Three companies, but one philosophy – Sanna Kinni has built her entrepreneurship by experimenting

The masseuse, personal trainer, and cleaning boss operates as an entrepreneur on her own terms.

Some people have one career. Sanna Kinni has had several – and at the same time. Cleaning company Pölyhuiska was born by listening to people and looking for a niche. Tehilium, which offers massage and exercise services, was born during her studies.

In addition, there was a home bakery before this. A housewife with a passion for baking wanted to employ herself. The multi-entrepreneur from Imatra has never waited for the perfect moment – ​​she has just started, learned from each experiment and built her new company on top of the previous one.

An energetic woman can't manage with just one phone, and her resume doesn't fit on a single A4. Kinni hasn't taken the most direct path possible, but that doesn't matter. The Amazing Race of Entrepreneurship has been on the mind of the multi-tasking woman born in Äänekoski.

Before moving to Imatra, Sanna had studied marketing economics and worked in the retail sector for a long time. Customer service work and studies have been useful in entrepreneurship. Kinni came to South Karelia for love: she couldn't find a good man closer than in Imatra. But the change of scenery was easy because Sanna received an internal transfer at Lidl when a new store opened in Mansikkala in 2010.

From bread to muscles – the path to becoming a masseuse

The birth of a daughter in 2013 changed her career plans.
— I wanted to do something else. I applied to the Pajulahti Sports Institute, took the professional sports qualification and the personal trainer papers, and set up a company. But before that I ran a home bakery, and I've done that before, Kinni laughs.

During her time at the home bakery, Sanna learned a lot about entrepreneurship. But her growth potential was thwarted by food laws and the risks of expansion. Her son was born in 2017, and after that, the baker cleaned the flour from her hands and dipped them in massage oil.

Kinni graduated as a masseuse from Lappeen Massage School in 2020. Three years later, she obtained a qualification as a dry needling therapist. This further expanded Tehilium's service offering. Many have wondered about the story behind the company's name.

— I thought of a name for it outside the box, a kind of nickname. TE comes from the word for health, HI comes from the word for massage and LI comes from the word for exercise. The Um ending, on the other hand, has its roots in elements, for example titanium and platinum. I wanted to make it clear in the name that I want to be an iron-clad professional in my field, as strong as the strongest elements, explains Sanna.

Dry needling, on the other hand, is a treatment based on Western medicine using acupuncture needles. Nothing is injected into the body – the effect is based solely on the physiological effects of the thin needles on the body (including on muscles and neurotransmitters in the brain) and electrical stimulation.

— It's a really effective and good treatment. Of course, if you're afraid of needles, it can be a bit tricky, but it's still worth a try, the masseuse encourages.

In terms of personal training, Sanna's philosophy is clear: no quick fixes, but a comprehensive lifestyle change. She believes that lasting results come from supporting people both physically and mentally. Tailored coaching packages and diet and exercise advice help with this. Kinni also leads group exercise and dance classes, including twerking, at Imatra's Virta College.

The dust blower cleans reliably and precisely

In 2022, another company was born alongside Tehilium, but in a completely different industry. The initial impetus was a concrete concern about how Kinni would make a living if her massage and exercise work were to stop, for example due to illness. The mother wanted a backup plan, but the business idea was not ready right away.

— I listened with bated breath to people's needs for over a year. I asked what kind of company was missing or where better companies were needed. Especially from the conversations of the elderly and families with children, a cleaning company that you can trust emerged, the entrepreneur explains.

Another key motive was simple: Sanna likes to help people. The cleaning industry gives her a kind of professional license to do so.

Kinni now has four paid employees and an established customer base in Imatra and elsewhere in South Karelia. The main focus is on households: a typical customer orders a basic cleaning of their home once a month. The company also cleans office and business premises, and does custom cleaning for move-in and construction projects.

