Success beyond passion

In the vast landscape of entrepreneurship, the expectations often revolve around the idea that a successful venture must stem from an all-consuming passion, driven by a groundbreaking idea that will revolutionise the world. However, the reality, as experienced by many successful entrepreneurs, paints a different picture. One of them is Jenni Kynnös.

Jenni is a 30-year-old self-made millionaire whose journey defies conventional wisdom and sheds light on a different path to success. Jenni shared her journey with a full house of existing and future entrepreneurs in a Female Founders Finland and Fusion Ecosystem collaboration event, hosted at Wunderdog office on 6th of February 2024.

Jenni challenges the notion that business must be born purely out of passion. Contrary to popular belief, she argues that a venture can be built pragmatically, without necessarily inventing something entirely new or groundbreaking. Instead, she advocates for exploring existing ideas and executing them in innovative ways. Or simply just doing it better. The key lies in recognizing that a proven demand for a product or service indicates an opportunity for success. One doesn’t always have to reinvent the wheel to embark on the entrepreneurial journey; a solid business idea is often sufficient for thriving entrepreneurship.

“Success doesn’t hinge on inventing how to clean the sea from plastic.”

For Jenni, success is not merely a product of passion but a result of a combination of creativity, courage, and focus. Drawing from her background in competitive cheerleading, she emphasises the importance of discipline and repetition in achieving success. Try stuff, see what works and repeat. 

For Jenni the elements to support success have been found from working in the B2B service business, which involves regular monthly billing. This gives the opportunity for the cashflow to remain stable which gives room for better future visibility. Targeting larger companies has also been a building block for stability. Dealing with bigger ones is slower and stiffer but in the end much more financially rewarding.

“When dealing with smaller companies, I was used to everything being quick. The IT industry brought me to my knees in terms of how negotiations, etc., take time and are complex, but at the same time, it showed how a window to larger business opens.”

As growth happens through the right people, Jenni challenges hiring the right people and potential, over the already existing competence and a great resume. She looks a lot at people’s attitude towards life: building business with kind-hearted people is more meaningful and inspiring.

“I wish there were more friendship in the workplace.”

Despite her success, Jenni is not immune to fear. Like many of us, she grapples with fears and insecurities, but she has learned to channel them into motivation. Whether it’s the fear of failure or facing daunting challenges, she finds strength in confronting her fears head-on and turning them into drivers of success. 

Using fear as a trigger to launch curious thinking and acknowledging that you are on the edge of improvement if you are in the presence of fear has been a mental stepping stone towards success. 

Female Founders Finland and Fusion Ecosystem aim on making the entrepreneurial path more approachable to all by helping future entrepreneurs to overcome fears related to the journey. Female Founders Finland brings people together in events to hear inspirational stories and to get empowered. Fusion Ecosystem focuses on creating a pathway for supported entrepreneurship through co-founding, founding and Stellar -program that is an educational journey towards entrepreneurial success. Both trying to lower the bar on the first steps to start reaching for the entrepreneurial dream.

Looking towards the future, Jenni is driven by a clear vision: to double her portfolio. Her journey is guided by a steadfast determination to grow her existing businesses, expand her ventures and grow her own personal expertise through her portfolio on the go. 

“You don’t have to have built a robot to be a CEO of an IT company, you just have to be a good leader”

Jenni’s journey serves as a testament to the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to entrepreneurship. Success can be achieved through unconventional means, and passion or a groundbreaking new idea alone is not the only path to reach success. By embracing creativity in things already created, finding courage when facing fear, and by simply just trying what works, and being resilient after that, one can pave the way for a successful  entrepreneurial journey.

What’s stopping you from trying? Just do it!