Entrepreneurship seems to be the only way I can work. Whether I’m running my own company or working as an employee, it always feels like it’s “my company” I’m working for.

It all started when I realized I wanted to do my work differently—more efficiently. I began to question the process and suggested improvements. My proposals were well-received, the job got done, customers were happier than ever, I made more money, and I spent less time earning it. Everything was great until jealousy reared its head. The rest of the staff wanted what I had, even though their contributions hadn’t changed. I was forced to abandon My Way.

So, I started my own company. This gave me the freedom to use my methods. I was still doing the same work but with better quality and profit. The jealous ones were welcome to follow suit, but most didn’t.

My first venture was a transportation company. It grew, and around the same time, I became a father. Wanting to spend more time with my family, I started another small business that wasn’t as time-consuming. This side firm provided maintenance services for an international oil company.

Later, the oil company was sold, and I didn’t want to work for the new owner. The recession of the ’90s hit the trucking industry hard, so I became an employee for about eleven years. The company I worked for was sold a couple of times and eventually became part of a huge multinational corporation, and my responsibilities were taken care of from abroad.

During this time, I converted my maintenance company into a consulting firm, still largely focused on logistics with a strong technological angle. My main customer, a Stockholm-based logistics company, lost its business (as I warned them!), and I couldn’t find a replacement.

So, I became a storekeeper, running two convenience stores and employing about ten people. This was a franchising deal, and it was an experience I don’t wish to repeat. Being a franchisee felt like exploitation. Despite receiving awards and increasing sales (not to mention customer satisfaction), I was left stranded in the end. No good deed goes unpunished for a franchisee.

The next step was the real estate business. I joined an established company as an employee, earned my realtor licenses, and then became a partner. I have to admit, I was a joke as a realtor. Despite being recognized for my commercial thinking and sales orientation, I often found myself advising buyers against purchasing certain apartments due to issues like poor financial situations of the condominiums, poor management, and huge renovation debts. Most of these problems were evident in the documentation, but unfortunately, very few people could understand the papers and numbers

Fortunately, I met a couple of like-minded individuals, and we established OUN Oy, a unique office providing professional assistance to homebuyers. The timing for such a disruptive approach was probably the worst possible, given the pandemic and the brutal war by a rogue country next to us, which caused a rise in mortgage interest rates and inflation. My co-founders gave up and vanished, but I kept developing the service, believing that better times are coming.

With anticipation, I wonder what the next chapter on my entrepreneurial path will be…