The number of female entrepreneurs has remained fairly stable in recent years: about one in three entrepreneurs in Finland is a woman. Entrepreneurship is therefore not a foreign or daunting concept for women, women do indeed start businesses. But something is preventing them from taking that first step, and they keep putting it off.

Being seen can be scary. I know that from my own experience. But I also know how powerful it feels when you do something that scares you – despite the fear. The journey to where I stand today, in front of others as an inspirer and speaker, has been long and full of different phases.

Looking back on my journey, one thing stands out: nothing has gone exactly according to plan. Instead, the path has been shaped by choices, moments, and people who have guided the direction, sometimes clearly, sometimes without me even noticing.

In the coffee room and around the lunch table at the Oulu Chamber of Commerce, conversations are often lively.
Ideas are exchanged, people laugh, and plans are made. Around the table, there are mostly women, as our workplace is female-dominated. Fields such as communications, customer service, event production, education, and administration are areas where women often work and gravitate toward.

Courage, to me is not loud performance or fearlessness – although sometimes it can be, especially if you’ve been gifted with a strong voice. More often, courage is quiet decision-making, acting in line with your values, and having the courage to be unfinished. Courage shows in stepping outside your comfort zone, taking responsibility, and moving forward even when the answers are not yet clear.

Let’s take a journey back in time to a small coastal town in the 1980s. It’s the town where I was born and raised with my single mother, who worked as an entrepreneur.

At Kvevlax Savings Bank, we believe in something simple yet powerful: people make the difference. A strong organization is not built on structures and systems, but on engaged individuals who thrive, grow, and feel proud of their work.

I work at HalpaHalli as a Purchasing Manager for clothing. In my role, I am responsible for a broad scope: developing our own brands, managing brand collaborations, and planning our assortments. In practice, my work involves partnerships, assortment priorities, goals, budgeting, visibility, and the continuous development of our offering.

In addition to being surrounded by many strong women whom I admire, I also admire men – those who believe in and support us. My father’s encouragement, which I have heard since I was young and still hear today, “Think: Women can!”, is something I carry with me in everything I do.

Agility and courage are core values at Crimppi. These values were not invented afterwards – we were agile and courageous first, and only later realized to formalize them as part of our values. So this is not just about nice words; our entire way of operating is built on these principles. Otherwise, many things would never have happened.

The IT industry has long been male-dominated – that’s no secret. But that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. At JNT, we want to help change the perception of who belongs in the world of technology. For us, it is a given that women have a natural place in IT, and we are proud to already have many skilled women in our teams.

“We want everyone, regardless of gender, to feel that they have a future in the IT industry. It’s about competence, curiosity, and willingness – not gender.”
– Maria Höglund, CEO of JNT