I just turned 30 and spent my birthday behind the wheel of a tractor. My friends asked me why I wasn't celebrating. But I was celebrating – I was doing exactly what I loved the most.

My company Vihervimma is a landscaping and gardening company located in Rekola, Vantaa. Its name (“Green Mania”) perfectly reflects my relationship with my work: green is my thing and my passion.

I love putting myself out there – digging with an excavator, planting trees and serving customers in the store. Even though office work is part of being an entrepreneur, it is not my favourite part, as I like to do things and work with the team.

Vihervimma has a garden shop and a flower shop, and we also sell soil. We also offer property maintenance and winter maintenance. I can toss around ideas and develop operations with my partner Janne Pessi.

During the high season, we employ 30 people and during the winter, approximately 10. Our personnel is the company’s most important asset, and I want to be the right kind of leader for them; thanks to our employees, we have succeeded.

As a child, I enjoyed spending time at the Rekolan Kukkatalo garden shop, because they also had pets. Eventually, the owners of the garden shop asked if I would like to help water the flowers. That’s where it all started – I helped out in the shop, and at the age of 12 I was already standing behind the cash register. I also helped with snow clearing and mowed lawns.

I fell in love with selling and serving people – it made me feel so successful. At school, I did not really feel successful, because I had difficulties with reading and writing, so I attended a special class. I did not like it at all, but on the other hand, sales and customer service started to feel more and more interesting.

I worked throughout my years in primary school, learning the basics of being an entrepreneur. When the entrepreneurs who owned the garden shop quit, I continued their work at the age of 15. My family friend Risto helped me get started, because I was still underage. He borrowed a Saab from his neighbor, and we used it to fetch the first boxes violets for sale. Soon enough, I had sold a roll cage of violets.

I became an independent entrepreneur at the age of 18. Initially, I dreamed of a turnover of EUR 500,000, and when I reached it in 2015, I raised the bar. In 2020, I achieved the million-euro milestone, and the growth has continued steadily since then.

“Sales and customer service were more interesting to me than school. I fell in love with selling and serving people.”

I have succeeded because I have always listened to customers’ needs and expanded the range according to their wishes. As an entrepreneur, I have also learned that one should always ask for advice and share ideas with others.

In 2015, I was struggling with my finances, when Satu Mehtälä, a financial guru and a Vihervimma customer, came to buy flowers. She has served on the boards of many companies and participated in a number of development projects.

Satu noticed my concerns and offered to help. She taught me to understand the company’s bookkeeping and make profitability calculations and an action plan for the next five years. She saved me from bankruptcy.

Other surprising and important help came when I wanted to expand my operations and buy a property. I had negotiated on a loan with many banks without any success.

Our long-term customer Tero Parviainen from OP Uusimaa called to order flowers for an occasion. I immediately asked for advice on loans. Tero knew my entrepreneurial background and believed in me: with his help, I ended up in loan negotiations and got a loan with good terms.

My goal is to increase our turnover to more than EUR 10 million over the next five years. This is an ambitious goal, as we now have a turnover of EUR 2.5 million. The demand for our property maintenance and products is high, so the growth target is completely realistic in that sense.

My biggest personal challenge is how to grow and develop as a leader. I love to be involved in practical work – planting, building and serving customers – but I should develop my leadership and management skills.

My goal is either to develop myself into a good leader or to find someone else to take care of the administration. Perhaps the right person will one day walk in as a customer and stay as my new partner – it would not be the first time.

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