In my previous job, I used to work as the CMO for a startup campus community in Helsinki — Maria 01. So, I had the rewarding task of supporting our team in amplifying our unique story and getting as many of our startups as possible featured in the media. It was never about us; it was always about championing our member companies. The past four years I was there represented a rollercoaster of learnings in PR’s uncertain and sometimes frustrating world.

In this piece, I want to share the most significant learnings during the time I spent at the forefront of the Finnish startup ecosystem pitching stories, getting rejected, getting ignored, and sometimes getting our companies featured in outstanding publications like Monocle.

1). Ask the right questions to uncover fresh story angles

If you are fishing for new stories in your team to pitch to the media about your company, don’t ask people the obvious things because you will get the obvious answers. Ideally, the questions you ask should aim to tap into something more profound about your company — aim for delivering a unique angle in your pitch to get the conversation started.

If you ask the right questions, you can find out that you have been sitting on a gold mine. Recently, when we pitched my current company Revieve to Fast Company, one of the questions they asked in the submission was, “How will your technology improve people’s lives in the immediate future and over the next 5 years?” This question goes beyond the mundane to help the journalist uncover the essence behind what you do, why you do it, and help them select your story from others.

I’ll also give you a concrete example of interview questions we asked entrepreneurs at Maria 01 to tap into the essence of their company’s existence so we could find unique angles that we could pitch to journalists:

• Tell us what your company does and why you do it without talking about your product.
• Tell us something unexpected within your entrepreneurial journey.

With this set of questions, you can already tap into a very different narrative than if you simply ask people, “what does your company do”? I once discovered a unique story on campus from one of our entrepreneurs who told us that she had raised the initial amount of capital needed to start her company by selling a rare Moomin mug valued at €2500. It’s not every day that you come across this unique way of creating a company.

2). Find patterns that connect your story to a broader narrative

Most people see their companies as a static entity instead of a living organism operating in the “x” industry and solving problems for people in a way only they can. This is why most companies fail to build narratives around their companies and connect them to more prominent narratives — what you do and why you do it is connected to a broader ecosystem.

You can start by making a list of nationwide narratives/significant trends to connect to your company story. For example, in my previous job, we developed several internal narratives by linking ourselves to Finland’s efforts in talent attraction/retention, diversity, work-life balance, and we baked that into our content marketing strategy. What this does is that with time you strengthen the authority around the topics you want to be recognized for.

3). Champion and understand the person behind the journalist

A journalist has its own ambitions, values, and there’s also the company they work for. They are under personal and work pressures. That means they always need to find their sweet spot. Nevertheless, the best journalists will always want to put out their best work, encourage meaningful discussion, and sometimes get praises for it.

Once, Stephen Lee from San Francisco Agency gave me a piece of advice I won’t forget: Pitch something that will make the journalist look good. Sounds simple, but if you read between the lines, it’s about making sure every pitch you make is: newsworthy, timely, meaningful, sent with reasonable time in advance, and honors the beats they cover. I certainly made lots of mistakes regarding this, but that’s just how I had to learn.

Many people don’t try to build a relationship with the journalist first — and I don’t mean becoming their friend. I mean that sometimes something as simple as following them on Twitter or other relevant channels can be an excellent first step. You then engage in discussions, read their stories, share your opinion, or tip them about stories you think they should write about. Even if these actions don’t immediately impact your PR efforts, they will in the long term.

Enjoy the ride! PR is about being patient and finding joy in the journey. I’ve honestly been frustrated plenty of times, but those don’t even matter because all it takes is one excellent PR feature to make all the effort worthwhile.

PS: If you are in Finland and want to take deeper dive into my learnings, feel free to connect and spar with me on Linkedin.

What Working With Startups in Finland Taught Me About PR was originally published in Spice the North on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It is possible to live without many commodities, owning a car being one of those. Sadly, as the essay by Freund and Martin cites “the automobile is the dominant means of transport for people living in mature capitalist countries — and in some, the only viable means of mobility,” thus meaning that car ownership has for long dictated our lives. It has told us how we move, what we do and when we do it — and even the status we have in front of friends and family.

