Yay! We got featured in Authority Magazine! Starting a business during Covid-19 and maintaining a work-life balance with free time is an extreme challenge. Authority Magazine interviewed CEO Helene Auramo, and we are happy to share the article with you.
In the article, Helene shares how Covid-19 has affected her life and how it is changing businesses for good. The pandemic has changed a lot, both in personal and professional life. Helene shares that now she lives in a peaceful place in the countryside. “This is a place I can be more productive and step out into the forest for breaks right out my door”, Helene notes. Actually, she has replaced coffee breaks with walks in the forest.
Working remotely has many upsides, but there are challenges as well. “I think that working remotely has a challenge embedded in it. I think it is about energy”, Helene says. It’s probably because everything happens virtually, and that’s why it’s not possible to sense other people’s energy and feelings.
A total change of surroundings and in the ways of working also has its minuses. Taking care of two small kids while being an entrepreneur with a newly founded company is very stressful. “I was thinking of quitting being an entrepreneur so many times in the evening just before going to sleep because I felt that it would be so much easier to do something else. But because Prönö is about helping entrepreneurial-spirited people, which is my passion, I couldn’t quit it.” And even though there have been some tough times, there have been valuable lessons as well. After all, negative feelings and experiences speed up your growth as a human being.
A major part of achieving balance is superb support from her spouse. It might be sparring or a supportive conversation. Many times, he also helps with prioritizing work: “He’s really good at that. And suddenly I can see the light again”, Helene says. It has been crucial to rethink and reschedule work and free time because now everything happens in one place. When the going gets hectic, it’s important to have the time needed to share concerns. “You’ll instantly start to feel better about a problem or a challenge if you share it with someone else”, Helene says.
Inspiring and helping others is a deep passion for Helene, and it forms the purpose of Prönö. “I made a decision that if one day I could inspire other women or help them in their early career, I would do it”, Helene says and adds, “For me, it was about creating my business platform to support people in their careers.”
