Strategic Scientific Consulting Finland Oy – 10 vuoden matka Aika rientää nopeasti, kun saa tehdä innostavaa työtä mielenkiintoisten ja haastavien asiakasprojektien parissa. Olin haaveillut jo pitkään yrittäjyydestä ja melkein jo ryhdyn yrittäjäksi vuonna 2010. Innoituksena oli erittäin hyvä ystäväni Cait, johon olin tutustunut yli 20 vuotta aikaisemmin työn merkeissä ja hän oli jo ryhtynyt yrittäjäksi. Vuonna 2010 en vielä kuitenkaan uskaltanut hypätä yrittäjäksi, mutta vuonna 2015 olin valmis toteuttamaan haaveeni ja perustin yritykseni, joka aloitti toimintansa 1.11.2015. Päätöstä helpotti, että Caitin kanssa suunnittelimme, että tarjoamme yritystemme palveluja yhden luukun (SSC) kautta, jolloin asiakas saa helposti laajasti eri asiantuntija palveluja omiin tarpeisiinsa. Näin ei myöskään tarvinnut olla vain oman osaamisen ja resurssin varassa. Asiakkaita meillä on ollut eri toimialoilta, kuten lääke- ja diagnostiikka teollisuus, energiateollisuus, IT, kiertotalous ja hyvinvointi, sekä eri organisaatioista niin start-up ja pk-yrityksestä ja kuin yliopistoista. Olemme auttaneet esimerkiksi markkinakartoituksissa, liiketoimintasuunnitelmien valmistelussa, rahoitushakemusten teossa, markkinoinnissa ja myynnissä, kansainvälistymisessä sekä pitchaus-, kaupallistamis- ja esiintymistaidonkoulutuksissa. Olemme Caitin kanssa hyvin samanhenkisiä eli meillä synkkaa hyvin ja tuemme toisiamme vaikeinakin hetkinä. Lomia olemme viettäneet yhdessä perheinemme niin Suomen Lapissa hiihtäen ja Järvi-Suomessa juhannusta kuin Glasgow’ssa ja Dundee’ssa tutustuen mielenkiintoisiin nähtävyyksiin. Ja matka jatkuu yhdessä. Strategic Scientific Consulting Finland Oy – A 10-year Journey Time flies fast, when one has inspiring work among interesting and challenging customer projects. I had dreamed a long time about entrepreneurship, and I almost founded a company already in 2010. My enthusiasm for entrepreneurship was my very good friend Cait, who was already an entrepreneur. In 2010 I did not yet have the courage to found the company, but in 2015 I was ready to make my dream come true and I founded Strategic Scientific Consulting Finland Oy, starting operations on 1.11.2015. The decision was easier, since we planned with Cait, that we will provide the services of our companies through one-stop service (SSC) allowing customers pick wider range of expert services that they need different purposes. Personally, it was also a relief, thus I did not need to rely only on my own expertise and resources. We have served customers from many different fields, such as pharma and diagnostic, energy, IT, circular economy and wellbeing as well as from different organisations as start-ups, SMEs and universities. We have helped, for instance with market assessments, business plans, funding applications, internationalization, as well as proving training on pitching, commercialisation and presentation skills. We are, with Cait very like-minded; great minds think alike, and we support each other also in hard times. We have spent vacations together with our families in Finland, at Lapland skiing and at Lake-Finland Mid-Summer time, and in Scotland at Glasgow and at Dundee exploring attractions. And the journey together continues …….

 Market Research – A Personal Perspective We live in a time when businesses are surrounded by data. Dashboards flash, reports pile up, and metrics seem to multiply by the day. But even with all that information at our fingertips, I often find myself asking the same question with clients: What does it all really mean? Because turning numbers and raw data into something useful, something that actually informs decisions, takes more than analysis. It takes understanding, curiosity, and a willingness to look beneath the surface. And a personal touch. That’s why I’ve always believed that the best market research isn’t just about gathering information. It’s about making sense of it, connecting data to context, and insight to strategy. Over the years, I’ve come to see market research as much about people as it is about information. The real value comes from understanding behaviour: how people think, what influences them, and why they make the choices they do. I try to approach every project the way a great scientist might approach an experiment: with curiosity, structure and also the experience to challenge assumptions. Also, the challenge isn’t collecting data; it’s making sense of it. Most organisations already have plenty of numbers. What they need is a way to connect those numbers to meaningful business decisions. That’s where experience really matters. As both a business manager & consultant, I’ve spent years helping organisations bridge that gap, translating findings into insight, and insight into strategy. For me, research should always lead somewhere: to a sharper decision, a better product, or a clearer sense of direction. A key tool of good research is good interviewing. I’m a people-person with a knack for good conversation. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that great research interviewing starts with good conversation and great questions. The questions that make you stop and think. For example: “What’s changing in your market that no one’s paying attention to yet?” “How do your customers describe value?” “Given a magic wand, what would you change for the better in your market?” As a consultative interviewer for many years, I know that questions like these open the door to discovery. And that’s what keeps me passionate about this work. At Strategic Scientific Consulting, we focus on turning complexity into clarity - not by chasing the latest tool or trend, but by asking the right questions and taking the time to understand the answers. I’m a firm believer that when you truly understand your customers, your competitors and your context, every decision becomes a little smarter and every opportunity, a little clearer. Andrew King SSC Consultant