Thankfully, as the rise of ride sharing options and renting possibilities permeate our lives, the status behind car ownership has deteriorated with time and lost share as the de-facto option for mobility — especially amongst younger generations.

Sadly, you still don’t get access to the new and exciting options if you don’t even have a driver’s license — that’s the story of my husband and me.

For us it just happened by chance.

In our 30s, it’s easy to look back and understand why we never took on the responsibility that came with car ownership: taxes, repairs, depreciation of the vehicle (it loses value by day), parking fees, and loan costs. In Finland, even the cost of getting your driver’s license is a whopping expense nearing the thousand euro mark.

Initially, when I came to Finland eight years ago, I had a boyfriend who had a car — we drove everywhere. Indeed, that was exciting as a newcomer. We drove everywhere because back then, we lived 10km away from town without access to frequent public transportation.

In those cases, you’re bound to make it work for you. As much as I try to convince myself that I should buy a car because of how easier it could be and all the places I could go— my past but also the future that I want to be part of keeps me from it.

When I was pregnant with my daughter in the middle of a turbulent relationship with my ex, I had to take a cab to the hospital when I was about to give birth — just by myself (this is not even half of this story). I guess these are the kind of “traumatic” experiences that make everything else in life seem minuscule when you want something out of social pressure.

When I met my current husband, we were similar on so many different levels — such as not even having a driver’s license. We did have the car talk at some point as our relationship started to solidify. However, we ended up agreeing that the first thing we would ever consider buying is a house.

I think meeting my husband helped me get used to the idea of never owning a car — he was already a master at walking kilometers to go to art school. I admired that of him. Furthermore, he also had children and had managed to make it work thus far. He helped me change my perspective that if you live in the city, you don’t need a car. With time my mind went from “I wish we had a car” to “We don’t need to have one, and that’s okay.”

People buy cars to ease up aspects of life, such as saving time, commuting, and peace of mind that if there is ever an emergency, at least you have your car. I’ve experienced all the above and always managed without a car.

The lack of something keeps you creative and efficient.

So, you’re maybe curious — how’s life with three children and no car? I guess no different than yours. We manage to get to work, and we manage to plan trips with the family from time to time. It’s not a roller coaster of fun if you’re expecting weekly trips with the family, but it’s doable.

When we bought our first home, our options were limited “wishes” wise. We were bound to the downtown area of our city — which as a result made the whole process extremely focused. We were determined to find a place that would make our life easier by allowing us to commute to the health care center, kindergarten & school, library, and grocery stores within walking distance. I still think we managed to get all that and don’t even live in the capital city.

Our life has turned into a big adventure of figuring out things and prioritizing a simple life.

It’s also amazing what one can achieve just by owning a bike. When we bought our first home and had to make small renovations at home, the only option was to ride our bikes to the local supply shop and buy all kinds of renovation materials. Similarly, with big grocery shopping — we manage to make the trips even during minus degrees with heavy shopping bags attached to the sides and back of our bikes. Call this what you want, it is doable.

I feel we are doing a favor to the planet.

As a new era of environmentally conscious companies, news and friends have permeated our life; we are proud we got in the wave early enough. It is said it takes a person around 66 days to form a habit — if we get a car right now, that’s not an easy change to reverse because then we would be hooked.

According to the European Parliament, 30% of EU’s CO2 emissions are at transportation’ fault, and road transportation accounts for 72% of those emissions. Since 1990 the amount of transport emissions has risen to almost 150% — the numbers are alarming and thus one can assumer these represent a massive chunk of a person’s CO2 emissions.

Spark Sustainability claims that the average emissions for the Nordic consumer are between 7000–9000kg of CO2. While my emissions are lower than the average consumer thanks to a combination of other efforts (second-hand shopping, biking, public transport, flexitarian diet, etc.), not owning a car, together with other lifestyle changes, can have a significant impact in your emissions.

