Let’s welcome one of our newest members, Tommi to team Arilyn! Tommi started at the beginning of April as our CMO, short for Chief Marketing Officer. He has a proven track record of setting startups on their path, and he has a mission to push Arilyn towards new augmented horizons! We thought it would be fun to ask Tommi a batch of random questions, so we could all get to know him a bit better.
Here goes! Welcome to Arilyn, Tommi! You have been a part of our awesome team for a little over three months now. What are your first reactions and what are you planning on doing?
Thank you very much, Frida! My first reaction is wow! All the people here are super talented and friendly. I have never felt so welcomed, and it already feels like I have always worked here. We have an excellent team spirit and we are on the same mission working towards the same goals. My first tasks have included a lot of strategic planning, clarifying our message and setting up and optimising our Martech stack. So basically getting to know the product and the market and building the foundation to grow from.
So now tell us, what did you have for breakfast?
Cold brew coffee and a yoghurt. Out of the fridge and consumed in under a minute flat. But I’d rather have bacon, croissants with brie and fresh-squeezed orange juice. So basically this means I love hotel breakfasts.
Cool and in the movie of your life, who would play you?
That would definitely be Leonardo DiCaprio, haha! We are basically identical twins, except he's a bit taller than me. But you wouldn't see the difference on the big screen.
Yeah now that you say it, for sure, you really do look alike! Next question, what do you feel is your greatest career fail?
Not fail per se, but it would be not accepting some of the opportunities I was given. Still, you should never look back. Could've, should've – what you should do, is to move on. At the moment they didn't feel like the right choices, so in the end, they weren't.
And lesson learnt, what is the best ever career advice you could pass on?
Given the answer before, I would like to quote Sheryl Sandberg: “If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask what seat! Just get on!” Even the founders of Google failed many times. You should always get on with the opportunities and by doing this often enough, eventually one of them will be a success.
What would be your favourite season?
After the Finnish winter, there's no contest. Spring it is! The long winter is already behind, and the short summer still looming ahead.
Do you have a hero?
My mother. She's the epitome of survival spirit and has taught me my chill way of handling pressure and ordeals.
If you didn't do what you do now, what would you be doing?
I’d be an artist making environmental art, or an architect. Or a paramedic.
What a weird combo! Please tell us more.
Well, I'm a diploma away from being a landscape architect. I got a bit carried away with all this digital marketing nonsense back in the day... After high school, I was going to study to be a paramedic specialised in international conflicts, but I got straight into university and decided to go that path.
Chocolate or strawberry?
I eat more chocolate than strawberries, but who wouldn't like strawberries? What about chocolate AND strawberry ice cream?
Favourite drink?
Lots of mild, stale and lukewarm Finnish coffee. Bloody Mary and Aperol Spritz if it has alcohol in it.
What is your greatest frustration?
If I have to explain stuff twice.
What do you mean by that? Just kidding! Dogs or cats?
Dogs! Cats would love to murder you. There's a study on that domestic cats would kill their owner in an instant, if they only could. Cats tolerate their owners because they provide them with regular meals. Anyways I'm so allergic to cats that they would succeed in their mission by just having me in the same room for an hour.
(Here's a link to an article explaining more)
What job would you be terrible at?
Accounting. And flying planes. I would be bored out of my mind! Big kudos to accountants for doing the boring stuff for everybody else.
What do you wish you knew more about?
Everything! I'm just too curious to say otherwise. If I was forced to choose only one topic, I'd say the bending of time and the universe. I'd like to read all of Stephen Hawking's books and understand all of the theories behind them. Needless to say, it's never going to happen!
Care to share any unusual hobbies or interests?
My background in architecture makes me super interested in designing all kinds of stuff just for my own enjoyment. I also love to build and tinker a lot. I would qualify as an architect/carpenter any day. I'm not sure if this qualifies as unusual though.
What about your favourite band?
I love any kind of music, as long as it's good! So I don't have one particular band or an artist that I prefer over another. My choice of music has changed over time and varies by month, day, hour and mood. At the moment I would pick Caro Emerald and Lila Downs. Both are excellent choices for the beginning of summer.
Now let's for the loppukevennys aka light finale, share with us a short story from your childhood.
I remember a bright sunny day in the middle of the winter. I was cosy, rolled in a warm blanket and the sun was shining in my eyes. I remember the feeling, the warmth of the sun on my skin and the joy of just being alive – I was lying down in my pram, and I was only a couple of months old. True story.
Thank you for this interview, Tommi!
Wow, that was fun! It was actually so much fun that we have decided to make everyone here at Arilyn answer the same questions, because who doesn’t enjoy talking about themselves. I for one definitely want to hear more, so stay tuned for more in-depth interviews 👋
