Easy living and successful entrepreneurship

Founded in 2007, Kotimaailma offers furnished, homelike apartments across Finland to both corporate and private customers. Kotimaailma’s first steps were taken out of a genuine desire to help friends—installation workers doing gig jobs—find accommodation in unfamiliar towns. It quickly became clear that there was a broader demand for this kind of service, and business operations were soon launched in Turku, Tampere, and Oulu.

After seven years of operation, Kotimaailma switched to a franchise-based model and set out to conquer the domestic accommodation market together with franchisees. In 2022, the chain received new owners, with Kotimaailma Helsinki entrepreneurs Jari Peltola and Antti Junttonen taking over as managing directors. Under their leadership, the chain is now growing at an unprecedented pace, continuously seeking new locations and franchisees.

— “It has been easy for us to see how we could improve the operations since the work has been enjoyable from the very beginning. We wanted to refine Kotimaailma into a higher-quality and more approachable service, both for customers and franchisees. We believe we have succeeded,” Peltola and Junttonen reflect on the starting point. The entrepreneurs feel that their own background in franchising strengthens the current franchisees’ operations, which in turn reflects in quality and flexibility for the customers.

Jari and Antti wanted to establish values for the company that all franchisees could commit to. These values are openness, customer focus, reliability, and honesty. They set growth targets for the chain that exceed the industry average and emphasized that this growth should be achieved by supporting and assisting franchisees, focusing on quality and consistency.

How a single idea grew into a nationwide accommodation service

Thanks to joint efforts, the chain’s operations have grown as planned and verifiably. Entrepreneurs within the Kotimaailma chain work independently and with their own personalities, while firmly maintaining the quality of service and meeting standards. Support from coworkers is important in their work.

“We have entrepreneurs who are independent but not alone. Developing Kotimaailma is our shared mission. I, Antti, and 10 entrepreneurs form a very comprehensive support network, providing answers and solutions quickly. The foundation of our quality and the guarantee of growth are the shared values and practices among our entrepreneurs,” describes Peltola, who also highlights that one of the most important leading values is the good quality of service. Unity is also a strength from a marketing perspective.

“For us, it’s important that both private and corporate customers receive exceptionally good personal service at all our locations. It’s crucial that both entrepreneurs and the chain management feel we are all on the same level when planning and developing our operations together. This way, everyone can commit to doing their work in the common Kotimaailma way,” describe Juho-Matti Pekkala and Antti Tornberg, entrepreneurs from Rovaniemi and Oulu.

Furnished apartments to meet people’s needs

For companies, Kotimaailma is a partner offering spacious, home-like accommodations for short or longer stays, for individual employees or work teams. Kotimaailma’s units, with kitchens, bathrooms, and other comprehensive amenities, are more spacious and better equipped than hotels. Kotimaailma is also significantly more affordable compared to hotels.

Private individuals usually become Kotimaailma customers when they temporarily have to move out of their homes, for example, due to water damage or renovations. Unlike regular rental apartments, Kotimaailma’s furnished apartments can be rented for short or long periods according to the renter’s needs. In most cases, the temporary home is located very close to one’s own home, allowing everyday life to continue almost unchanged.

“We have invested in making it easy to stay with us without unnecessary bureaucracy or deposits. Receiving and handing over the apartment is simple, and the units are fully ready for normal living. Our entrepreneurs help flexibly and personally with all housing-related questions and issues,” explains Peltola.