I used Spark Sustainability’s CO2 calculator to compare my emissions with and without a car with all the same parameters:

Without a car: 5600kg of CO2

With a car (used the 10000km yearly default and two people in the car): 6400kg of CO2

With an electric car (used the 10000km yearly default and two people in the car): 5900kg of CO2

Do what works for you and your future — do remember we are in it together

It will always depend on how you look at the lack of something, environment wise, yes, we’re better off without passenger cars being used by a person at a time. If you live in a remote location and your local grocery shop is 20–30km ride away, you do you, you’ll need your car.

If it works for our family, it might work for you too.

As for this piece of writing, I felt like sharing my story behind non-car-ownership, just to show that sometimes constraints can be blessings for the greater good.

-Kim

Family Life In Finland Without A Car — It’s Not Easy But Possible was originally published in Spice the North on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

One of these past weekends I was relaxing in one of the massaging pools from our local swimming hall. At some point while feeling the bubbles cuddle my stiff back, I lost my train of thought. I remember I was deeply staring at the other side of the hall and it just daunted me: this is probably what people call “mindfulness”.

It was a moment that only lasted a few minutes but my mind was blank. I felt nicely refreshed afterwards. It felt amazing to be focused on that moment and enjoying it. In that unforeseen bit, I discovered that those instants had been frequent episodes during my time in Finland.

That moment, inspired me to dig deeper and figure out why — coincidentally I did notice that while living in Finland I had learned to take breaks more often and be more conscious about my work-life balance. I concluded that the way this country was built and is run daily, has helped its citizens become more conscious about their daily lives.

You’ve also probably seen Finland making headlines lately: their government is led by women, the country has one of the best education systems, it has been rated as the world’s happiest country, and most recently listed as one of the countries with the best work-life balance. One could just continue to brag about Finland endlessly.

Finland is a balanced country. Mindfulness is all about balance.

When it comes to mindfulness I have a few things to say: mindfulness is what some describe as being aware of the present moment and your surroundings. Commonly, some people achieve these moments by practicing meditation. However, it is also possible to achieve mindfulness in everything you do and anywhere you are.

The concept’s essence on the surface — without getting too superstitious, is something that I believe is present in Finnish culture. Perhaps it’s not something that Finns are aware of, but there are certain societal norms and traditions that I believe encourage mindfulness in Finnish culture.

How does achieving simple mindfulness within Finnish culture look like?

Here are three significant cultural cornerstones that make achieving mindfulness in Finland possible:

Respecting every person’s personal space (minding your own business)

You have probably seen the memes of Finns at a bus stop where the bus line has a five-meter gap between each person, thus showing the reality of how much Finns love their personal space. Another comparable scenario is inside the public trains or metros: people avoid sitting too close to each other and are extremely quiet.

In practice, this societal norm of respecting a person’s personal space means not being pushy with unwanted social interactions and giving people enough room to be on their own.

At first, it takes a while to get used to these situations but the more time you spend in Finland, you start to get used to it and in my case, you start to love it. Giving people space in public spaces and in life, as my husband describes it “ is a way of appreciating each other even though people don’t know each other”. It’s the foundation of respect and in Finland, you need to be okay with that.

The ability in which we give each other space to just “be”, decreases our personal social anxiety of always having to be willing to have to perform in front of someone or for something. It also allows people to focus on themselves and have quiet moments after long workdays, where you can be with your own thoughts — even inside public trains.

Nudity in certain spaces as a way of generating acceptance towards others and yourself

Saunas are extremely popular in Finland and often a shock to foreigners when you discover people go there naked — and then it’s your turn!

However, the first time I went to a Finnish swimming hall I was utterly embarrassed. I didn't know you are supposed to strip off your clothes publicly and wash your naked body before putting on your bathing suit and heading to the pool.

To me, that was one of the biggest cultural shocks when I moved to Finland. It was a shock because it wasn’t even an option . The reason as to why you can’t have your bathing suit on when you shower, is because you need to be able to get rid of any traces of makeup or body creams — meaning that it’s just a basic hygienic ritual. That’s why it can’t be optional — it’s a simple rule that everyone should follow.

For children to grow up with these practices, I am positive does them a big favor in the long run. Being so accepting of nudity sends a good message: bodies are just bodies, there’s more important stuff to focus on, than how other people’s bodies and your body looks like.

