Starting my own business was never really part of my plan—an obvious plot hole considering that my ability to live and work in Finland hinged on the acquisition of an entrepreneur’s visa. I had reasons to believe that I could get the latter without the former, but like so many aspects of my career, I turned out to be wrong about that.
Finland let me know as much about halfway through May in the form of a sternly worded letter about registrations and permits. Three forms and $180 later, I got it all sorted out and was the proud founder of Little Word Co. A few days after that, my residence application was approved on the grounds of entrepreneurship.
The process was long and not for the faint of heart, but I have to admit that it was worth it. In a long list of eccentricities, Finnish Entrepreneur may be my greatest accomplishment yet.
While I took my application as a business owner seriously, I never quite took myself seriously. Creating the company was just a thing I had to do, another step to take to get to where I wanted to be. It was paperwork. My plan was to check the box and then go back to what I was doing before—which was writing articles for an hourly rate.
But something strange happened when I got the registration confirmation in the mail—the one that attached Little Word Co. to my given name and classified me as an entrepreneur on a government-issued ID. Nothing had changed, but somehow everything was different. I felt oddly accomplished, the letter being proof positive of what I had managed to do and a vote of confidence of was likely to come. The business registration, taken along with the decision from immigration services, felt like an endorsement. It gave me permission to celebrate my success thus far and take my business, small as it was, seriously.
When the glow of that wore off, I got to thinking that if I went through all the trouble of establishing a business, then I may as well give the thing some life. I bought a domain, mostly so that I could upgrade my third-party subscriptions like Teams and Skype to business accounts. Once I got that, I figured I should build a website, which prompted me to want a logo, which made me hire a graphic designer, which got me thinking: Maybe she wants to join Little Word Co. and make logos and layouts for people on the side. Turns out she did, and so did some other writers, marketers, designers and creatives I’ve worked with over the years.
And thus, Little Word Co. became the Little Word Collective. And this past week we launched as a network of freelancers who specialize in content of all kinds at every stage—strategy, creation, execution and engagement. Our capabilities include writing, design, branding, marketing, social, voiceover and so much more. We work flexibly, engaging the right people at the right level, to help our clients create what they had in mind—but better.
I’m not sure what possessed me to do all that—to turn a piece of paper into a business, especially since working for a startup has never been a dream of mine. It seems entrepreneurship is a slippery slope and I am coasting down it headfirst with nothing but a laptop.
What I’ve come to realize, after several weeks of busy work building out this little business, is that Little Word Co. is an opportunity for me to rebrand personally. When I got laid off last October, I was forced into the freelancers’ market. And while I was lucky enough to move from one phase of my career to the next without any real upset, the experience still stung. I was told that I wasn’t valued in my old role, that I wasn’t good enough to keep on—and even though I had plenty of evidence to the contrary, the experience was wounding. I didn’t exactly believe any of it but a small part of me feared that it was true.
Little Word Co. is my way of turning the page. Of restarting on my own terms. Of saying that even though I was forced into this lane, I am staying the course by choice. The gig life wasn’t exactly my idea, but I am embracing it just the same. I am claiming victory at having started a successful business, at keeping it going through a global pandemic and having the time and energy to think bigger with the help other talented and ambitious people. I am celebrating the fact that I own a profitable and viable business—this not according to me, but the great country of Finland.
On that note, I hope you all can join in celebrating this moment with me as I officially launch my tiny new business, Little Word Co., and introduce the Little Word Collective. The timing seems very aprospos as we head into the 4th of July weekend. I for one am feeling a bit more independent than usual.
Congratulations! Looking forward to checking out your website.
thanks so much! checking out that website won’t take long, don’t you worry. for a writer, i really kept it light :D
Congratulations! I have to say, the steps you have taken to get here you talk about with such ease. But besides the obvious work, there is the intangible attitude and personality that is required to be patient and persistent to get to where you are. Enjoy the glow!
hi. i think you hit the nail on the head re: attitude. none of this was easy – and maybe i don’t say that enough. sometimes i wonder if i do myself and others a disservice by glossing over all the work. like “four forms and $180” was…. more like a 4 day scramble filled with translation services and tax consultations and several trips to a print shop called Mr. Easy Business. but, at the same time, it’s also not all that hard. you just have to WANT to do it. you either get through the obstacles or you give up. i think breaking through has less to do with talent and intellect and more to do with just plain grit. one of the things i miss about america is that there is far more grit. lots of people just muscling and hustling. i don’t get the vibe in europe very often. i don’t know if people just don’t NEED that quality like we do in the States or if they just don’t WANT it (are they just so satisfied?) or if they just don’t know it’s an option. there is an overwhelming notion that people here stay in the lines of a given profession, that you do what you were trained to do or what you went to school for and if you want to switch, you go back to school. they don’t think it’s good or bad, they just accept it as the way it is. and i obviously do not and i think that comes as a surprise to some people. anyway – thanks for stopping by. to patience, persistence and personality!
This is so exciting. Congratulations! I can’t wait to see this take off!
thanks so much! and when you get settled in your new home, we should connect ;)
Nice!
I’m excited to see where this will take you. I think it will be more like a fun uphill ride instead of a downhill slippery slope! 😊
i think you’re right. getting in feels like a slip and slide, making it work will be a slow burn. I have never characterized an uphill ride/run as “fun” but on many a race day I noticed that was where I excelled. I wasn’t the fastest on the flat surfaces, but I could do a hill. (It felt like weightlifting to me, not cardio. And that made sense to no one, probably because they weren’t lifting weights all that often). Anyway, I think i have it in me, but we’ll see. thanks for reading!
Congratulations! Your website looks great, and it looks like you have a very talented team in place already. Can’t wait to read more about the successful adventures ahead of you!
thanks so much!! website design is not my specialty, that’s for sure. but they make it almost idiot proof at this point. almost. thanks for stopping by and here’s to more adventures.
Congratulations and good for you! May Little Word Co grow and prosper!
THANK YOU!!
Congratulations, indeed. You have traveled far, and well, and fast, and still manage to come out with both shoes on and your hair combed.
Most of the time.
I can’t wait to see what comes next.
ha! yes, exactly. Most of the time :)
Wow wow wow, congratulations Nova!! How incredible!
And when you think about it, all this is happening because you decided to pack a suitcase and travel the world … life is wild if you stay open to it.
hi! thanks so much! i know! so crazy how pulling the plug on my old life gave me a new one, better than I ever could have hoped for… sound familiar?! I think we are both living proof that regret is usually not something you have for things you did, but the things you didn’t.
P.S. Your head shot on your website (which is KILLER, btw!) is fabulous. That curly hair is giving me life!
aw, thank you! It’s been a real struggle honestly and I am still figuring all that hair out. It’s going to be a long road, that’s for sure.