Becoming Your Own Boss

    You have probably read a lot about startups in the last few years, but did you know that Finland actually has one of the most active startup scenes in the Nordics and Europe in general?

    While there are plenty of good reasons for this fact, one certainly is the low entry barrier. You have heard it before, becoming an entrepreneur is easier than ever and the biggest failure people should be afraid of is to never even try.

    But for once, let’s not talk about those – admittedly – impressive successes, the brilliant startups that managed to raise millions and become big players.
    Let’s focus on those I call the “entrepreneur next door”. That could be the freelance consultant, the young artist, the developer, the hairdresser, the designer and the physiotherapist. Or me, the writer. We all have one thing in common: the humble dream of being our own boss. At least part-time.

    Of course, it takes more than just a skill or an idea to run your own business. Registrations, calculations, invoicing, taxes, bookkeeping, the benefits and duties…

    Becoming an entrepreneur is easier than ever and the biggest failure people should be afraid of is to never even try.

    Not everyone knows where and how to start, and making a mistake in the early stages can cause problems in the future. and All though it’s not rocket science to register a business, going to the registration office, filling out forms and remembering all the small details it still can be a real hurdle for many of us.

    This is where OP Kevytyrittäjä (in English, Light Entrepreneur) enters the stage and becomes a partner to many light entrepreneurs in Finland. Unlike others, it is more than a mere invoicing service. With the help of OP Kevytyrittäjä, you actually become a real entrepreneur without delay.

    OP Kevytyrittäjä: Focus on doing what you love – we’ll take care of the rest!

    That makes it the ideal service for young or light entrepreneurs with a moderate yearly income of fewer than 30 000€ that want to start right now.

    The motto behind OP Kevytyrittäjä – as the Program Director Markus Sarja puts it – is: “concentrate on doing what you love – we’ll take care of the rest!”

    And this is no joke. OP Kevytyrittäjä is so simple to get started with that when I first registered, I thought I must have missed something.

    Register, verify, done. Can it really be that easy?

    Well, yes. The service is immediately ready to use for invoicing and more importantly: after only a few days you’ll receive your official business-ID, and the entry to the VAT register is done within a few weeks. And that’s it. You’re an entrepreneur now.

    No waiting in line at the registration office, no paperwork. And one of the most relevant things for me: no bookkeeping!

    OP Kevytyrittäjä takes care of all of these tasks without charging additional fees on top of the invoicing service charge. Why?

    According to Markus Sarja the answer to that question is as simple as the service itself:

    “We want to help to make this country more self-employed. And we want to enable people to create jobs for themselves.”

    And with quite some success. So far more than 4200 light entrepreneurs have started their business with the help of OP Kevytyrittäjä, more than half of these registered in 2018 alone.

    Judith Kirschbaum

    I am one of them.

    As a part-time employee, part-time self-employed entrepreneur and part-time student every minute saved is precious, every worry-free moment is worthwhile.

    Of course, knowing that someone who actually knows what they are doing is taking care of the books is a huge relief, especially when you’re just getting started. Another plus is that everything can be done online, from home, the web service is neat and clear and easy to use.

    It doesn’t mean I don’t have to worry about anything business-related anymore now. But it gives me the freedom of focusing on my actual work, helping me to finally become my own boss.

    Kevytyrittäjä is a service developed by OP Group to help more people become entrepreneurs. Try it yourself by visiting their website.