Inside Finnish shower rooms, everyone is equally vulnerable. You’re naked. And during my life in Finland, that has thought a very important lesson: you can be your perfect self with clothes on, but once you’re in the shower room your flaws will show.

Nowadays, every time I enter the swimming hall and have to shower naked, I practice a bit of unconscious mindfulness — I try to focus on myself, my daughter, move around naturally and have a good time.

Nature & outdoors as a source of inspiration and awakening your thoughts

Finns love their forests and spending time in nature any time of the year. I’ve learned during my time in Finland that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes. Finns don’t waste time and have made sure that every season is accentuated with a special outdoor activity that always keeps you looking forward to the next season:

Winter: This is a dark month as the sun rises late and sun sets early — however the glow is there: streets, houses & apartments glow in the dark with Christmas decor and the winter sports fans get ready for the snowy season ahead — once the temperature is steady under minus degrees for at least a week, local skiing and skating centers open.

Spring: This season is heavily awaited as the skies began to clear and days begin to last a bit longer. The snow melts away and Finns begin to revitalize! During Spring, Finland celebrates on May 1st the Labour Day “Vappu”. This celebration is one of the most awaited in Finland, that marks the beginning of summer.

Summer: This season in Finland is one of the most beautiful that brings to light some of Finland’s natural gems: a thousand lakes to swim in, enjoying time with your family in a summer cottage, go berry picking or partying until the sun sets the morning after.

Autumn: Mood-wise this is one of the cosiest and colorful seasons in Finland. This is the time when trees turn to all possible shades of orange and yellow. The season is also popular for adventuring outdoors and going mushroom picking.

To top it all, in Finland forests are free for everyone to roam — this is what the country calls “Jokamiehen Oikeudet” (Everyman’s right). To me, this is a bold statement from the country’s government to encourage its citizens to use its forests. Such benefit has served the country right —each season in Finland is enjoyed to the fullest even in the harshest conditions.

What I love about Finland, is that this country has made sure that wherever you go there is plenty of space and silence for you to enjoy and reflect on. Coming from a somewhat over the top happy region (Latin America) when it comes to social interactions, I just love having the option of living in a country that unconsciously encourages mindfulness within its people, with daily activities that make it easier for you to relax and be happy with your current self.

The Finnish Way of Achieving Mindfulness Explained by a Non-Finn was originally published in Spice the North on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I am from Costa Rica. A beautiful tropical country located in Central America and home to 5% of the world’s biodiversity (that’s also why 25% of our land is protected). My home-country is also known for its great coffee, no army and friendly people. We are Pura Vida!

However, I always knew I was missing something. I just didn’t know what.

I didn’t know Nokia was from Finland. All I knew back in 2012, is that Finland had the highest amount of metal bands per capita. Seriously though, I was sold. As a teenager, you would see me strolling my beach-weather-like neighbourhood, looking like I had the black parade following me.

I am sure, many people thought I was miserable, but I wasn’t, I was extremely happy not being the norm of the spicy-Latina who can nail a salsa move on the spot (eww).

Please, if you ever meet me, don’t assume I can dance salsa.

When I moved to Finland in 2012, all I could think of was how “Sentenced” (band from Oulu) lyrics now made sense while sitting and looking out the window that showcased a foggy and pale afternoon. I was feeling it. Those depressive lyrics finally made sense. I was never fully able to get in the mood during those sunshine-filled days back in Costa Rica. (I could do one of those right now, oh the irony).

There I was, not being miserable in Finland, but so excited that I could finally understand the pain and inspiration behind the lyrics of the Finnish metal bands I loved.

When I look back into my life, I still remember back at home when we would drive through the airport, I would always get this sense of excitement of what happens when you fly, where you could go. I always knew I was meant to travel the world.

It has been eight years since I left home. I still remember the day I left. I casually hugged my dad at the airport — not making a big deal, because it was just supposed to be a one-year self-discovery trip. Deep inside, I just knew it wouldn’t be.

