Entrepreneurship Connects Us: Same Drive, Different Stories, One Shared Language

When I recently walked into the Business Unplugged event hosted by the Federation of Finnish Enterprises at Sofia in Helsinki, I was greeted by a soundscape of Arabic, English, Thai, Swedish, Finnish, and many other languages. Yet we all understood each other wholly and instantly. Why? Because everyone in that room already shared a common language: the language of entrepreneurship.

Business Unplugged celebrated its tenth anniversary by bringing together entrepreneurs with immigrant backgrounds, experts, and future shapers. The theme of the day was “Sell smart, market smarter” — but at its core, the event offered far more than sales and marketing insights. It was about connection. About building trust. And about the courage to act, the force that unites us all.

The shared language isn’t always Finnish — sometimes it’s courage and action

The stories shared by speakers and participants echoed the same message: entrepreneurship doesn’t recognise accents; it recognises actions. Entrepreneurs from the Philippines, Lebanon, Ukraine, Finland, and many other places described how they found their place, not by changing their language, but by finding other entrepreneurs and networks who share the same mindset.

That mindset is the language of doing: the desire to grow, to find solutions, and to see possibilities where others see obstacles.

Diversity is not a challenge but an asset. It is Finland’s next engine of growth, a source of new ideas, new networks, and new business opportunities.
This was evident throughout the event’s presentations, which emphasised community and reciprocity: what we can learn from one another, not just what we can sell to one another.

Entrepreneurship connects us: same drive, different stories, one shared language

Finland now needs more than ever entrepreneurs who think together rather than alone — who take the first steps toward something new, even when the path is unfamiliar.

Entrepreneurship is like an orchestra: everyone plays a different instrument, but when the melodies come together, success follows.

In Espoo, we are proud to be part of this shared melody. At Espoo Entrepreneurs, we already have more than 2,500 members who together form one of Finland’s most vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems. Within this network is a rapidly growing group of entrepreneurs with immigrant backgrounds who bring international networks, expertise, and courage, and with them, a wealth of new opportunities for growth stories right here in our region.

At Espoo Entrepreneurs, we want to be the platform where these stories begin. We create events and networks where entrepreneurs from different backgrounds can meet, share experiences, and discover opportunities for joint growth. Because it is in these encounters—not in competition—that trust is built. And from trust, growth emerges.
In the end, it comes down to this: entrepreneurship is a shared language, and diversity is its strongest dialect.

Berit Virtanen-Thewlis

Board Member, Espoo Entrepreneurs

Member, Migrant Entrepreneurs Committee at the Federation of Finnish Enterprises

Entrepreneur, More Consulting Oy