for the first time in years I have decided to stay in one pleace for six months straight. I needed to. our business has been growing and the growth has not been painless. so, I figured I really needed to be here for one summer straight to see it through and see what the fuss was all about. this summer turned out to be our busiest summer yet.

we broke records left and right, it was also a record hot summer. I really enoyed the hot evenings, my long bike rides and going swimming everyday. I bought a SUP and spent a lot of time adventuring and making long tours on our local lakes and rivers. Finland isn’t such a bad place after all. well, sorta lame, but I found ways to take advantage of it. the warm lake life is absolutely fantastic! I also started doing 18km hikes with moose at the end of the summer and realized how much I really just miss moving my body in the mountains. breathing in moss and pine air made me feel very much alive and content.

the hotel was experiencing a major staff shortage, my sister had to step out of the office, put on an apron and start covering long shifts. I on the other hand had to step into her shoes and it was a snowball effect that rippled through our company.

I learned a tremendous amount of how to manage and sell our business better and got a clearer understanding of what our customer base actually is.

in the midst of an insanely busy summer, in the heat of it all, the second largest newpaper in Finland wrote a cover story about us. as if we weren’t already ripping at the seams, we exploded. our phones rang none stop and we could not answer all of them. we were on a roll. as if, after all these years of sweat, tears and beating our heads against the wall, and screaming loudly in the backwoods over here, the world took notice. we had been put on the map and we were getting a reputation. we were finally legit.

in october we were awarded entrepreneur of the year award. it felt damn good and I am very proud of us.

I head back for the ski season in three days. I have a lot of work ahead of me, which I am looking forward to emerging myself in. we have come a long way, but there is a lot of work to be done. onward!