Ilkka O. Lavas has been an entrepreneur since starting his first company at age 17. Over the past 35 years he has [1] founded or co-founded 14 businesses, [2] acquired 10 companies, and [3] exited from 3 portfolio companies. He believes entrepreneurship provides opportunities for continuous learning, taking on new challenges, and building a successful career through starting, acquiring, developing and exiting multiple businesses over time.

1. Yrittäjän
asenne
ja ura
Ilkka O. Lavas
Metson väelle 2014

2. Ilkka O. Lavas
 Started 1st company 17 years old
 2 books about entrepreneurship
 Studied while working: MBA, CS
 Partner, board member, investor
 Portfolio of 14 businesses
 10+ aquisitions done
 3 exits
 Young Entrepreneur of the year
2009 in ’Southern Finland’
 35years, 2 boys, 1 wife, 1343 fb
connections, 1366 linkedin conns,
twitter @lavas 1141 followers

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

4. Entrepreneurship is all about
Learning by Doing
17v eka
firma
nettisivuja
Artic.net Exit
nettiyhteyksi
ä
SuperWeb
ja Nettipaja
Nettipaja Exit
Nettisivubisn
es
kasvu-uralle
Computuki
yritysosto
2001
kuplaan
valmistautum
inen
17 henkeä
omia
tuotteita
Malesia
Kauhava
Winnie
Intti
Saneeraus
Computuki
spinoff
STOP
MBA
LifePlanning
SWOT
Eka kirja
Luontainen
yrittäjyys
portfolion
toinen yritys
ilmainensanaki
rja.fi
Suomikauppa.f
i
Kaannos.com
Smartum
Vuokraturva
NO Spam
Samex
W3 Group
perustaminen,
FTC,
Tietoexpertit,
Softsizing
Micro Aided
Design
Karkkigalleria
Computuki
buyback
Druid
Ostohyvitys.fi
NO Spam exit
City –lehden
osto
Huililehti,
MoonTV,
City turnaround
City Digital
perustaminen
Vivas
perustaminen
Vivas kv
17-18v
19v
20v
21v
22v
23v
24v
25-26v
27-29v
30-31v
32-33v
33-35v
14-16v: Metallipaja Happoteräs Oy apumiehenä, siivoojana, porausta, hapotusta, metallin
leikkausta, trukkihommia, Itäkeskus lattiakaivojen ja kaiteiden asennuskeikkaa.

5. Portfolio
EXITed:
EXITed:
Portfolio

6. Yrittäjämäinen asenne
 Voin oppia jotain jokaisena työpäivänä
 Jos onnistun, voin oppia siitäkin
 Jos epäonnistun, voin oppia siitäkin
 Jos joku muu epäonnistuu, voin oppia
siitäkin
 Jos joku muu onnistuu, voin iloita ja oppia
siitäkin

7. Avun pyytäminen
Pyydä apua
Kuuntele ja tee
muistiinpanoja
Opi
kuulemastasi

8. Työhön suhtautuminen
 Tehdä oma työ niin hyvin, että asiakkaat
kiittävät
 Olla niin luotettava, ettei maailmasta löydy
toista yhtä tunnollista

9. Yrittäjyys uravaihtoehtona
Ilkka O. Lavas
Sarjayrittäjä
Mikä tahansa on mahdollista,
kun vain uskot itseesi
ja kehityt jatkuvasti

10. Jokaisella meillä on omanlaisemme
urapolkuEsimerkkejä
Photo: Lavas @ Tahko

11. Company X
Career in one company
Position1
• Title1
• Challenge1
• Developement1
Position2
• Title2
• Challenge2
• Developement2
Position3
• Title3
• Challenge3
• Developement3

12. Career by changing a
company
•Challenge1
•Develpment1
Company1
•Challenge2
•Develpment2
Company2
•Challenge3
•Develpment3
Company3
1-5 years 2-7 years 2-7
years

13. Career as Serial Entrepreneur /
Portfolio Entrepreneur / Consultant
Company1 Challenge1 Development1
Company2 Challenge2 Development2
Company3 Challenge3 Development3

14. As entrepreneur you can
 Run lifestyle company / hobby / parttime
 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?
Photo: Anella Olimpica, Barcelona, Catalonia,Spain, By dbaron / Flickr

15. 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
Yrittäjyys on sun
oma
juttu

16. 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.

17. My Career
definitionSometimes I enjoy success
Sometimes I fail
Sometimes I survive
Entrepreneurial life is all about
New Experiences
Locomotive 2005
Rovaniemi

18. Different types of StartUP
1. Self employment
StartUP
LD Hair / Maarit Lavas
Hair stylist
No big money/exit
opportunities, but you do
what you like to do and
earn your living.

19. Different types of StartUP
2. Lifestyle StartUP
MADbike.org
Motorbike ADVENTURES for maniacs.
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. Picture
behind from Burma (Myanmar)

20. My First StartUP + reincarnation of the
business after 15 years / Growth business
- Started 1995 for my
self Employment in high school
- restartup 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.
Now more than 200 customers, 2,5 Meur revenue, 35 people working. Growing
Fast!

21. Build to be sold StartUP
High Risk. Cash on Exit.
 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.

22. 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

23. Ownership changes,
turnarounds
 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

24. City
Digital Media family

25. Entrepreneurial attitude – for
successful career
 I want to help people and companies
 I am responsible for my own career, learning and success
 I control and plan my life and schedule
 I contribute where we do our business
 I want more and more challenges to proceed in my career and
life
 I want to be flexible in working hours, not only 8-16.
 I want to contribute to change the world , woohoo!!
 I want to learn new things everyday

26. Why Entrepreneurial attitude?
 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_

27. 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,
get another challenges

28. 2012
Ilkka O. Lavas, Serial Entrepreneur, www.ilkkaolavas.com
How do you define success?
Can Entrepreneurial career
be part of it?

29. Menestystä elämääsi!
www.ilkkaolavas.com
Ilkka.lavas@city.fi
Twitter: @lavas
Facebook: IlkkaLavas
Gsm 0400 997969
Mainitut kirjat:
- Pysäyttämätön yrittäjyys (2013)
- Luontainen yrittäjyys (2005)
www.city.fi/profiilit/lavas/blogi
www.city.fi www.suomikauppa.fi www.w3.fi www.vivas.fi
www.ilkkaolavas.com