The founder belongs in the everyday work, too
In a family business, responsibility stays close to the everyday work. At Kuljetus T. Laaksonen, this means that the founder and CEO still takes part in practical work, knows the daily operations from the inside and is present in the moments where the company’s direction is built.
Everyday work keeps responsibility close
The workdays move with the company. Most often, Timo ends up driving or working in the terminal. Wednesdays are usually reserved in the calendar as office days. The variation is part of everyday work, but it also says a lot about the way things are done at Kuljetus T. Laaksonen. The role of founder and CEO means carrying responsibility for the whole, and in practice that also means staying close to the everyday work through loads, schedules, facilities, people and the situations that come up during the day.
Being involved in a family business is tangible. When work is done, it is done on the same side of the table and Timo is involved in what everyday life requires. Sometimes it means getting behind the wheel, sometimes it means being in the terminal, sometimes it means planning and making decisions that have an impact on the work of many people in the days to come.
Timo finds it especially important to be personally involved when things are being planned and decisions are being made. In the transport industry, decisions quickly show in how the work runs in the terminal, how the vehicles move, how schedules hold and what everyday work eventually becomes for the personnel. When the whole is viewed from close by, many things find their right scale before a final decision is made. Plans also need to work when the day begins, phones start ringing and loads are waiting.
Of all the tasks, driving has remained especially meaningful to him. It has its own sense of calm, even with traffic around him, schedules to keep and the day’s route to complete. “Driving puts my mind at ease,” he sums up. Behind the wheel, the work is concrete and clear, and at the same time it keeps him connected to the work from which the company’s everyday life originally began.
Driving also brings moments when customers are met face to face. In everyday work, these encounters are often brief, perhaps a few words while delivering a load or a practical matter handled while the work continues. For the customer, the transport service ultimately shows in the fact that what was agreed arrives where it should, and the person behind it does the work with care.
The new facilities feel like a shared step forward
At the moment, Timo is especially proud of the move to the new facilities. The new terminal is a major step for the company, while also being a very practical change in everyday work. It shows in how the work is organised, how people move through the facilities, how loads are handled and what kind of setting has been built for the years ahead.
Moving also reflects the long journey the company has taken. The growth has not happened in a single moment, but through years of work, the trust of customers and the involvement of the personnel.
When the everyday setting changes, much of the familiar way of working remains. The same practical approach that the company has been built on from the very beginning.
Timo speaks about team spirit directly. It is good, and it is built through everyone’s own contribution. At Kuljetus T. Laaksonen, everyday work is made up of many people’s efforts, and the whole keeps moving when people take care of their own part while also taking others into account.
Internal communication happens according to the situation, through messages, face to face and by phone. Sometimes a matter is handled quickly with a message, sometimes a call is needed, and at times the best way is to stop and look at the same thing together in person.
The credit belongs to the whole team
When Timo is asked to sum up his thanks to his own team, his answer goes straight to the shared journey: “Thank you for being part of this through all these years, and let’s keep moving forward together towards something better.” It carries the experience of an entrepreneur, but also the idea that the company has been built with its people. In a family business, the founder has a special place of his own, but everyday work runs on people showing up and doing their part.
After his own team, his thoughts turn to the customers. The message is short: “A heartfelt thank you.” Over the years, many loads have been transported, schedules agreed, changing situations solved and work done to make sure that things move as promised. Every customer has played their own part in shaping the everyday work of Kuljetus T. Laaksonen, as the transports, contacts and long-standing partnerships have given the company the opportunity to grow, develop and keep working day after day.
For that reason, the thanks are more than a polite gesture. They are directly connected to the trust that has made it possible to continue the journey together.
When asked about the best advice he has received, Timo begins in his usual way, with humour: “Don’t become an entrepreneur. No, just kidding.” The actual thought, however, is clear: dare to try, and do what you yourself feel is best. It also fits his own way of working. The founder’s place is still close to everyday work, where people, decisions and practical work meet.