion has always been to do something of my own, something creative."
University education has played a role in finding one's own path. In addition to knowledge, the studies gave him confidence.
Financially, an entrepreneur has a big responsibility and tough times, but:
"I've never been so happy. A certain freedom and financial pressure is absolutely freezing," Partanen says.
Teemu Partanen, CEO, artist and engineer, definitely recommends entrepreneurship to students as an alternative to an expert or salaried career.
"It should be almost the number one option for almost everyone. It's worth believing in your own dreams, trusting yourself, boldly going to make it happen, but not stupidly bravely."
An opportunity to build
Entrepreneurship is an opportunity to realise visions and build something that would not have been created otherwise. This is what Marko Holma, entrepreneur and CEO of Muon Solutions Oy thinks. He is a geologist by training from the University of Oulu.
"I was mainly interested in a career as a researcher. Over time, however, I began to see an opportunity to take the results of the research outside the university for wider use."
The company was founded partly by chance.
"We set up the company by gathering together people who were partly unknown to each other. The founding members were experts from different fields. I didn't really become an entrepreneur until 2021, when I moved from the duties of chief geologist to the CEO of Muon Solutions."
Muon Solutions is a Finnish deep technology company that develops muon imaging and muonmetric positioning (muPS). For Marko Holma, entrepreneurship is above all opportunities.
"It gives freedom and responsibility, but it also brings uncertainty and constant pressure to manage resources. The best thing is that we can develop science-based technology that has both commercial and societal significance."
Marko Holma wants to encourage students and young people to think of entrepreneurship as a career option right from the start.
"Not everyone needs to build a long career elsewhere first – sometimes it is during your studies that you have the best ideas and the bravest mindset. It is important to be surrounded by a network and support, for example from the university, research groups or other entrepreneurs."
There was no option
Jonna Muurinen, the founder and CEO of the marketing communications agency Kuulu Oy, did not have a straightforward path to becoming an entrepreneur. She has studied at universities in Sweden, Uppsala and Stockholm, as well as Swedish at the University of Oulu, and has worked as a journalist for years. She also has experience as a place to live, for example, in Canada. In her opinion, Oulu is an excellent place for an entrepreneur.
"This is a suitably large but suitably small place to do business. Here, I know practically all the relevant stakeholders and am highly networked."
Her own company was founded in 2013, even though entrepreneurship was not an option in any way originally.
"I come from an entrepreneurial family, and my childhood was filled with the everyday life of entrepreneurs. It seemed far too heavy at the time."
The idea of entrepreneurship began to take shape only later in working life.
"In the end, the solution was quite clear. I was interested in social media marketing, the market existed, and the industry was such that the initial investments were small. In addition, entrepreneurship gave me freedom: I could work regardless of location and rhythm my everyday life so that sports remain a big part of my life."
When she founded the company, Jonna Muurinen also had ready-made customers, which was a big advantage and gave her trust. The company grew rapidly and now has about 20 employees.
"For me, entrepreneurship means, above all, independence."
"On the other hand, I don't recommend entrepreneurship to others very easily. It's extremely heavy and stressful, no matter what the situation is."
What would you like to say to students or young people – is entrepreneurship a suitable option right from the start of their careers?
"It's a good idea to test first whether the field is really the right one. In addition, it is worth being aware that entrepreneurship is much more than substance work. As an entrepreneur, a large part of my time is spent on sales, marketing, financial management and paperwork – and maybe half of it is left for the planning itself."
However, in Muurinen's opinion, a big plus is that you can choose what kind of work you do and sometimes even with whom.
University supports
The National Entrepreneur's Day will be celebrated again on 5 September. The day has been celebrated annually since 1997. Behind the Entrepreneur's Day is the Entrepreneur's Day Foundation, the purpose of which is to support entrepreneurial activities and promote the appreciation of entrepreneurship.
The University of Oulu offers its students skills to support both an entrepreneurial approach and business activities. The courses in the minor in entrepreneurship offer insights into the different stages of entrepreneurship and current themes such as sustainable development, new technologies and platforms, art and creativity, and business planning.
Text: Tiina Ojutkangas
Photos: alumni and Petri Ovaskainen