Rokmind founder Melina Näätänen is a proud entrepreneur who is not afraid to pursue her dreams

Melina Näätänen is involved in a lot of things, and she has burning passion for new and interesting ideas. While she is often described as a successful and high-performing individual, she characterises herself as someone who drifts from one venture to the next. 

– I’ve always wanted to keep moving forward and work hard to achieve success. I look around, find an idea that sparks my interest and realise it could be my thing. 

Melina Näätänen believes in dreams and goals. In her book Menestyksen portaat (“Steps to Success”), she provides a framework for fulfilling your dreams. Näätänen summarises the steps to success as setting a personally inspiring goal that is as ambitious as possible, and then thinking about each step, or interim goal, that needs to be achieved along the way. Success is not achieved in a single big leap. You need to make progress one step at a time. Melina Näätänen believes that, as you move forward, you should focus on what you want rather than what others think. 

When Melina talks, the focus is always on the human element. Her view is that entrepreneurs, in particular, can’t do everything by themselves.
 
– Whether you’re a sole entrepreneur or the owner of a large company, you can’t do it alone. It is vital for entrepreneurs to surround themselves with people who are a source of energy rather than a drain on energy. All entrepreneurs face unexpected and potentially big challenges, and having a solution-oriented person beside you is very important in those moments. I often see people spending time in groups that wallow in misery, and that certainly does not have any positive impact on what they do.
  
Whether you look at sport at the highest level or the world of business, the same principles apply, Melina points out.
 
– We all have the same fears and concerns. People often equate success with money, but I believe the path to happiness and success is to do what feels important to you.

Don’t get caught up in the illusion of efficiency

The daily life for an entrepreneur is often quite hectic, and Melina Näätänen underscores the importance of learning to focus. The brain can only process one thing at a time.

– Having sharp focus is a skill that is tremendously important for everyone to learn. People tend to live in the future or in the past, but why not live in the present? 

Melina is particularly critical of multitasking, which she calls the illusion of efficiency. 

– People tend to be simultaneously reachable through every channel they are on, but the fact is that our brains process one thing at a time and there’s no way we can do everything at the same time. With that in mind, I urge people to focus fully on whatever it is that they’re doing. Take a small break after each task to let go and consciously prepare for the next item on your agenda. You should also write down your tasks to avoid putting an excessive burden on your brain. When you do things with sharp focus, you will have a lot more time in your calendar.

Melina also urges entrepreneurs to keep their goals in mind. 

– We all have a bright and inspiring goal for whatever it is that we do. You should keep that goal in your sight at all times. Then, at regular intervals, you should stop and think about whether you’re allocating your time and energy to things that take you towards that goal – or away from it. Whatever is time-consuming and disruptive to your work should be eliminated. 

Melina refers to them as distractions and preoccupations. 

– When you’re moving fast, distractions can keep you from seeing the big picture. It’s vital to keep in mind that distractions will not lead you anywhere. What you need instead is a clearly defined goal and the ability to prioritise. You should also keep in mind that not every day is a fun day, but there is something good in every day.

I’m immensely proud to call myself an entrepreneur,” says Melina Näätänen, founder of Rokmind

What if you had the courage to try?

Melina tells entrepreneurs they should put their own oxygen mask on first before helping others put on theirs. In other words, you have to maintain a healthy balance in life.
 
– Maintaining a healthy balance is essential for an entrepreneur. That requires a certain degree of healthy selfishness and activities that revitalise you. No-one has the energy to work 12 hours per day, 365 days per year. Remember to sleep and find recreational activities that bring harmony and energy to your life. Sports are one healthy option, but something like lace-making can serve the same purpose. All that matters is that the activity gives you some time to yourself, is meaningful, provides you with energy and takes your mind off work.

There are a lot of positives in Finnish business, Melina Näätänen says. 

– We have a lot of know-how, we’re good at taking advantage of digital systems, and we have the ability to make good fact-driven decisions. We have the desire to do things the right way. 

However, Melina believes that Finnish entrepreneurs could benefit from innovating with more of a ‘What if’ mentality. 

– Entrepreneurs can sometimes be too focused on facts and issues. Once in a while, they should think ‘what if?’ and have the courage to just try something. Entrepreneurs frequently overestimate what they can achieve in one year but underestimate what they can make happen in five years.
 
Melina Näätänen says it is often the fear of failure that prevents us from taking action. 

– There’s a risk of our actions becoming defined by a fear of failure and worrying about what others think. That reduces our effectiveness. You have to remember that you can’t always be successful. We all experience unexpected setbacks and we have to learn to live with them. Ultimately, as long as there are competitors, there is business. Without us entrepreneurs, a lot of people in Finland wouldn’t have a job to go to in the morning.

Melina’s steps to success for entrepreneurs:

1. Dare to dream! 
   “Think outside the box and shake up your thinking. Think ‘What if?’”
2. Get enough sleep.
   “If you don’t sleep, you can’t innovate. When you maintain a healthy balance at work, you will have the energy to be kind to your loved ones.”
3. Don’t give up. 
   “You will experience the occasional unexpected setback. When that happens, it’s crucial that you have solution-oriented people around you and the desire to try again.”
4. Take time off. 
   “Striving to be a super-executive or super-entrepreneur is an outdated idea. We should do away with that kind of thinking. An entrepreneur who doesn’t get enough rest and time off can’t be successful in the long run.”
5. There is no such thing as losing.
   “It’s not a question of winning or losing. It’s a question of winning or learning. In times of disappointment, think about what you’ve learned and what you will do differently next time around. There are always lessons in failures.”

Melina Näätänen has been a customer of Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company for over five years. “I would give Elo a score of 6 out of 5 for their services. Everything has gone very smoothly with Elo.” 

If you have any questions about Self-employed Persons’ YEL Insurance, contact Elo’s customer service on tel. +358 20 694 730 (every weekday from 8 am to 5 pm). Read more about YEL insurance >