Customer Corner: Jannika Passell — the entrepreneur who dared to step up her leadership

Jannika Passell is the owner of Skönhetsmagasinet, a beauty center at Åland Islands, and one of the bravest and most heartfelt entrepreneurs I have ever met. I had the honor of both coaching her and interviewing her about what drives her to build Åland's largest center for beauty. This is an article about building something your own way, about growing faster than you can manage, and about what happens when you finally dare to put yourself in the driver's seat.

Jannika Passell - ägare av Skönhetsmagasinet

Already in our first coaching session, I understood that this was a person with an incredible amount of drive and determination.

Skönhetsmagasinet was founded in 2018 at Torggatan 1 in Mariehamn, and today they are also located at Strandgatan 4B. It is more than just a beauty salon; it is a community for around twenty independent beauticians, beauty therapists, hairdressers, masseurs and specialists who share a place and a community.

The community that exists is authentic and genuine, just like Jannika is as a person and entrepreneur.

"We socialize a lot outside of work," says Jannika. "We don't just hang out with each other either — we hang out a lot with other entrepreneurs in the same industry. We choose to see it as collaboration instead of competition."

Why she started

Jannika had been working as a hired beautician at other salons when she had the realization. She wanted to do it her own way. But what exactly did she want to do differently?

"That you come in and get that feel-good feeling. And that the small business owners really want to work there and be very independent"

She also didn't want people to just use Skönhetsmagasinet as a springboard and then take their clients and leave. She wanted them to want to stay and build something together.

And it has apparently worked.

"From the moment we opened, everyone was involved in decorating and fixing things up and donating every day. It wasn't like I opened it myself — they were really involved, even though there were only four or five of us at the beginning."

Growing faster than you can keep up

Then came what so often happens with companies that grow quickly: reality caught up.

Jannika describes it with an honesty that I appreciate immensely. It's not easy to say out loud that you felt weak in your role as a leader. But that's exactly what she does.

"I've felt very weak in my role as a leader. And because the company has grown so incredibly fast, I haven't had time either. I've just been thinking it'll just solve itself, until you realize that no, what are you really supposed to do?"

This is something I see in a lot of great entrepreneurs. You're amazing at what you do. You build something that works. But the leadership — that more internal work — it falls behind. Not because you don't care, but because it happens so quickly.

And it was noticeable. Dissatisfaction came, challenges piled up, and Jannika felt like she wasn't quite enough.

"It took me really daring to step into this role."

Why she chose coaching and what surprised her

When Jannika came to me, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect. She had worked with a psychologist, worked on herself in different ways, and felt she had some tools. But coaching was something new.

"I thought as usual — it can't hurt," she laughs.

What she didn't expect was how much focus would be placed on herself — not on the others.

"I focused on the others before me. It was the wrong path, I realized pretty quickly when I met you."

It's a common insight in coaching, but not always an easy one to accept: that leadership development starts with yourself, not with those you lead.

One of the sessions that was particularly profound was when we worked with NLP (neurolinguistic programming), a method for restructuring behavioral patterns and how you experience your world.

"You laid me on the couch and went into some hum-hum, and I thought: where is she going now?" laughs Jannika. "But it was really exciting"

She describes it as a powerful experience.

"Me constantly trying to avoid my past — I think it was a good thing, actually."

The concrete thing that happened

In addition to the deeper insights, it is also the practical changes that shine through when Jannika talks about what coaching has given her.

"I've dared to take a lot more initiative. I plan long-term. I have a calendar, I've put in admin, I've taken meetings, I've taken up tough things that I might otherwise have avoided. I've really stepped in as a leader."

And it's no coincidence that it's happened that way. Part of the work we've done together is about just that — creating structure for a brain that works in its own way.

Jannika has ADHD, and one of her own insights is how much easier it has become to work with herself since she understands why her brain works the way it does.

"I'm the kind of person who works to the last deadline. I always do it at the last minute. But I do it very well when I do it, because I'm not a slouch anyway."

With clear deadlines and someone to back her up, it has become easier to actually act — not just plan.

A woman with a board meeting on her mind

One of the many exciting qualities about Jannika is her combination of visionary and realist. She sees opportunities everywhere — but she also counts on them.

"Nothing is impossible. You don't know until you try," she says. "But I think about it a lot. Is it possible? How much will it cost? I don't do anything. I've calculated it."

It almost sounds like a board meeting in your head, I note and she laughs and agrees.

Jannikas vision för framtiden är stor.

And her vision for the future is big. Since the first day she set foot in Åland Islands, she has seen Åland's potential for people to want to get off the boat and stay, and she has continued visions when it comes to her business idea with beauty as an experience.

It's not a dream she's put aside. It's a goal waiting for the right moment.

I am genuinely proud and happy to have been able to follow Jannika's journey during these sessions. She came in with a desire to change — and she has done just that. Not because she didn't know what she was doing, but because she dared to look inward and grow as a leader from the inside out.

It's not always the easiest thing to do. But it's what gives the best results. In Jannika's case, who has many people she needs to lead, it's crucial for the company to continue growing and to continue creating the best service for its customers.

"It has given me a lot. I am very happy," says Jannika.

That makes me really happy to hear.

Would you like to know more about Skönhetsmagasinet and book a treatment? Visit skonhetsmagasinet.ax .

Are you curious about leadership coaching and what it can do for you as an entrepreneur? Contact johanna.karlstrom@theisland.coach .

The article was written with the help of AI support