Strength comes from working together

Cailap’s story began long before I could imagine that one day I would become its CEO.

My father, Lauri Laurmaa, founded Cailap in Turku in 1977 together with his brother, Kaj Laurmaa. Even the company’s name came from the brothers’ nicknames: Caius and Lapa were combined to form Cailap. In the beginning, Kaj imported products from abroad alongside his work as a flight purser, while my father handled sales alongside his regular job. Over the years, the small family business grew into a well-known Finnish company specialising in hair and beauty products.

From the very beginning, the purpose of Cailap’s products has been simple but important: we want to help our customers feel amazing and confident. Confidence – and above all, courage – has also been needed throughout the company’s own journey.

Taking the Helm of the Family Business Together

For my sister Heidi and me, it was never a given that we would one day continue running the company our parents had built. Joining the family business was not a career path we had planned in advance.

When the opportunity to continue Cailap’s story became relevant, we both had to stop and think about it. Do we really want to do this? And if we do, what kind of Cailap do we want to build?

The decision required courage from both of us.

In 2019, the management and ownership of Cailap were transferred to us. I became CEO and Heidi became Product Manager. We took responsibility for a long history and our parents’ life’s work, while at the same time gaining the opportunity to shape Cailap’s next chapter in our own way.

When I look around today, I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together. And I do not mean just the two of us.

The Great Strength of a Small Team of Women

Behind Cailap is a team of around ten women. Our small team handles everything from products and product development to marketing, e-commerce, customer service, and sales. We also have a strong network of partners around us.

In a small team, every person’s contribution matters greatly. For me, however, how we work is just as important.

We help, support, and encourage one another, and we are flexible when needed. When life circumstances change, we look for solutions together. When someone needs help, the others step in. Everyone has the opportunity to take responsibility, bring their own strengths forward, and contribute to how we work together.

One of our most important values is humanity. As CEO, it is important to me to build a working life where ambitions can be high, but where there is also room for life outside of work.

For me, empowering women is not about grand words, but above all about opportunities: the opportunity to be heard, to take responsibility, to trust your own abilities, and to grow in your own way. When we know each other’s strengths and trust one another, a small team can achieve surprisingly big things.

Why Do We Want to Be Part of VoimaNaiset?

When we were given the opportunity to join the VoimaNaiset event as a partner, it felt natural. Today, Cailap is a women-led company whose everyday operations are built around a small and skilled team of women. At the heart of our products is also the idea of confidence – that everyone should be able to feel good about themselves just as they are.

I strongly believe that no one should have to manage everything alone. Support, encouragement, and inspiration from other women can provide exactly the courage that is sometimes needed to take the next step.

That is why the idea behind VoimaNaiset feels so close to us. We want to help build a working life where women encourage one another to move forward and where there is room for different career paths, strengths, and ways of succeeding.

The Courage to Take the Next Step

Heidi and I have wanted to continue Cailap’s story in our own way and boldly take the company in new directions. In 2025, we took another major step when we hired our own salesperson in Sweden. Now Cailap’s journey continues, step by step, towards the other Nordic countries and Northern Europe.

Growth and trying something new require courage. There are no ready-made answers to everything, and the next step does not always feel completely certain. Over the years, I have learned that courage does not mean having no doubts. Courage means seizing an opportunity even when you cannot yet see the entire path ahead.

Above all, I have learned that you do not have to find courage alone.

I have my sister by my side, and together we get to build the next chapter of our family business. Around us, we have a small but strong team of women who help and encourage one another. Together, we also dare to aim higher and take the next steps towards international markets.

My own career path was not clear from the beginning. Perhaps it does not need to be.

For me, being a VoimaNainen does not mean having to manage everything on your own. The greatest strength comes from having others around you with whom you dare to take the next step.

Hanna Laurmaa

CEO

Cailap