Shopping and outdoor recreation assistance is also available. Pölyhuiska is registered in the social services provider register, which means that services can be provided free of VAT to customers whose functional capacity has decreased due to, for example, age, illness or other load factors. The services also qualify for a household deduction.

It is important to Kinn that customers can trust Pölyhuiska.

— If the time is agreed at 12:30, the cleaners will be at the door right then. If there are any changes, the customer is always called in advance. And we make very detailed, written agreements. Many people don't do them, but we even go through what will be done and what won't be done room by room. If the customer wants the living room and kitchen to be completely cleaned, but the bedroom only vacuumed, that is written into the agreement, says the cleaning boss.

The company also has a specialty that you won't find anywhere else: a dry steam cleaner imported from Italy.

— It can be used to clean surfaces that cannot withstand wet moisture. It is allergy-friendly, suitable for pet households, and it can be used to clean stoves, ovens, saunas, and windows. I am extremely happy with it. There is a before and after video of the boiler room cleaning on our Facebook account, which gives you a concrete idea of ​​what it is all about.

Pölyhuiska's first year was challenging, as customer acquisition always takes time. In the second year, the situation clearly began to improve, and now the order book looks good for the province, despite the general economic situation.

— When people tell their friends that we have done a good job, of course it brings in more customers. Puskaradio is pretty much our strongest advertising channel, reveals Kinni.

KEHY as necessary background support

Imatra Region Development Company KEHY has been with Sanna on her entrepreneurial path from the beginning, both in Pölyhuiska and Tehilium.

— Emotional support has probably been the biggest thing of all. But profitability calculations, marketing issues and financial calculations are also really important. For example, they helped me get a start-up loan for Pölyhuiska. I don't think I would have gotten a loan from a bank otherwise, the entrepreneur says.

Through KEHY, Pölyhuiska also applied for Leader support for a marketing study related to the service development of a dry steam cleaner. The study also benefited greatly in marketing.

— When we started a new social media campaign, we got four or five new customers in the first week. It was worth it. I studied marketing years ago, but there was no social media back then, and therefore no experience in how to stand out from the crowd.

According to Sanna, KEHY's ​​help with the grant applications has also been invaluable.
— Filling out applications is difficult, it requires precision. It's much easier to juggle with the KEHY team than to scratch your head alone.

An entrepreneur who cares about people

Sanna Kinni doesn't present herself as a great CEO. She says she's a hard worker by nature and gets on well with her cleaners, who she considers almost family. She's seen many different types of leaders in the retail industry.

— I don't want to be anywhere near the worst. I want to be the kind of employer people want to work for. My job is to take care of them, Kinni emphasizes.
When recruiting new employees, Sanna doesn't look at the paperwork so much as she assesses the applicant's attitude.

— I don't mind if the cleaner hasn't studied to be a facility manager. The main thing is the attitude that the employee wants to do this job and develop in it. That they are interested in what kind of feedback they get from the customer. That's the main thing for me.

Good feedback doesn't just stay in Kinn's own drawer, it is always passed on.

— The importance of good feedback is often forgotten. It motivates in this industry, where salaries are not a celebration. When a customer calls and praises the cleaners by name, it's easy to tell the client about it. It's the best thing you can give both the company and the employees, advises Sanna.

After taking care of business matters and dance lessons, Sanna sometimes has free time. She spends it with her family and dogs. Now, inspired by her daughter, the gym has returned to her routine after a long time.

— I go there now for myself, not for others. I have to remember that sometimes, too, Sanna says.

Even for a multi-entrepreneur, everyday life is not glamorous. Sanna openly says that at home she has had to budget carefully at times because her husband has been laid off. But giving up is not part of the plan, and the entrepreneurial spirit does not disappear from this strong figure.

— Enthusiasm is what entrepreneurship requires. If you set out on this path, you have to be able to keep going, even if it's raining sleet or snow. You can't stop waiting for a sunny day. You have to set a goal, and you just have to keep pushing towards it, Kinni reflects.

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