Tarja Keen

CEO,
FinNero

Mike Klyszeiko

Director,
Launchpad USA

Quick Key Points

• Tarja Keen founded FinNero and succeeded in entering the ultra-competitive American retail market.
• Any business leader who is hoping to break into the U.S. market would be wise to listen to the FinNero story and deploy the tactics that Tarja used.
• Tarja sent private messages to countless employees of the retailer, eventually getting a positive response from a warehouse manager in Florida.
• The order developed quickly, but the long contractual agreement was complicated. They needed help, so they contacted Amcham Finland.
• Americans prefer frequent communication, unlike their EU counterparts.
• FinNero’s significant order from Chewy.com helped them open doors to business opportunities with other companies.

This is the text message I received from an elated Tarja Keen, Co-founder and CEO of FinNero, a two-woman pet products company from Seinajoki, Finland. FinNero designs both practical items, such as leashes and collars, and also, let’s just say, more creative products like their ballerina running pants. She had just received a massive order from Chewy.com, the world’s most competitive online pet products retailer, which publicly trades on the NASDAQ exchange.

In this interview, Tarja and I share how a tiny company from the middle of Finland secured a very large order with Chewy and continues to earn interest from other large U.S retail outlets. We’ll also tell you how she connected with the companies, which steps Tarja took to win the order, where she sees her U.S. business in the next five to ten years and how she is preparing for that growth.

Any business leader who is hoping to break into the U.S. market is wise to listen to the FinNero story, deploy the tactics that Tarja used, and exercise the same level of drive and perseverance. Because this is what it takes to succeed. So, let’s dig into the interview!

Mike: So Tarja, first off, who found who?

Tarja: Well, originally, I was interested in contacting PetSmart. My dream was to make a big splash in the U.S., and I realized early on that it would take just as much work to sell through a small ‘mom-and-pop’ type retailer as it would to work with the biggest pet product retailers in the world, like Petsmart. So, I went on LinkedIn and quickly saw that PetSmart has tens of thousands of employees listed, but through that effort I soon learned of Chewy.com.

While still a massive company, they had far fewer employees, something like four thousand. I spent night after night at home on my sofa sending LinkedIn messages to each and every Chewy employee.

Mike: Hold on one sec! You contacted each one?

Tarja: Yes, I sent a message to every employee through LinkedIn. Their title didn’t matter, I just sent them all a message. Okay, the message was more or less copied and pasted, but I contacted everyone.

I started each message by saying, “Greetings from Finland,” and I explained that our company was looking for a retail partner in the United States. Can you believe that it was a warehouse manager in Florida with an affinity for Finland who connected me to the main buyer for our type of products?!

Things began to move very quickly once we got in touch with the buyer, but I also realized we were in a bit over our heads.

Mike: What do you mean by “in over our heads”?

Tarja: Well, we received a vendor agreement form that was about eight pages long, and it was full of terms that were difficult for us to understand. We knew we needed help in understanding the document and, more importantly, taking the necessary steps to fulfill Chewy’s vendor requirements.

We asked all around Finland, but no one could help us. Fortunately, we were told to contact Amcham Finland, which was a game changer for us. Amcham was able to walk us through the process of setting up our U.S. subsidiary, connect us to reputable partners in the U.S. to support our business there, and answer many questions that came up throughout the entire process.

Mike: How did you manage the new and fragile relationship with Chewy.com during this ramp up process?

Tarja: I learned that Americans like active communication, unlike what I’ve experienced in the EU. The process of fulfilling their vendor requirements took about eight to ten weeks, so in the meantime, I sent short and very positive emails to the buyer, assuring her that we would soon be ready and were excited about the opportunity. She always replied with words of encouragement, which reassured my partner and I that we were doing the right thing.

Mike: So, after everything was setup in the U.S. for FinNero, did the order get filled immediately?

Tarja: Actually, that did not happen. Several weeks passed and I became nervous. All the communication was very positive, but I was beginning to have doubts because we still did not have the order.

But then one day I opened my email and there it was! The order I was dreaming of from the day my partner and I founded FinNero. We had a wonderful but brief celebration that morning! It was a moment I will never forget.

We realized we had work to do. We got to work and made sure shipments were prepared and sent in accordance with the order.

Mike: So what’s next for Finnero and its U.S. business.

Tarja: We are already talking with another very large U.S. retailer. They operate over 1,400 stores. They would never respond to my emails before the deal with Chewy.

I sent a very simple email to their general email address. It said, “Greetings from Finland. We are doing business with Chewy.com and we want to do business with you.”

You know what? They sent us an email the very next day and asked us to begin the process of getting into their vendor system.

We learned the importance of having a reputable partner at the beginning of entering the U.S., a resource that would open more doors more quickly. It’s great because they’re also interested in a completely different range of our products than Chewy.

Mike: After this initial success, where do you see your U.S. business in the next five years?

Tarja: We hope to increase sales of our current products at Chewy and introduce more products to them. We also want to bring the large retailer we are now in the early stages with on board. We plan to enter the Canadian market through the United States. We also plan to have our own U.S. warehouse and staff in America when we have the volume of business that will support it.

The U.S. market is a massive opportunity and we are just getting started.

Mike: It is our hope that other entrepreneurs like yourself are reading this, as they too are interested in the U.S. market. What are some final thoughts you’d like to share with them?

Tarja: Have focus and determination. Never give up on that dream. Don’t be afraid to fail or of what others might say about your dreams.

It is important to remember that we are all just people. Yes, America is daunting, but you are dealing with ordinary people just like you and me. Remember that when communicating with them.

I also think the Finnish brand is important to emphasize at the very beginning. I say that because Chewy.com purchased our products without ever asking for a sample. They trusted that it would be of good quality based on Finland’s brand and reputation.

Mike: Thank you Tarja, and congratulations to you and your partner at FinNero for your early success. It has been our pleasure to support your U.S. entry!

If you or your company has questions about the U.S. market please contact me, Mike Klyszeiko (mike.klyszeiko@amcham.fi), or reach out to Tarja. She is happy to help other entrepreneurs achieve their dreams just as we are.