The Nordic Growth Show

In this episode, we were joined by Tristan Wright, the founder of Evolve to Grow, all the way from Australia! What an insightful, inspiring, and invigorating talk we had! Tristan achieved his dreams at a very young age - a 7-figure thriving business, marriage - just to lose it all a couple of years later. But as it is with the entrepreneurial spirits - these hurdles didn't stop him. We talked with Tristan about how to learn from failures in life and use it to your advantage, about the difference between what drives entrepreneurs and how that might affect their businesses, and the role mindset plays in entrepreneurship. Discover how Tristan is helping businesses grow during the pandemic, what he learned from climbing Kilimanjaro, and so much more! So, without further ado,  let's dive into it!

Key Takeaways:

*You need to be aware of all the different components within your business and put energy into actually operating it, not doing all the work.

*If you're too afraid to make mistakes, you'll stay stagnant and won't grow - don't be afraid to make mistakes!

*Mindset, especially in small businesses, is the most important, most critical thing. Because if you can't look after what's happening between your ears, you'll always be struggling. Put yourself first!

*Work-life balance, looking after yourself, and having interests outside your business is crucial to succeed and have a fulfilled life.

*Follow the KISS principle - keep it simple! Aim to achieve small steps to build momentum rather than setting a massive, overwhelming goal.

*Start with the end in mind! What impact do you want to leave? What's the simplest, fastest way to get there? Is the task you are doing now helping you to get to that end goal faster?

*It's not always the best person that wins, it's the person that keeps showing up!

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You can find more about Tristan and Evolve to Grow on:

This podcast episode is all about B2B attribution and entrepreneurship! We were lucky enough to have one of the co-founders of Dreamdata.io – Steffen Hedebrandt – join us for a talk and share his insights on the significance of understanding the B2B sales journey and the challenges we all encounter in marketing analytics. Steffen also shared his journey from having established a successful track record of scaling the businesses and building teams at Upwork and Airtame as the Head of Marketing to embarking on the entrepreneurship and founding Dreamdata. So, tune in if you’re ready to hear an inspirational journey, learn more about marketing analytics, and hear Steffen’s tips and tricks for successful fundraising!

Key Takeaways:

*If you do marketing and you’re not able to connect it to the revenue generated by your company, you’re doing it wrong!

*One of the many challenges with B2B attribution is when we look at average ad spend in B2B companies, around 60-70% of the revenue they’re not able to connect. That doesn’t mean that the ads are not working, it just means they’re not able to track down what actually works and what doesn’t.

*Go from undocumented offline stuff to something that gets digital reflection. Then you can start to make sense of the data.

*Start storing your own data, so you don’t lose it!

*When you start having 10-15 KPIs, your team doesn’t really know what matters the most, but you should be crystal clear about it. Choose 1 or 2 key metrics that answer 2 significant questions - do we sell more & why do we sell more?

*When fundraising - run more parallel discussions! It’s better to start a lot of simultaneous discussions, so you can keep refining your pitch and at the same time, you can also accelerate your approach to investors.

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You can find more about Steffen and Dreamdata on:

This time our guest is Arttu Hujanen – the CEO and Sales Director of SuperApp. In our conversation, we discuss how he found his way to entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurship scene in Finland - how it’s changed throughout the years and where it’s heading. Arttu also shares his tips on how to manage time more efficiently, what it takes to be good at sales, and explains how they’ve adapted these values at SuperApp (pssst find out about their innovative way to recruitment). Last but not least – Arttu’s passion for sales – having lived in Germany and Hong Kong, Arttu describes the differences in sales processes over the seas and how the international experience has helped him the most in the role of CEO. So, tune in!

Key Takeaways:

*How to juggle all the tasks you have? Arttu shares his favorite tip – rather than conducting a to-do list, he marks the tasks in a calendar that way, blocking specific times for specific tasks. 

*Be ready for change – nothing ever goes according to plan, and if it does – remember, the world itself changes! 

*Be a good listener! Sales is about helping. If you don’t know potential customers' situation, their desires, and challenges – it’s impossible to help them. 

*One of the ways to educate yourself about a particular topic is by finding a person who knows that topic you want to learn about and simply asking them for a quick chat! 

*If you’re ready to handle uncertainty, then there’s no reason why you couldn’t succeed as an entrepreneur!

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You can find more about Arttu and SuperApp on:

Informative, interesting, and real is what we think of our conversation with Ilya Sokolov, the CEO and co-founder of Connax. In this episode, we dive into the topic of Internet of Things (IoT), PSD2 and digital identity. Ilya also shares his journey on establishing Connax, the company that connects IoT and the world of payments, what it takes to be a serial entrepreneur and the challenges he had to overcome to be where he is today. So get ready to learn more about all of the above and find out what advice Ilya has for future startup founders!

Key Takeaways:

*In order to solve data privacy concerns, GDPR is not enough - it should be embedded in all ecosystems, globally. The same way we address global warming, we should be addressing security and privacy concerns. 

