What surprised me most about starting a business in Finland

The lease had already been signed before Johan Jaumain even knew whether the financing would come through.

By then, the empty premises had stopped feeling like just another industrial unit. In his mind, it was already becoming an academy. The layout had been planned, the website was underway and the custom-made tatami mats had been chosen. They just couldn't be ordered until the funding was approved.

Originally from France, Johan Jaumain moved to Finland twelve years ago with his Finnish wife. After building a career as a massage therapist, he returned to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and eventually began coaching and managing the day-to-day operations of an academy. That's when the idea of opening his own place began to take shape.

”A little seed was planted. If I really wanted to grow, as a person, as a martial artist and professionally, I needed my own place.”

Years later, that idea was becoming real – through a blur of emails, meetings, planning and paperwork.

”I wanted to do everything by the book. I kept thinking that if I made one mistake, everything would fall apart.”

Things no one tells you about starting a business in Finland

Having previously run businesses in France and the UK, Johan Jaumain wasn't intimidated by entrepreneurship itself. What surprised him was how much came down to understanding unfamiliar terms.

Some of the concepts were just abstract to me.

Everyday Finnish wasn't the obstacle. Business law, company structures, legal terminology and official paperwork were something else entirely. His wife helped him navigate the documents, but both found themselves stopping to look up concepts they hadn't encountered before.

”Some of the concepts were just abstract to me.”

There was no single place where Johan found all the answers. His wife became his first sounding board, friends who had established businesses in Finland shared their experiences, Google and AI tools helped explain unfamiliar terminology, and official guidance filled in the gaps.

”You can't trust just one thing. You ask different people and put everything together.”

It's an approach Kirsti Vettenranta, Director of Digital Sales and Digital Service Development at OP Pohjola, also recommends. She says building a network is particularly important for international entrepreneurs trying to understand a new market and its customers.

In Finland, we have many resources to help new entrepreneurs.

”Be active to ask for help. In Finland, we have many resources to help new entrepreneurs.”

Vettenranta says international entrepreneurs are sometimes surprised by how smooth the process of establishing a company can be with the digital services available in Finland. The learning doesn't end there, however: taxation, reporting and other responsibilities bring new questions as the business grows.

From a business plan to securing financing

Johan Jaumain approached Finnvera‍ while developing his business plan and financial forecasts. Finnvera agreed to provide a guarantee covering up to 80% of the bank financing, subject to the financing being approved.

Vettenranta says preparation is the key to securing financing. When seeking financing, entrepreneurs need to show that the idea can work in practice: who the customers are, how the business will make money and whether the cash flow can support it.

”You need a plan and evidence that this business can fly.”

For Johan, the process often felt slow, even when things were moving forward.

”When you're in the trenches, you think nothing is happening. Then you stop and realise how much you've actually done.”

With the guarantee from Finnvera in place, the financing process continued with OP Pohjola.

Digital banking designed to save entrepreneur’s time

Johan Jaumain prefers meeting people face to face, so he expected arranging finance digitally to feel impersonal. Instead, he was surprised by how clear and personal the process felt.

Here, they tell you everything they need from the beginning.

”Where I'm from, they'll ask you for one document, then another one, then another one. Here, they tell you everything they need from the beginning.”

For Vettenranta, making everyday banking simple and accessible digitally is particularly valuable for entrepreneurs.

”Time is money for entrepreneurs.”

More complex needs, such as financing, can still involve support from a relationship manager, allowing entrepreneurs to handle routine matters digitally while getting personal support when they need it.

Looking ahead

The Jiujitsu Academy Helsinki‍ opened its doors at the end of August. The website is up and running, the training schedule has been drafted, and the Instagram account @jiujitsuacademyhelsinki is live and active.

Even now, Johan Jaumain says the achievement hasn't fully sunk in.

”I think it'll hit me when I'm standing there teaching.”

We just need the courage to start doing.

Vettenranta hopes to see more Finnish and international entrepreneurs taking that first step. Despite Finland's recent economic challenges, she believes many of the building blocks for growth are already in place.

”We just need the courage to start doing.”

It's a sentiment Johan Jaumain shares. When asked what advice he would give another international entrepreneur considering starting a business in Finland, he pauses only briefly.

”I'd rather regret something I've done than spend years wondering what would've happened if I hadn't tried.”

Then he smiles.

”Ask for help. People can help you, but you're the one who has to take action.”