A customer service professional found freedom in light entrepreneurship – “If I had known about this earlier, I would have chosen it right away”

Heidi Korpi has traveled a long and colorful path — from the restaurant industry to beauty care, and from sales to customer service. She has tried both running her own business and working as an employee, but ultimately found her ideal way of working through light entrepreneurship. It gives her the freedom of entrepreneurship combined with ease — and leaves time for herself, too.

When 44-year-old Heidi Korpi from Oulu first stepped into the restaurant world in 2001, she had no idea how her career journey would unfold. Over the years, she has gained experience in restaurants, worked as a beautician and entrepreneur in the beauty industry, and held sales and customer service roles in both Helsinki and Oulu.

“I’ve always seen myself as a customer service professional. That’s the common thread that connects everything I’ve done,” Heidi explains.

Her career has included about six years as a full-time beauty salon entrepreneur. After that, she shifted to part-time entrepreneurship before closing her business entirely. That’s when, in 2023, light entrepreneurship entered the picture.

“I didn’t want to give up beauty treatments completely, so I continued working as a light entrepreneur.”

Freedom and ease through light entrepreneurship

For Heidi, light entrepreneurship has offered the best sides of entrepreneurship — without unnecessary stress. It has been a simpler and more carefree way to work. The biggest challenge with running her own business, she says, was all the paperwork and the sheer number of tasks. She had to handle everything herself, from accounting to marketing, and it took an enormous amount of time and energy.

“As a sole trader, I didn’t enjoy the paperwork. The bookkeeping obligations are much lighter as a light entrepreneur. I save so much time, and I don’t have to stress about any of it.”

Heidi also appreciates that as a light entrepreneur, she can collaborate with different companies without carrying full responsibility for finding her own clients.

“When I worked as a beautician in two different salons as a light entrepreneur, I didn’t have the same responsibility for client acquisition because we used the salons’ existing customer base. That made it much easier. As a sole trader, I had to do all the marketing and client acquisition myself.”

Although there are still responsibilities as a light entrepreneur, Heidi finds them easier to manage.

Clarity, control, and freedom

The best parts of light entrepreneurship, according to Heidi, are the freedom and the clarity of financial management.

“Entrepreneurship always comes with freedom, but I think you can really feel it as a light entrepreneur. It’s easier to keep your finances under control when you know exactly how much money you’ll receive — without worrying about VAT returns or advance taxes. It also allows me to plan my schedule more freely and actually make time for myself. When I ran my own business, it was harder to see the full picture — and I often forgot to take care of myself.”

Heidi completely trusts Eezy Kevytyrittäjät to handle everything professionally and by the book.

As a light entrepreneur, the service provider ensures that all necessary payments and obligations are handled legally. Plus, help is always available when needed.

“No matter what the question is — for example, if you’re unsure how to invoice travel expenses — you can just call Eezy, and they’ll walk you through it.”

A springboard to entrepreneurship

Heidi believes light entrepreneurship is a great option for those who want to try entrepreneurship with less risk. She especially recommends it to people who have skills or expertise they can offer as a service — even hobbies can become income sources.

“As a light entrepreneur, you can work in so many different fields — in restaurants, as a beautician, salesperson, customer service rep, consultant, hairdresser, cleaner, fitness instructor, or life coach,” she lists. It’s also great for the construction field because Eezy provides comprehensive insurance, which many clients require.

Heidi recommends testing entrepreneurship first through light entrepreneurship.

“If you dream of starting a business, it’s much easier to begin as a light entrepreneur than to jump straight into running a company — speaking from experience. It’s a safer and lower-risk way to try it out.”

While light entrepreneurship has proven to be the best fit for Heidi, she encourages everyone to compare and explore which business model works best for them.

Above all, she wants to encourage others to follow their dreams.

Most recently, Heidi fulfilled one of her dreams by spending the summer working as a receptionist at Pyhätunturi — and she plans to continue there through the winter season. She also dreams of creating online courses through Campwire as a light entrepreneur with Eezy.

“Every job I’ve ever done could be invoiced through light entrepreneurship. I have experience and skills from so many fields — the possibilities are endless.”