Entrepreneurship connects
- Hanna and Juha Laiho bought a service station in 2003 — just a short while after they had decided that becoming entrepreneurs was definitely not for them.
- “This is a way of life; I guess there’s no other way to justify it,” Juha Laiho laughs.
The barking of dogs echoes through the quiet archipelago. Two huge guard dogs, Masa and Nipa, patrol their territory carefully and make sure everyone knows something is happening that requires their owners’ attention.
Once their own pack — Juha, Hanna, and Mikael — is gathered and the guests have settled in, the dogs too begin to relax. And no wonder — the Laihos’ home on Lepäinen island combines many dreams: the sea and the forest, peace and quiet, and the beauty of nature.
“I had dreamed a little about having a cottage, but with the pace we live at, that would’ve just meant having two places where work was left undone.
Now at least everything’s in one place,” Juha chuckles.
The Laihos hadn’t been planning to buy anything when they went to a house showing one hot July afternoon — but once they arrived, the idea of having their own place in the peace of the archipelago began to feel very appealing.
The house itself isn’t very large, but for a small family, it was just right. And when they found out there was also a guesthouse nearby — perfect for their then-teenaged son Mikael (or Miku) to move into one day — the decision became clear.
“We even went back in November, in the rain, just to make sure it still felt as good as it had in summer. And it did,” Juha says.
Their peaceful cove is important for this entrepreneurial family. Home stays calm even when work gets hectic and there never seem to be enough hours in the day. The Laihos have run their service station for over twenty years, and in late summer their company, Huolto Rengas Laiho Oy, expanded operations to the neighboring town of Laitila.
The couple’s division of labor is clear: Hanna takes care of the register, bookkeeping, and cleaning, while Juha handles everything else. Skilled employees, of course, are a vital part of the equation.
“We each have our own jobs. We’ve agreed that work matters are discussed at work and home matters at home,” Hanna says when asked how it works being together both at home and at work.
Their now-adult son Miku is also part of the family business — helping out wherever needed. He recently graduated as a waiter and also works occasional shifts in the restaurant industry.
Entrepreneurship clearly runs in his blood — he has just started his own sole proprietorship.
“With my own business, I can try out different kinds of odd jobs and gigs in various fields,” Miku says. “But I don’t yet know what I want to do when I grow up.”
“Well, that makes two of us,” Juha grins.
In truth, it seems the Laihos have found their life’s work in entrepreneurship. Expanding to the neighboring municipality has, as Juha puts it, “added a bit of stability,” and further growth in the future isn’t out of the question
New ideas keep bubbling up within the family. Even bold ones are tossed around together, and enthusiasm feeds enthusiasm.
“One day we’re planning to buy a restaurant, the next day something else — even though Juha already works from morning till night,” Hanna laughs. “But he’s doing what he loves. He’s just such a social, easygoing person.”
By his own admission, Juha tends to get involved in all sorts of things, even in his free time — such as local water and sewer cooperatives.
“Those are kind of my hobbies,” he says. “I’ve also got a few vintage cars in the garage, but I haven’t had time for them lately. They’re just waiting for better days.”
Hanna, on the other hand, makes sure to get into the forest every day. Long walks with the dogs are her lifeline amid everyday busyness. Out in nature, she notices the changing seasons much more vividly than in town.
“In the forest you can really be alone with your thoughts. And you start to observe nature more closely here,” Hanna says.
“Just as calm mornings and clear days are wonderful, so too is it when it’s completely dark and the wind blows so hard it feels like the roof might lift off,” Juha adds.
Every evening, the day’s dust is washed away in the heat of their beach sauna. Lighting the sauna fire is Juha’s task — it’s his way of unwinding after a busy day.
Normally, the couple takes a month-long summer vacation, but this year the expansion cut their time off down to a couple of weeks. They spent most of it at home.
“If we want to go somewhere, it’s easy enough to take the boat or jet ski out for a spin,” Juha says, with Hanna and Miku nodding in agreement. “But really, we don’t feel much like going anywhere.”
Text and jpictures: Päivi Sappinen.