*Be as agile as possible! Firstly, establish yourself – the legal side, onboard customers, receive funding, and then start your detailed business plan. Because there are so many details that make it work which you can’t calculate before getting that first customer on board.

*Market won't wait for you to develop the perfect product - you need to satisfy the demand at first.

*IT is becoming more and more serious. Bring more fun, - make your job as fun and exciting as a hobby, like playing football with your friends and you'll attract more good people.

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You can find more about Ilya and Connax on:

We sat down with Caritta, the COO and co-founder of Tespack, to talk about what it takes to start your own company in a tech field as a woman, how to receive the attention you need to present your company, and how to not let your background define you. Caritta also shared insights about her recent trip to Costa Rica and why she believes it’s the hidden tech gem. We also touched upon Tespack’s future plans and why diversity matters. Last but not least, Caritta emphasizes the importance of “giving back to the community”, shares her tips and tricks on how to prepare for public speaking, and how to nail those 3-minute pitches. So, tune in!

Key Takeaways:

*You don’t need to have a technology background to work in a tech field - your background shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your dreams.

*You can study the market, but if you really want to get the best out of it, you need to know the locals.

*When preparing for public speaking, focus on the theme rather than learn the speech word by word – as long as you know what you’re talking about, you’ll be fine!

*If you are in a meeting with other people, remember that it’s supposed to be a (two-way) communication! If it’s not going that way, people are ignoring you or you don’t feel respected, there’s no point of just sitting there, so just leave.

*It’s all about how you carry yourself to the meeting and how seriously YOU take yourself!

*Don’t stop exploring different things or even the same ones from time to time – Caritta used to hate selling and remembers herself being quite bad at it.

*Write 3-4 daily tasks rather than everything you have to do – you'll feel good when you see you’ve achieved these and then move on to the next tasks.

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You can find more about Caritta and Tespack on:

We sat down with Alena and Slava from Kallkod to talk about the recruitment processes, the need to help autistic people to find a job that fits them perfectly and what to do to get a job within a month! Yes, you read it right; it is possible.  They told us their journey of Kallkod and what is their future going to look like. Get the freshest insight into the recruitment company that is best of what they do - finding people for top IT companies and how they will be helping autistic people to enter the workforce.

Key takeaways: 

• Don't give up on sending out and improving your CV at all time. 
• In terms of working with autistic people, give a chance to that person, take some time if you need. It could be a slightly difficult at first but things will works out fine eventually. 
• Different companies have different expectation from candidates. You might not fit with one but to some other, you might appear to be very valuable. 
• Connection and network is very important if you want to get a job quickly. Go out and get to know more people, it will help you a lot in the long run.

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You can find more about Alena & Slava and also their works through the links below:

Electric cars have already existed  for more than 100 years!? Yes, you read it right. That's a fact we learnt from Jiri Räsänen during our conversation in this episode. Jiri told us so much about history of electric vehicles, building a startup with shoes string funding, his opinion on "innovative ideas" and so much more. He shared with us his  fascinating learning journey from being a social worker to a CEO of a startup in electric vehicle charging. Tune in to learn more about Jiri and his startup journey with Parking Energy.

 Key takeaways:

• Long history of electric vehicles - from 100 years ago until now. 
•  Good timing is one of the most important factor for a startup to success.
•  Be curious enough to also be humble enough to question everything when you move on.

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You can find more about Jiri and his works through the links below:

We're thrilled to have Mario Aguilera - Founder of Tespack on our show this time. We sat down and talked about his journey of building Tespack from point A: inspiration, steps to take before manufacturing, getting investments and more! Spoiler alert: stay until the end to find out what Mario wishes he would have known before launching his company.

Key takeaways:
- If you're a founder, your efforts have to be all-in towards your company, otherwise it will never work out.
- The interesting part about startup is constantly failing and learning.
- Get to know your investors and choose them wisely.
- If you're looking to hire a consultant, make sure that you understand what value they could actually bring to you. You're paying for good results, not just good impressions.

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You can find more about Mario and his works through the links below:

You probably heard about Finnish culture and their unique way of doing things. How about taking a closer look into it with a Finnish entrepreneur who has been through the startup processes, create different companies in Finland, and been through all the challenges of a tech startup. In today's episode, Joonas will share his own experience about networking and the startup ecosystem in Finland. You will get useful insights together with practical tips. We believe that you can apply those tips to your own companies when searching for new clients or recruiting new people to your team.

Key Takeaways

• Finland is a great place to start your business. You get support from the Finnish government under different forms. For example, various organizations help you to start your business since the beginning. You can also get financial support, not much but at least it can help you focus on doing your stuff. Moreover, Finland is an active startup ecosystems in which you can easily access all kind of resources and information. 
• Most common difficulties when running a business in Finland are the high operating costs and language barriers. It's not easy to find a good program developer, who at the same time, can speak Finnish, English, and being excellent in their profession.
• For a startup, getting to know people before recruiting is essential. You don't want to hire the wrong people. The recruitment process may take time and effort in Finland. 
• Networking on the social network is common. But the "human touch" is also essential. You get to know people more when talking to them in person.

