I'm one of Johku's three founders, and the one of us who is responsible for the Johku concept. I've been an entrepreneur since 2000, so I'm already wrestling in the veterans' class. I've been a tourism entrepreneur since 2010, so I know from my own experience what it feels like when the season is in full swing and bookings, PIN codes and all, keep rolling in on a constant feed.
It's always worth sending a message when you feel like it
Support helps with everyday Johku matters, and Ilkka chats with new merchants. It's worth getting in touch with me especially when
you have an idea
you have a business proposal
you want to talk about where tourism and commerce are heading
you're doing research or want to develop something new together with Johku
you'd like a sparring partner for developing your own business.
And naturally, I'm very happy to talk about any topic at all with fellow entrepreneurs.
What I've done
Together with Saku and Marko, we founded our first company, Aptual Oy, right at the start of the 2000s, when the internet was new and wondrous. Since then, the division of work has stayed the same: I'm responsible for the concept, Marko for the backend and Saku for usability and the frontend. And most importantly, each of us also understands what the other two do. This setup is one of the main reasons we've been able to build whole systems from start to finish so that they actually work.
Over the years, we've developed all kinds of things. We started our journey by developing a content management system (Jalusta), which is still in use. But we didn't settle for just that. Our capabilities and our urge to build new things have shown us everything from metro simulators and mobile games to management systems, and introduced us to customers from small businesses to large corporations. These days, Aptual serves as a research platform for the more unusual technologies and concepts.
From the start, my own focus has been on concepts, business development and technology projects. Back in the day, my studies at a university of applied sciences and at university focused on marketing and business.
My own development laboratory
In 2010, my wife and I founded Repovalkea Oy in Pohjois-Valkeala, Kouvola. The company has five wilderness cabins in Repovesi National Park (Tervarumpu) as well as 14 cottages and a three-room boutique guesthouse at the Verla World Heritage Site (Verlan Mökit). We also handle ticket sales, guided tours and venue bookings for the Verla Mill Museum, online and on site.
Repovalkea Oy is Johku's test laboratory. It lets us study the customer's decision journey in a real operating environment, at what is practically a resort-level operational scale. It gives us a front-row seat for finding new ideas, and at the same time for understanding better what other entrepreneurs' work is really about. We aim to always roll out new features in Repovalkea's operations before they are opened to all merchants. With this live testing, we try to find the spots that don't work in real conditions.
I do the things I talk about and develop
I know a tourism entrepreneur's everyday life from start to finish. Emptying dry toilet containers or fixing up cabins is nothing new to me. I can also easily tell guests the stories of a mill more than a hundred years old, and guide paddlers on the waters of Repovesi. I even know the basics of log building, although I haven't put up a whole cabin yet.
Behind all that hands-on, tangible work, I run and optimize business development, concept design, technology development, marketing, analytics and more with AI assistants every day.
So I know how the real world works and what moves it. I also know what's happening at the cutting edge of technology right now. And I have a clear view of where we're heading and what that requires of an entrepreneur.
Summa summarum
The world we live in is unpredictable and in strong motion. The old days are not coming back. As an entrepreneur, I can't stand still and hope for the best. Constantly developing, and developing myself, is vital.
In many ways, Johku Atlas and Johku App are a concrete example of how our understanding is woven around grassroots work and the latest technology. At the same time, they are an operational way to stay at the forefront of development and on the move.
Contact details
Phone: +358 40 721 7717
Email: sami@johku.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hanninen
Meetings: Book a meeting