“Two summers ago, neither of us had summer jobs, and we were both searching for direction in life. We started sewing clothes together and wondered if we should make something small to sell, like little fabric pouches. But as often happens, the idea began to grow,” Milla explains.
During that summer and the following academic year, the plan expanded and evolved. Over the past school year, the friends moved from sewing experiments to business plans, subcontractors, purposeful brand building, and finally—just before summer—the launch of Nimier’s own online store.
A shared spark for entrepreneurship
Milla had long felt that entrepreneurship would be part of her future.
“I’ve always thought I would become an entrepreneur—I just didn’t know what I would do,” she says.
Niina shares a similar mindset, saying that entrepreneurship had always been simmering beneath the surface for her as well.
“I realized I wanted to have more influence, take responsibility, and make decisions. As an employee, I couldn’t express myself as much as I wanted,” Niina recalls.
The idea of entrepreneurship lingered until the right moment came—or rather, until they decided not to wait for the perfect moment:
“We realized that no one starts fully ready. You learn by doing,” the friends say.
The Power of Collaboration
One of Nimier’s key strengths is the division of roles and complementary skills. Niina is full of ideas and attentive to detail, while Milla is a hands-on implementer who brings ideas into practice.
“Niina comes up with how things are done, and I make them happen,” Milla sums up.
Their collaboration is built on trust: decisions are made together, but each has her own area of strength. Even more important is the emotional support they provide each other.
“If we were on our own, we probably would have quit at the first setback,” they admit.
Together, challenges quickly turn into solutions. Failures are processed side by side, often ending with a cup of coffee and a renewed, more positive outlook.
Although there have been challenges, they see them as learning opportunities rather than obstacles.
“We don’t dwell on failures instead we quickly try something else.”
Their biggest successes have been related to product development and customer feedback. Their products have been received much more positively than they had dared to expect.
The friends also have a wonderful habit of celebrating even small achievements, such as founding their limited company, completing their first product, and opening their online store.
“We always celebrate with coffee and cake when the occasion calls for it,” they reveal.
Combining Studies and Entrepreneurship
Starting a business during their studies brought many advantages. It provided direction that theory alone could not offer.
“We were both a bit lost about what we wanted to do with our business degrees. The company gave us a concrete direction,” Milla explains.
Studying gained new meaning: every course could be directly linked to developing their business. At the same time, flexible studies made it possible to balance their time effectively.
To support the development of their company, Nimier has also actively utilized the entrepreneurship services offered by Jamk.
Before founding the company, Milla and Niina participated in the “From Idea to Business” course, where they developed their business idea, received valuable feedback, and gained confidence in their vision. After starting the company, they continued in business coaching, which has supported their progress and provided opportunities for networking and finding partners.
In addition, Nimier has received microfunding from the JAMK Turbiini fund, which has been particularly helpful in product development.
These services have played a significant role in enabling the company’s growth and strengthening the entrepreneurs’ belief in their work.
Dreams of Expanding the Collection
Nimier is not just a side project alongside their studiesit is intended to become a long-term, growing business.
“We hope this will still be our job in ten years and by then, we’ll have a large collection and much more besides.”
The idea born from friendship has already taken its first steps toward that goal. As their story shows, the most important thing was not a perfect plan but the decision to begin.
Advice for Other Students
“Talk about your idea out loud. Don’t wait for the perfect moment because it won’t come. Ask for help, look for partners, and dare to experiment,” the friends summarize.
