You can tell when the child is growing when the pant legs are insidiously sore towards the calf. The growth of a company often happens in one go. When the operation expands, more employees, warehouses and machines are all needed, and even more so at the same time.
At Ommelella, changes and growth have now started during 2017. At the moment, the clothes are cut, sewn and finished from start to finish in Ommelinen's own premises. The founder of the company, Liisa Häkliä, makes her smile and gasp at the same time.
When production is in its own hands from start to finish, it is easier to manage. Changes can be made in an instant and good ideas can be put into use right away. With everything happening here, we know where to go. I can understand the situation better when I can follow all phases of the work on site.
Living in the moment suits my nature, Liisa Häkli, the founder of Ommelinen, laughs.
Each work step has the stamp of Ommelinen
Liisa hopes that every employee has the feeling that their own work plays a significant role in terms of a successful outcome. In his opinion, the fact that it's nice to be at work is also reflected in the products. Everyone has the opportunity to come up with ideas for new products or suggest new ways of doing work.
When a product sells particularly well, it is an immediate feedback of success. New customers and increased sales are the joint merit of Ommmeline's creators, and we should be happy about it together.
Strangely new people are a daily joy
When she comes to work, Liisa's mind is warmed by the thought that there are other people hanging out at Ommelinen's premises every day. For a craft entrepreneur, hiring new people is a big step, but Liisa sees it as only positive. For him, just knowing that important people are regularly present is a really big deal.
It's wonderful when other people take on things they are experts in. I can trust their professionalism and focus on other things. This way, I occasionally have time to implement new ideas, says Liisa.
In a working community, there is no desire to set working hours, but employees can use the slides when their own lives require it.
If one morning you need a little more sleep, then you can come to work a little later. The main thing is that the work is done on time, says Liisa.
New sales channels are hungry for new products
Hiring additional hands has brought clear improvements to customer service and production. In the online store, customers get answers faster and the production of clothes is becoming more systematic and planned all the time.
According to him, the importance of scheduling and organization grows at the same pace as the company expands. New sales channels and increasing the product range also require constant new operating models and foresight in the work.
The core business of the company is to manufacture products that customers genuinely like. The constantly growing customer base wants to see and buy new products that are just right for them. With growth, we want to enable the expansion of the product repertoire and the regular launch of new products.
Even though the business is growing and work is done goal-oriented, Ommmelinen's one important goal is to preserve the joy of doing things in the workplace. According to Liisa, it's really important to them, which I hope is also reflected in the fabrics and clothes that are finished and bring joy for a long time.
Photo: Nora Niemispelto