Fast forward eight years, here are some of the highlights of my self-discovery journey:

• I had my daughter at 23 (2013)
• I experienced the Finnish social support system as a single mother (2013 -2015)
• I did three different internships at different companies including startups (2015–2017)
• I graduated from University of Applied Sciences (2017)
• I started my first full-time job (2016 - 2017)
• I started my second and current full-time job (2017)
• I got married (2018)
• Adopted a dog from Romania (2018)
• Together with my husband, we bought our first home (2019)

You got that right, I’m living life in the fast lane.

After eight years, I still have so much to learn about Finland. However, I consider myself experienced when it comes to struggles, deeply unbelievable shit that happened to me, and of course the insides and outsides of the Finnish social security system.

After eight years I now realize I have been sitting on top of several learning experiences and viewpoints that I want to share.

Your network is everything but it can also be a deal-breaker

As a foreigner, when you move to Finland and go through university, you are constantly being told to “network”. The reason for this is that for foreigners, it gets quite hard when it comes to landing jobs.

There is a huge threshold for people moving to Finland and not knowing the local language. Sadly put, you will always be at a disadvantage if you don’t professionally speak and write the local language.

Building an extensive network of peers can become your biggest advantage.

After almost three years of working within the startup industry in Finland, I notice that we continue to build networks of people that sure, can be a great support for you, but that are replicas of you.

This is a good explanation as to why in the tech sector in Finland we struggle so much with diversity and inclusion. Both Finn’s and foreigners’ networks are not mixed enough with ingredients from both.

Commonly, startups are built through your network of friends. However, how can we expect to have more diverse companies if our network is not diverse enough?

I’ve learned that building a network just doesn’t cut it. We need to focus on building diverse and culture-rich networks for both Finns and foreigners.

If you understand that your differences are your strength, you can succeed

This is a continuation of the point above. Even though I was born in a multicultural country, whose population is incredibly mixed, I was bullied during almost my entire school years, mainly due to the color of my skin. Fathom that.

Now in Finland, those apparent differences show even more. They should make me an obvious target. However, I don’t feel in Finland I have been such an obvious target. Not as I was during my early childhood.

When you are put in an environment where not that many other people look like you, you are rewarded with the power of representation. That’s truly a superpower!

Even if you are a minority, every-time you succeed and do good deeds in Finland it will show even more. You will slowly start to become an inspiration to other people who are going through the same struggles as you have.

Looking different in a way is what keeps me going through the struggles of making it in a foreign country.

You will never fit in, but you can blend in and observe

I once told someone to be successful in Finland; you need to learn to blend in and become a master at observation. I feel it always sounds terrible when I say it, but it is precisely what I have been doing, and I’m okay. It’s not about forgetting who you are but about having the ability to take from different cultures to immerse yourself deeper into that new culture.

Blending in just means not drawing too much attention upon yourself if it’s not needed. Pick the fights that align with your values the most.

The power of nailing the act of blending gives you the power of a better perspective and priority. You learn to know which fights you should fight and which fights you should let go of.

I have also become extremely observant of people and their behavior everywhere I go. If you are having trouble integrating, observing how locals behave can you help you understand what’s okay and what isn’t.

Design is so important, you better start loving it

Design is like in the top three of Finnish pillars towards a good living. When I came to Finland, I would never think I would spend 25 euros on a pair of orange-handled scissors or 20 euros for a ceramic mug.

Design makes life simple. But you better get your wallet ready.

Design is part of Finnish culture. Children grow up with brands such as Marimekko and Iittala that are an ode to Finnish design. But also the country invests a lot in design. It is everywhere you look.

You’ve probably heard people say “Everything in Finland works”. Blame design for that.

The newly built library “Oodi” (a.k.a in design terms: citizen discovery center), was built as a gift to its citizens for Finland’s 100th anniversary. Oodi is a wonderful piece of architecture that defies the conventionalities of a typical library.

If you come to Finland, invest some of your time learning about the famous key figures in Finnish design, art, technology and architecture. I can promise you, this will give you a competitive advantage not many foreigners have exploited.

What Finland Taught Me About Life And Business In Eight Years was originally published in Spice the North on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.