The converge of art, people and data
From our blog / Article
Few stories are as diverse as Kira Sjöberg's, the Co-founder and Data & AI Coach at GOODIN. Her journey, blending art, business, data, and human understanding, is a remarkable example of how diverse experiences and interests can converge to create something innovative and impactful. There's no one way to become a successful entrepreneur in the tech world. Kira’s story is about her journey, the learning, the challenges, and, most importantly, about being true to oneself.
Kira’s story starts with a dream quite distant from her current reality – as a child she always wanted to become a marine biologist. But her challenges with the detailed aspects of natural sciences led her on a different path.
“I wanted to study sharks, whales, and crocodiles because I had always been fascinated by those creatures. However, natural sciences have never been my thing or natural for me.”
Growing up in a Swedish-speaking community in Finland, Kira yearned for something beyond the traditional paths laid out for her. Her artistic and conceptual creativity found an outlet not in hands-on art but in her academic pursuits. A volunteer stint in Costa Rica in 1995-1996, working for a grassroots peace organisation, exposed her to diverse cultures and people, sparking her international outlook. This experience was a turning point, leading her to move to England to study Art History and open her mind to societal engagement through art.
“My mother encouraged me to go to England and said if I didn’t like it, I could always come back home. This enabled curiosity and courage.”
The making of an entrepreneur
Through her studies, a societal interest also emerged. According to her, art is a very old form of societal media and a way for people to perceive the world before one can read or write. Thus, throughout time, art has been a unique medium communicating societal matters.
Kira’s exploration into the art world, including a thesis on Kaj Stenvall’s art, colonialism in Finland, and the value formation of art, paved her way into the art market. She often pondered over the value of various things, especially art, which is not a commodity in the traditional sense. This led her to explore art’s value formation from a feminist perspective, eventually steering her towards marketing and brand value.
Her entrepreneurial ventures began in the cultural production and fine arts sector with her first own company ArtShortCut focusing on artist management and cultural production in visual arts. Alongside, Kira delved into business and service design, skills that she later applied in her own work.
“I have been working in business and service design for a long time before these things came to the forefront, before these became actual terms. I utilised these in my own work as an entrepreneur.”
The five MBAs of entrepreneurship
Kira’s entrepreneurial journey was not without its challenges. Entrepreneurship is a demanding journey, filled with invaluable lessons learned through persistent challenges; for Kira, this meant not only managing multiple projects and juggling a side job but also navigating the complexities of building a family, all of which tested her mental and physical resilience.
“I messed up so many times. I learned more than ever before; it was like pursuing five MBAs at the same time.”
Kira’s entrepreneurial journey took interesting turns as she transitioned to working for other companies, stepping away from her own business ventures. Her path then led her to a digital marketing agency, where she engaged in search engine marketing and digital marketing. Interestingly, Kira found herself in an entry-level position despite her previous experience leading businesses and being further along in her career. This perspective, enriched by her extensive experience and maturity, allowed her to see and understand the aspects of business that needed improvement and those that were being mismanaged.
Later, Kira joined other consulting companies focusing on marketing development and business design. Here, her natural inclination towards strategic work flourished. Although she was involved with SEO and SEM in her daily tasks, she found great satisfaction and a sense of belonging in building a consumer marketing unit and engaging in strategic planning.
Despite these roles, Kira often found herself contemplating her future, questioning what she truly wanted to do next in her career. This reflective phase was crucial in shaping her understanding of her professional desires and goals. Finally, her path led to founding GOODIN, a human-driven business intelligence and AI consultancy, in Fusion Ecosystem with her co-founders Jarmo Rajala and Atte Ailio.
Combining skills, experiences and personality
Kira attributes her success to a combination of fairness, the ability to challenge the status quo and being an action-taker. Her openness, curiosity, compassion, and ability to get along with people from all walks of life have been pivotal in her journey.
“I come from an entrepreneurial family, and I have always been a doer. Sometimes it would probably be good to stop and think thoroughly before acting, but it is natural for me to keep doing and my activity level is high. This helps in advancing things.”
The road to success was also a learning curve. She stresses the importance of good bookkeeping and prioritising personal well-being alongside business commitments. Despite not being a traditional data and analytics person, Kira understands organisational dynamics, which plays a significant role in GOODIN.
“I understand a large part of organisations very well, as the people in them are largely similar – data and analytics do not open up naturally to all. This is also why the mission of GOODIN feels so meaningful to me.”
Kira reminds aspiring entrepreneurs that a significant part of their time will be spent on things other than their core competencies. Thus, the importance of having a range of skills and a certain patience to operate as a generalist in a specialist company is required. For those dreaming of entrepreneurship, her advice is practical and grounded:
“Keep your receipts. A good accountant is worth their weight in gold. Agree on things in writing. And surround yourself with good people.”
Explore the full series for more co-founder stories:
- Finding meaningfulness in entrepreneurship – Jani Kallio
- Curiosity leads an entrepreneurial path – Mikaela Nyman
- Courage, smart risk-taking and a club – Vesa Härkönen
- The story an entrepreneur would tell – Emma Grönlund
- Building a company is a journey worth experiencing – Jaakko Karhumaa
- If you can do it for someone else’s account, why not make it your own business – Ilkka-Cristian Niemi
- On a mission to transform learning through a purpose-driven business – Marjut Sadeharju
- From corporate world to GenAI pioneer – Daniel Arroyo
- The converge of art, people and data – Kira Sjöberg
