One question that has been on my mind is how do entrepreneurs in Finland maintain a steady work life balance? After hearing about Finland being ranked the happiest country in the world by the United Nations for two years in a row, I knew that there must be some reason, because Finnish people don’t always appear the happiest on the outside.
The happiness is measured by looking at the population’s overall work life balance. So how much time do they leave for their own time? Families? Hobbies? Or the significant things in their life outside of work? And most importantly when do they know that they’ve over-worked themself, and consider themselves done for the day? These are all things that not many people from other business cultures consider. Some countries are very much focused on large corporations and companies producing money, or the end profit. Whereas countries like Finland truly focus on supporting small businesses and the real story behind them.
It all comes back to the simple, yet popular debate, quality versus quantity. Finns value their personal lives just as much as their work lives…and that sounds a lot like quality. Which explains the amount of small businesses maintaining a high success rate and being major players in the economy. The quality of the products or services combined with pleasing customer service have proven their simple effects on how successful businesses are. The Finnish entrepreneurial community is welcoming, and supportive of each other. And unlike other business cultures, the importance of not over-working is truly important, because having time to unwind at home creates a less tired and stressed worker the next day. Which is something all future entrepreneurs should look forward to.
-Ella Muja
