Lauri Hautamäki and eight fellow students of Spesia have founded a JA company
Artesaanitaitoa NYT, which was awarded in February at the Uskalla Yrittää regional event in Jyväskylä. Artesaanitaitoa NYT will take part in the Uskalla Yrittää -finale in Helsinki in April. Although making it to the finals came as a surprise to the students, Lauri states that they have believed in their own work and the functionality of their product from the start.
Entrepreneurship is learned by doing
According to Lauri, their business idea arose from an everyday observation: “We know a lot of
people who use massage balls, but for whom placing the massage balls on their back is
challenging,” Lauri explains.
Artesaanitaitoa NYT developed straps made from recycled fabric for the massage balls—a simple yet
effective idea that stemmed from a real need. According to Lauri, this is one of the program’s key
lessons: good ideas are often found close to one’s everyday life.
For Lauri, the JA Company Program has been an amazing opportunity to learn new things through hands-on experience. He didn’t originally expect to end up as an entrepreneur, but
the practical experiment changed his mind quickly.
Entrepreneurship didn’t remain just a theory after the program; the students were able to develop,
test, and sell their own product to real customers.
“When I saw people’s reactions to our product, my confidence in our business idea grew even
more,” Lauri says, describing the customer interactions at the Uskalla Yrittää regional event.
According to Lauri, the best part of the program has been the hands-on work and working as a team.
The program also helped Lauri to understand how even large companies start with small ideas and the courage to try new things.
Lauri’s message to other young people is clear: “It’s not wrong to try or experiment with something new,” Lauri reflects.
A teacher’s greatest reward is seeing students grow
Spesia’s teacher Ruut Halttunen describes teaching entrepreneurship as exceptionally rewarding.
“The greatest reward is seeing the joy and professional growth that takes place in students when
they get to act as entrepreneurs,” Halttunen concludes.
Halttunen highlights the flexibility of the JA Company Program: entrepreneurship can be
pursued in a group or individually, and it accommodates a wide variety of learners. The program
offers an opportunity to try entrepreneurship to those for whom the traditional school path
has not always been easy.
Lauri agrees with his teacher: “The program can mean a lot to young people with special needs,
because it offers everyone the chance to try their hand at entrepreneurship, even if they
face challenges in their daily lives.”
Text: Anni Salomaa
Photos: Kaisa Huikuri