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You can find more about Joonas and his works through the links below:

Join with us in the Nordic Growth Show this time is Tomi Kaukinen. He is a serial entrepreneur whose life changed when he fell into severe burnout during the scaling of his company. He left everything and had to reorganize his life. Today he is a keynote speaker and start-up mentor. His main topics are motivational and the importance of failure but also how depression and burnout are serious problems in work life.

Burnout has been an emerging issue among startup founders recently. Not only his story of being a serial entrepreneur but also how he got back on his feet after experiencing burnout is truly inspiring. He openly shared his story and give out advises in terms of facing and overcoming problems when one is not at their best state of mind.
If you're having a bad day at work, or struggling with your daily life, regardless if you're a founder. This episode is exactly what you should listen to!

Key Takeaways: 

• Sleeping is essential, don't underestimate it. Being well rested can turn you into Superman. 
• When you're resting, make it worth, put aside your phone. 
• When you're struggling with what you're doing, feel like it's not meaningful to you. Quit. Find meaningful stuff to do

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You can find more about Tomi and his works through the links below:

On this episode, we are honored to have Natalia Rincón, CEO and Founder of CHAOS to discuss about being a female founder in male-dominant industries namely Information Technology, Construction and Real Estate. She dedicates her free time to the Green Party, where She serves as a deputy councilor in Tampere and as a member in several urban planning boards.

Despite working in the male-dominant industries, Natalia has not experienced any negative encounters. But she recognized several similarities and differences between male and female when it comes to: traits of personality, pitching to investors and personal life. 

Key takeaways:

- There is no significant discrimination between male and female founder in both Finland and Mexico as for Natalia

- In Natalia's observation, most female investors feel the needs to act tougher. And investors tend to ask more trivial question rather than statistic when it comes to female pitcher.

- Natalia's view on building a family is that both partners have to have equal responsibilities, and it is not necessary that only the woman makes sacrifices.

  
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You can find more about Natalia and her company through the links below:

On this episode, we are honored to welcome Mikael da Costa, Founder of Leadoo. Leadoo is one of the most promising Martech companies in Finland, Mikael and his team have been able to bootstrap the company and reach 1m€ turnover and over 300 customers in less than a year.
Together with our host Jessica, he disclosed his secrets behind the success of Leadoo on this episode are from how he treats his customers to his employees. He believes that with determination you can achieve anything, and he has an interesting story about him writing a book “The Startup Warrior” within 2 weeks to back it up. Tune in to get inspired!!

Key takeaways:

• For business’s websites, there are 2 types of visitors; active buyers and passive buyers. Active buyers are those who have already made the purchasing decision from ads. Passive buyers take about 90% of the visitors, they are the one who have been driven through the site through content marketing, email marketing.
• The secret behind Leadoo’s success is their “customer centric” ideology. They put their customers’ satisfaction as the main priority. And that leads to 30% of their customers are referral from the previous customers. 

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You can find Mikael's information through the links below:

On this episode, we welcome Ruby Gupte to our show, she is the founder and CEO of Tatinis.com, a website that provides quality arts at affordable prices. We talked about her career journey from the beginning to having an established business in the art industry. 

Different from our previous episode, today we dive into the art industry with Ruby’s insights. With her unique approach to sell art “at an affordable price”, Ruby wants to emphasize her company’s ideology that “Art is for everyone”. Moreover, she also discussed about the differences of their strategy between Finnish and Singaporean market.

Key takeaways from this episode:
- Ruby wants to break the perception that “art is expensive” by founding Tatinis.com to sell quality art pieces at affordable prices.
- Differences in customer behavior between Finnish and Singaporean and the solutions to them.
- Her upcoming art fair in Helsinki in late August 2019.

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You can find out more about Ruby Gupte information through the links below:

On this episode, we have Henri Tikkanen, CEO and Smartbound Specialist of Adeptus. Adeptus is a Finnish Growth company that strongly believes in  the power of the attitude, emotional intelligence and understanding efficiency in sales. They want to engage our clients to contact new customers and/or outsource it, and train salespeople and managers to become better people experts, talkers and problem solvers both in operational and strategic levels. 

Henri discussed with us the "Guide to modern & strategic sales and marketing outsourcing", with his experience working in the field, he pointed out a few key points that can be taken away from this episode:

- Five crucial points building successful partnership.

- Seven steps for creating strategic process between sales and marketing

- Five modern management principles for sales and marketing directors.

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You can find more information about Henri and Adeptus on the links below:

Despite not starting out in the tech scene, Kaius eventually decided to take the reigns over his startup dreams. In this episode we’ll be learning more about how Kaius overcame the challenges involved in building an app without any previous background in tech. He also will share his take on how he founded the perfect team to help guide his vision in product management at Choicely. 

 The best places to follow Kaius and Choicely stories are: