Who are you? What did you study at Kauppis, and when did you graduate?
I'm Jenni Kynnös, a serial entrepreneur and an angel investor, with a major in marketing. I graduated in the summer of 2018.
Why did you choose to study business?
I had been interested in sales and marketing from a young age, so the decision was super easy.
What did you find personally most rewarding in your studies? And what was the most challenging?
The most rewarding aspect of my studies were the advanced sudies, where we really got into the substance rather than just scratching the surface. The most challenging part was choosing the third language – I ended up with Russian because there was no attendance requirement. So, motivation was on point! :D
Would you do anything differently in your studies? What advice would you give to yourself if you were studying now?
Looking back, I should have focused more on basic courses, as I ended up founding an accounting firm and an IT company that automates financial management processes.
How did studying at Aalto/ School of Business prepare you for the professional world?
I worked throughout my studies in various marketing agencies and became an entrepreneur during my master's studies. I felt that combining school and work was a good combination because studying is very theoretical – and then practical experience was gained through work. The challenge, of course, was balancing full-time work with courses that required attendance.
What realizations have you had about your skills after transitioning to the professional world?
You can overcome anything with motivation and the ability to learn new things. As an entrepreneur, I've jumped from one industry to another, and these changes have brought fresh perspectives. So, it's not worth sticking to the same field for the rest of your life.
What would you like to change in the professional world?
If I could change anything about the professional world, I would definitely speed up decision-making processes and cut down on unnecessary Teams meetings. Nothing eats away more than a pointless meeting where you lose an hour of your life again.
Jenni KynnösYou can overcome anything with motivation and the ability to learn new things.
What has been your career path?
I started working at the age of 14 when my mother and stepfather founded a chocolate business. I was involved from the early stages, working as a salesperson, waitress, and general assistant. I spent all summers either in chocolate shops or in waitress roles. After graduating from high school, I started managing our first store in Helsinki. During the early years at Kauppis, I still worked in the chocolate shops, conveniently located in the old Kauppis neighborhood in Töölö – it was super convenient to run from the morning lecture to open the shop. At KY (Aalto University Business Students), I took on the role of a culture producer, and after a year of partying, I moved on to advertising agencies. At the age of 24, I was traveling around Asia, and after that I started my own social media marketing agency, MySome. The business took off well, and I sold the majority of it to a Finnish publicly listed company at the age of 28. With the exit, I was able to start new businesses, the IT company Moretime and the accounting firm Moneybeen, and also invest as an angel investor. Now, I have a portfolio of over ten companies, including the Korean cosmetics brand Smuuti Skin, in which I invested through the "Leijonan Luola" (Finnish version of Shark Tank) TV format.
What career dreams/thoughts did you have during your studies? How have they materialized or changed after graduation?
At the beginning of my studies, I thought my biggest dream would be to be the CEO of a publicly listed company. Now, I couldn't imagine being anything other than a growth entrepreneur – that's how dreams change.
What have been the biggest challenges in your professional life?
My biggest challenge in professional life is the slow pace and the struggle with bureaucracy. For example, at Moretime, we work on IT projects for large companies, and I can tell you that negotiating contracts is a real challenge that takes time and often tests one's patience.
You work as the CEO of Moretime. What kind of tasks and responsibilities do you have, and what are your typical workdays like?
At Moretime, my responsibilities lie in my strengths – personnel, recruitment, sales, and marketing. As the CEO, my job is to oversee the big picture, take care of the finances, and ensure the company's development. The CEO role in a growing company often involves hands-on work; for example, I take care of replenishing the snacks and drinks.
What does meaningful work mean to you, and how have you found a meaningful career for yourself?
Meaningful work to me means the freedom to pursue my own vision and constant change. It would be super boring if every year were the same! My career really took off when I realized that I don't always have to climb the traditional corporate ladder; entrepreneurship offers a fast lane for those who are up for the challenge.
How did you end up becoming an entrepreneur?
I am an accidental entrepreneur – I didn't dream of entrepreneurship. I worked in social media marketing and began to see areas where I would operate differently than my employer. This sparked the idea to try out how my own vision would work in real life. As a student, it was best to become an entrepreneur when I was already accustomed to stretching pennies, and I didn't have a career to give up.
What advice would you give to a student interested in starting a business?
Try out various jobs if you don't have a clear vision yet. Your own business idea doesn't always have to be a groundbreaking startup; you can start your own business in an existing field where there is already demand.
What are your expectations for the future?
I am looking forward to the second season of "Leijonan Luola" and the companies that I hopefully invest in there. It's super exciting to make investment decisions in less than an hour for a company about which you have no prior information! Then you have to go by gut feeling and calculate the valuation in your head.
What are the major workplace trends that are shaping your organization?
Low-code development. At Moretime, we constantly see how client companies are incorporating low-code-based automation more boldly into their everyday operations. While automation is not a new concept, we will see interfaces leveraging cloud automation and low-code-based business apps in the future, even in small businesses.
Learn more about Jenni's career path and studies on LinkedIn!
Read more about Moretime.
Photos provided by Jenni, if not noted otherwise.
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