Entrepreneurship as a Career alternative

Ilkka O. Lavas

Serial Entrepreneur

Photo: Iceland, By aromano / Flickr

Anything is possible

when you believe in yourself.

Different Career Choices

Examples

Photo: Lavas @ Tahko

Company X

Career in one company

Position1

• Title1

• Challenge1

• Developement1

Position2

• Title2

• Challenge2

• Developement2

Position3

• Title3

• Challenge3

• Developement3

Career by changing a company

•Challenge1

•Develpment1 Company1

•Challenge2

•Develpment2 Company2

•Challenge3

•Develpment3 Company3

1-5 years 2-7 years 2-7 years

Career as Serial Entrepreneur / Portfolio Entrepreneur / Consultant

Company1 Challenge1 Development1

Company2 Challenge2 Development2

Company3 Challenge3 Development3

As entrepreneur you can

• Run lifestyle company / hobby

• Run single growing company

• Many businesses one after one (establish/buy, develop, sell)

• Many paraller businesses (Establish/buy, develop) (Establish/buy, develop) (Establish/buy, develop) What is maximum amount?

Anella Olimpica, Barcelona, Catalonia,Spain, By dbaron / Flickr

Digital media Success (opportunity)

Ownership Change – Rethink business

Print media is suffering

Where I work? When I buy? When I sell? Where I establish New?

City.fi challenge 26 years old City Culture magazine. Making Loss.

What are my risks? What are my possibilities?

City.fi challenge Great brand! Great service Deitti.net

What are my risks? What are my possibilities?

Ilkka O. Lavas

• Started my first company at high school. Since that I have been entrepreneur. Now I am related to more than 10 businesses.

• Have bought/sold 6 companies/businesses • Founder member in 5 businesses • Survived 2 recessions • Young Entrepreneur of the year 2009

in Uusimaa • Entrepreneur of the year, 2010 Kerava

Statistics: • 33years, 2 boys, 1 wife, 1000+ fb connections, 500+

linkedin conns, twitter @lavas

Ice climbing Glaciar Viedma by alextorrenegra / Flickr

Entrepreneurship is your

own choice

Why people are scared of starting

• What is so scary in starting up a new company? – If it does not work, you can always stop being an entrepreneur

and go back to work 8-16. (Sometimes you can even agree this in advance.)

• Risk management: – What can you really lose? Do you need to take debt? – How big is your risk? Can you handle it? – If your biggest costs are your salary + rental, then your loosing

risk is NO salary for 1-6 months + rental costs = max 10k€

”The big unknown heaven is more scary than known hell” – Kaija Koo.

My Career definition

Sometimes I enjoy success

Sometimes I fail Sometimes I survive

Entrepreneurial life is all about

New Experiences

Locomotive 2005 Rovaniemi By Juska Wendland / Flickr

This is where I started. I had 0€. Took 50.000 FIM Loan for start

Business portfolio 1. Lavasdesign Oy – investment, it –consulting, startups and

entrepreneurship

eCommerce, Internet

marketing and logistics

company LaKo Trade Oy

Suomikauppa.FI WanhatWarikset.co

m Karkkigalleria.fi

Customs declaration

software company

Samex Solutions Oy Sad-e.fi

EMCS stock reporting software

3D-Cad / BIM

Software import

company Micro Aided Design Oy

Publishing business

and services

Web portal

business Ilmainensana

kirja.fi Kaannos.com

Team Entrepreneur Partners in my businesses constist of: Business Angels, Professional Directors, Customs Software professional, Software Hosting professional, talented Software developers, Internet Marketing specialists, BIM specialists and professionals, Financial Geniouses, Watch Enthusiastic I have 10-100% ownership of my companies. Total 70+ people working in these companies and total revenue 6 Meur.

W3 Group Finland

Oy

Software projects

Drupal specialists Druid Oy

Web projects

Different types of StartUP

1. Self employment StartUP LD Hair Maarit Lavas Hairdresser No big money/exit opportunities, but you do what you like to do and get living.

Different types of StartUP

2. Lifestyle StartUP

MADbike.org

Motorbike trips

for people.

Entrepreneur Severi Virolainen loves to drive abroad, in Jungle and exotic places. This is good way to do what you love and get funding for your hobby. At the moment in Laos/Cambodia

My First StartUP + reincarnation of the business after 15 years / Growth business

- Started 1995 for my self employment in high school - reborn W3 Group Finland Oy 2010 reborn to become growth company: Bought 3 companies / businesses. New board and new management and entrepreneurship team. New name and company structure. New Growth strategy. • 2011: More than 200 customers, 2 Meur revenue, 30

people working. Growing!

StartUP Cash Flow businesses

• Cash Flow business is best business if you are willing to stay owner for 10+ years.

• Build this business to survive recessions and to grow all time.

Build to be sold StartUP

• Another type for startup is build business to be sold. Ownership time 3-7 years.

• Our Artic.net startup 1997 fastest growing site in 90’s.

• I was one of the team together with Lauri, Henri and Robert.

• Later Artic.net was sold to Lycos by Interactivum + entrepreneurship team.

• I sold too early and earned 1 markka (20cent) of my share.

My dictionary businesses

Specialize in niche market

• Sometimes small niche market may be more profitable than existing market. You need to be the best in your area.

• For example Samex has 3 customs specialist and they are selling electronic customs declaration software as a software (SaaS).

• Business opportunity Driver: Law Change Eu directive which says all companies must do declarations electronically

Ownership changes

• Sometimes you need to change company culture to make sure company will survive.

– Management Changes, Employee changes, Owner changes

– Reinventing business models

– Stopping to publish print

– Concentrating on Web and Services

Entrepreneurship: The best career choice!

• I can help people and companies with IT solutions • You can be your own boss • You can choose when to work and what to do • You can choose where your workplace is located • You will learn new things • You will get as much challenges as you want or need • Work day is flexible, not only 8-16. • You can change the world , woohoo!! Remember: Making money is only result of making good work Entrepreneurship is Hard work and it makes you stronger

Why Entrepreneuship?

• Passion of Competition

• Passion of Success and Adventure

• Passion of personal career development

• Passion for growth

• Passion for Challenges

• Way to build career

Lake Shasta, California, June 2008, Mike Vondran, Wakeboarding. By over_kind_man

When you spend 8 hours doing something, you should be able enjoy it

• Most important in worklife is to enjoy work and your achievements at work itself

• you need to have good feeling to

go to work every day • if you don’t like your job or don’t feel good at

job: QUIT

My Books

• In finnish 2005

• About positive Things in entre-

preneurial life

ISBN: 952-91-8686-X

New book coming 2013 about Unstoppable Entrepreneurship (in Finnish).

2012 Ilkka O. Lavas, Serial Entrepreneur, www.ilkkaolavas.com

How do you define success? Can Entrepreneurial career be part of it?

7.10.2012 Ilkka Lavas, Serial Entrepreneur

Questions

• Questions: – www.ilkkaolavas.com – http://menestyvayrittaja.yrittaja.info – ilkka@ilkkaolavas.com – Twitter: @lavas – Linkedin ilkkalavas