– “The best thing about having a mentor is that I know that there is always somebody I can call and have confidential discussions about my business, says Midia Burhan, who is an entrepreneur and the owner of Anabella Gym.”
Midia Burhan, born in Iraq, came to Finland as a refugee in 2008. She immediately started looking for work opportunities.
– “I wanted to get a job as soon as possible. I studied care and looked for vacancies in that sector. I did various short-term and longer-term assignments while continuing my studies. My dream was to become a dentist, have my own clinic, and be an entrepreneur. I was also looking for opportunities in the retail sector to learn more about commercial topics and entrepreneurship, she continues.”
– “However, it was not easy to have a full-time job because my life was challenging. I was a caregiver to my two children, and they needed me at home. I also tried agency work, but my income was far too low. These things made me think about entrepreneurship more seriously. I participated in multiple training sessions for entrepreneurship, which were organised by Työvoimatoimisto and other authorities.”
Midia established a gym called Anabella in Tampere, Kaukajärvi, in 2016. The idea of the gym was to be the best place for women to train in peace and safety. Later on, she also opened a care centre in Valkeakoski.
– “When I started my business, I got a lot of help from Ensimetri. Later, when I wanted to develop my business, I heard about Business Mentors Pirkanmaa, so I contacted them and got my own business mentor in 2021”, she explains.
– “From my mentor, I have gotten a lot of help in finding customers, improving my marketing, managing my financials, and generally developing my business. These business mentors have a huge amount of experience, and they know how to utilize it. That has been a great help for me. Overall, it has been awesome to find out how well these kinds of services, like Business Mentors Pirkanmaa, Ensimetri, and tax authorities, among others, are working in Finland.”
– “Even though meetings with my mentor are currently happening more seldom, it is wonderful to know that I can always call him and ask for help or just have a conversation about my ideas. I can truly recommend business mentors for everyone”, Midia says.
More information www.anabella.fi
