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Vaasa Region Enterprise Agency Startia gives guidance to persons planning to start a business in the Vaasa region. The service is free of charge and made possible by a number of expert organizations working in collaboration with Startia.

– We at Startia help everyone who wants to start a business to get started. In particular, we refine their business ideas, but we are anyhow not experts in every area, says Startia’s Manager Tommi Virkama.

– If the entrepreneur wants, we send his or her contact information to the organizations so that they may take contact directly and offer their services and expertise.

Startia’s expert organizations include insurance companies, banks, educational organizations, lawyers, economy experts and other service producers whose services support entrepreneurs. All these help to make the beginning easier for the entrepreneur. Information on expert organizations has been compiled in a list to Startias web site www.startia.fi and in the material binders that are given to Startia’s customers and that may also contain the organizations’ own presentation material.

Close collaboration bears fruit

In addition, Startia offers its partners the opportunity to organize breakfast or other information meetings for Startia’s clients, either in their own premises or in VASEKs office, situated centrally at Alatori in Vaasa. These sessions allow entrepreneurs to talk one on one with experts and for example make appointments for later discussions.

– An unhurried breakfast information event is a good way of informing entrepreneurs on what kind of help they can get from the experts, says Virkama. – Startia sends the invitations to the event and we are also present at the event.

This year, expert organizations have been presented in the monthly article series Expert knows, in which the organizations give their advice to beginning entrepreneurs. Through a number of communication channels, the articles reach a large group of people, both those wishing to become entrepreneurs and those who already have a business.

Tommi Virkama and assistant Eivor Koskela welcome new expert organizations to Startia.

– We will soon start planning for the next year and compiling new binders, says Virkama. – Which means that now is the time to make a contract of becoming our expert organization and deliver us the marketing material that you wish to reach Startia’s clients.

– We all do have a mutual goal: to have more companies in the region and thereby greater vitality!

In 2014, 198 new businesses were established with the help of Startia, and these generated 272 new jobs. During January-June 2015, 79 businesses were started and they created 123 new jobs. In the first part of the year, 201 new business ideas were discussed at Startia.

More information on Startia’s expert organizations
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Expert Knows in August