1. Looking back on your years in business, which experiences would you say have shaped you the most as a CEO?

There have been so many countless challenges, even more positive experiences, and a huge number of interesting projects and clients. I would say that experience simply matters. You need to put in the miles.

Every new experience teaches you something and gives you new knowledge. Over time, that makes you a more well-rounded person and, ultimately, a more complete leader.

2. Business success is often talked about much more than the challenges that come along the way. How important have those challenges been in your own development and in the development of the company?

When a company is small, certain challenges can be much more critical than they are once the company reaches a more mature stage. At that point, an entrepreneur faces a real test: will they overcome a challenge that may not even seem particularly significant from the outside, or will the company be pushed in a completely different direction?

There was never one single challenge that, in hindsight, could have prevented us from being where we are today. Rather, it was the accumulation of different situations and experiences that shaped the company.

3. Let’s start with decisions. Can you think of a decision you were convinced was right at the time, but which later turned out differently than expected?

I strongly believe that being a CEO, or any kind of leader, means making decisions. You have to make them quickly, of course after giving them careful thought, but I don’t really believe in bad decisions. There are decisions that are better or worse, more or less appropriate.

Every decision leads to new opportunities and new challenges. That has certainly been true in my experience.

A good example would be our SolumaInvoiceReader service. We invested a great deal in developing the solution, and I was convinced it would be a huge success. For quite a few years, I wondered whether it had actually been the right decision.

Eventually, it became clear that the solution was simply ahead of its time.

Today, we can all ask ourselves whether it was a good or a bad decision. History has shown that it was the right one and, ultimately, a strategic decision.

4. What did you learn from that experience, and how do you approach similar decisions today? Has your approach changed, or do you still follow the same vision?

Fortunately, I still approach things with the same passion.

At the same time, experience brings greater judgement and perspective. Over the years, you learn to look at things from more angles and consider factors you might not have considered when you were less experienced.

5. In business, opportunities probably come along all the time that look good at first glance. Have you learned that not every opportunity is necessarily the right opportunity?

That happens all the time.

When you come across these kinds of opportunities, you are often on the execution side, while the other party has a need but may not fully understand all the implications involved in making something happen. Naturally, the opportunity is usually presented with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Again, experience is what helps you make the decision that is ultimately the right one.

I think we have encountered quite a few situations like that over the years.

6. Based on your previous experience, would you say that you now look more carefully at certain factors before entering into a new collaboration?

It is not just about how I make decisions personally. My decisions also have to be considered in the context of Soluma as a company.

Soluma today is not the same company it was when it was founded. We have more employees, and that also means a different level of responsibility.

So yes, decisions are definitely different today. They are much more considered and deliberate – and that is exactly how it should be.

7. Is there a way of working or a process you once believed was effective, but later realised could be improved?

I believe in two things.

First, there is no such thing as a perfect process. And second, it is absolutely worth investing in automation and digitalisation.

We, as employees, should be focused on the substance of our work and try to eliminate as much operational burden as possible.

Many years ago, I read about a company where all processes were clearly defined and the company had become stagnant. That really stayed with me, and I strongly believe in the opposite approach.

That is why my goal is for everyone in the company to keep moving forward every day and to constantly look for ways to improve the way we work.

8. Can you think of a turning point, a situation where you realised that something needed to change, and the decision to do so proved to be the right one?

It is always good to change things.

The challenge is that we all resist change. We are all afraid of it to some extent. Every day, there are factors around us that could and often should trigger a reaction and lead to change.

It is difficult to point to one specific example now. The business has always been dynamic, and I am sure there have been quite a few situations like that along the way.

9. No company grows without people. Which experience of leading a team has taught you the most?

Over the years, you accumulate quite a range of experiences, some stressful, some very positive.

What I can definitely say is that every single person who has been part of Soluma has contributed something in their own way. The Soluma we have today is, in many ways, the result of all those experiences, both the pleasant ones and the more difficult and stressful ones.

The important thing is to learn something from each of them and try to become wiser in the decisions you make every day.

10. Would you say that these experiences have changed or influenced your leadership style?

Over the years, you naturally gain experience.

But I would add something else. As a parent and a husband, you are constantly navigating relationships, with your children, with your partner. I often say that these are people you cannot fire.

You have to find compromises with them. You have to talk things through and look for solutions that work for everyone. That gives you a tremendous amount of experience when it comes to communicating with employees and business partners as well.

So while we sometimes wish we could stay young forever, the years also bring many positive things and valuable experiences that help us in our everyday work.

11. If you had to distil all these experiences into one piece of advice for someone just starting their business journey, what would it be?

Above all, you need passion and courage, and you need a lot of both. The journey is challenging, but it is also incredibly interesting. Personally, I would gladly take the same journey all over again.

12. If you could tell your younger self one thing before starting this journey, something that might have spared you one of the experiences along the way, what would you say?

I think I have already touched on this: there are always many decisions to make, and there can be many right decisions. Some may be less right, others more right. But what is crucial is that your decisions reflect who you are. That is why I believe it makes sense to encourage people to take the entrepreneurial path and to trust themselves to make the right decisions along the way.