When it comes to seeking out business inspiration, it can come from some very surprising sources. You might think that we’d need to look to mega-economies like the US and China. But, in actual fact, we can find many of the answers closer to home from a country whose population numbers a little over 5 million people.
Finland is that country, and it has some very successful stories to tell. Not only has it given rise to brands like Nokia, but it’s also a super-generator of start-up businesses that quickly make their mark before being snapped up by new owners.
You might imagine that this also goes hand in hand with workers being pushed to the limits, having virtually no work-life balance and low wages as well. Again, the country confounds expectations by frequently topping to polls as the happiest place to live in the world.
It’s certainly not the weather that contributes to this – average temperatures in Helsinki rarely rise above freezing all winter long and summer temperatures struggle to reach the low 20s. So the secret must lie in the character of the country, and its people.
One of the reasons why we hear relatively little about the country’s business successes is that it is modest in blowing its own trumpet, and the people are the same. There’s a saying that a shy Finn will look at his shoes when talking to you, while an outgoing one will stare at your shoes instead. This, combined with the fact that most Finnish businesses shun overly hierarchical structures, means that the focus can be on achieving, rather than seeking outside approval or recognition of status.
Added to this, there is a constant desire to embrace the new, while still respecting the traditions of the old. This is why many tech companies are born as well as a keen interest in exploiting new ways of doing things. This spreads over into the world of leisure for many Finns with a good example being their enthusiasm for online casinos. This has given rise to many review sites in Finland such as Kasinonetti.com, according to content expert at the site Sanna Heinonen, where the best of these are compared and the most generous bonuses are publicised – because Finns are a very practical race and one which always seeks out good value as well as diverting entertainment. The success of this industry is evident, you only have to see how competitive and how many operators there are to show that it is a growing market.
But perhaps the most significant contributor to Finnish success is the abstract but devastatingly effective principle of “sisu”. There’s no direct translation for this but what it roughly means is a determination to get the job done, no matter what obstacles get in the way. What brings an extra dimension to this, however, is the equal commitment to maintaining the integrity and treating others with respect in the process.
While this is something that all businesses in the UK should aspire to, it’s not always the case. So if there is one change that we can all consciously make going forward it’s to apply “sisu” in the everyday running of a business. Then, we might start to emulate some of the successes of Finland.
