Media entrepreneur

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I am an entrepreneur and I work as a journalist, trainer, host, and writer. As a journalist, I write different kinds of texts for Helsingin Sanomat, A-lehdet, and Yle, among others. I teach journalism at Turku University of Applied Sciences, host events, and talk about disability in social media. 

In autumn 2024, I won the Finlandia Literary Prize for Non-Fiction together with Riikka Leinonen and our book The Big Lie about Disability. This has allowed me to act as a keynote speaker on the subject.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

When I wanted to start working at the end of my university studies, I ended up as a music editor at the YleX radio channel. For more than ten years, I worked as an editor and producer at Yle. I resigned a couple of years ago, because I wanted to focus on writing a non-fiction book and try working as an entrepreneur.

Describe your typical working day or week.

I teach journalism at a university of applied sciences and provide training related to disability for companies and organisations once or twice a week. The rest of the week I interview people and write articles, prepare speeches, or practise hosting. Being an entrepreneur includes a lot of activities that I cannot charge from customers, such as acquiring new customers, checking accounting, and giving interviews.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I mainly work remotely at home, and I also work in libraries, cafés, and my friends’ living rooms. I travel to Helsinki a couple of times a month to meet customers, interview people, or just to change the scenery.

My working hours follow the children’s school and ECEC schedule. I usually start at about nine and finish after three.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

Entrepreneurs are required to be able to come up with ideas, organise their own work and be motivated by different tasks. Curiosity is an advantage in this work. As a journalist and writer, I am also required to have the skills to write texts that the readers will find interesting. As a host and trainer, I am required to have public speaking skills and the courage to talk to even a larger audience. 

What is the best thing about your profession?

My favourite thing about my work is the freedom to seize interesting projects and ideas. In my work, I am constantly learning new things, which is well suited to my nature. As an entrepreneur, I like that in principle, I could take leave after I have finished the agreed work. In practice, however, I must always think about future work. 

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

In March, I caught the flu in the middle of an exceptionally busy time for work. At that time, I realised how difficult it is to take sick leave as an entrepreneur. Fortunately, deadlines can often be postponed, but sometimes work must be cancelled due to an illness, for example.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of an entrepreneur in the media sector?

I enjoy my work as an entrepreneur because I don’t always know exactly what kind of work I will get to do next. If you enjoy varying work and tolerate uncertainty, media entrepreneurship could suit you.

How do you see the future of your profession?

The world is shifting. I follow what kind of an impact artificial intelligence has on journalism and communications, but I am not worried about the future of my own work. Good performers and writers are always needed.