Space to live and thrive
The tranquility of Siilinjärvi fuels creativity in the daily life of branding entrepreneur Jesse Karjalainen.
Jesse Karjalainen, a branding entrepreneur originally from Kainuu, runs a project-based business untied to any specific location. With clients across the country, most work is handled remotely. The peaceful and nature-filled environment of Siilinjärvi suits the needs of his business perfectly.
“I feel that having an office in a central location would actually be a disadvantage for us. Instead of catering to a stream of walk-in clients, our workspace is for our team and their inspiration. We need an environment that sparks and sustains creativity,” says Karjalainen.
Face-to-face client meetings are only necessary when UNELMA, Karjalainen’s creative agency, needs photography for branding projects. Everything else can be done online.
“Remote communication is the future. Even meetings are much quicker over video calls than in person. I think this is the right direction.”
Karjalainen enjoys living in Siilinjärvi and feels well-settled there. The freedom of being an entrepreneur, coupled with the lack of traffic in a small town, ensures a smooth daily life.
“There’s space here to run a business peacefully, close to a major city but without the congestion. Plus, Siilinjärvi has fantastic trails for running, skiing, and cycling year-round. There are also plenty of activities for children.”
Karjalainen describes the people of Savo as delightfully quirky individuals who aren’t afraid to take action. He himself is a testament to that adventurous spirit.
“We’re currently building new office facilities from logs in Harjamäki, Siilinjärvi. Logs are a wonderful material and align with our ideology of being a Finnish company that reflects Finnish minimalism. The office, made from domestic wood and largely self-designed, is a unique solution.”
The company has received Leader funding for the project from the Kalakukko Development Association, and additional support from POP Bank Siilinjärvi.
“In the future, we plan to expand our business into designing our own product brands,” Karjalainen says.
Text: Maiju Korhonen
Photo: Hanna Kuronen
The article was written during the Future Savo project in 2020-2021.
