I came to Finland 16.5 years ago as a quota refugee and was placed in Tornio. Many move away from there quickly, but I enjoyed it there. And would still do but we just moved to Vantaa in July in the hope of new customer contacts. By education, I’m an industrial and production engineer and have done various different things: I have worked in a telecommunications company and as a notary in Iran, and as a refugee instructor and a jack-of-all-trades of sorts for SPR in Finland.
My employment contract was terminated at my previous workplace for productional and financial reasons. We had a child that was only a year old, car debt and a mortgage, so going back to school was not an option. At my previous job I, among other things, interpreted and translated as well as coordinated the interpretations and translations needed by others. I asked myself what would happen if I only focused on these things.
When I started the business, an acquaintance of mine called and said, “you are an idiot”.
When I started the business in Tornio in 2010, an acquaintance of mine called from Helsinki and said, “you are an idiot.” I replied that maybe I am, but this is my home. After all, it is a miracle to set up a language service in the north – especially in a language that is not your mother tongue – and manage to make it grow. Building a network there is no easy thing. But at the end of the say it is not done alone – the process has been supported by great people, employees and supporters. It is rewarding to successfully build something of your own that benefits the entire community.
As an entrepreneur, time management is largely in your own hands. You can decide to stop working and go fishing in the middle of a workday. Taking care of yourself is important. Talk to loved ones, tell them what’s going on, don’t get overwhelmed. The company will crash before long if the entrepreneur himself is not upright.
Mistakes should not be avoided, they help you to grow.
It is worth remembering that you don’t have to know everything right away or do everything yourself. The best quality of an entrepreneur is the ability to lead, coordinate and delegate. Ask for help! You can find it whenever you dare to ask for it. If the first person you ask cannot help, ask the next one. Additionally, mistakes should not be avoided, they help you to grow. If you must know everything perfectly before you can try, you will never get anything done.
