Thank you and farewell Dear Crasman. This summarises the feelings of Mika Sormunen, who has been in the company for a long time and is now moving forward in his professional journey. Before that, he wanted to share how difficult the decision to leave was and what kind of workplace Crasman has been.

December 2018. I found myself on the brink of a new career path once again. Over 10 years in digital roles at an advertising agency were left behind, and the bits of the electronic signature on the Crasman-Sormunen employment contract shone brightly on the screen. 

Now, almost exactly four years later, I am in the same situation. My signature is engraved on the contract of a new employer, and it is time to bid farewell to Crasman.

The forthcoming position is a significant step forward in my career. It is exactly what I have been aspiring to professionally. It excites and thrills me, but as I write this, I feel sadness and longing as I leave the Crasman team behind. Miss you already! 🥺 

Let's return to 2019, when the four observations I made about Crasmanites have remained the same

In February 2019, I walked into Crasman's Helsinki office and was greeted by a bunch of smiling faces and warm hugs. People who had become quite familiar during a long, rewarding, and very non-corporate recruitment process. The Joensuu office (to which I belonged) was rapidly expanding, and I had the opportunity to participate in the early stages of the inspection of our future office space. 

Side note: We North Karelians are a hospitable bunch, but it seems that even the IT firm's leaders from inside the metropolitan area know the noble art of hosting ;) cheers to Pasi and the team!

After the first few workdays and the induction, I realised I was part of a major transformation, where a strongly developer-oriented IT company wanted to expand its expertise to the field of growth marketing. Since I wasn't locked into any systematic processes (see advertising agency background), I found myself in my element.

As a new, enthusiastic, and talkative person, I spent my first work weeks networking with my colleagues, clients, and, of course, the clients' partners. 

At this stage, I made a few observations:

Observation 1: What an incredible bunch?!

I thought I had seen every possible type of person in my career (almost 10 years in teaching at a polytechnic). I was wrong 🤣. You might have noticed that Crasman uses this “Creative Nerd” slogan? Well, it's pretty spot on. The place is full of Nerds and truly creative minds! I was astounded by the diversity of skills and personalities! 

How to summarise this...? A colourful and slightly restless bunch, but extremely professional and smart. From the very first days, I found myself feeling very much at home.

Getting acquainted with Crasman's ways was swift, and I was busy from the get-go. I quickly got involved in a few client projects and realised another valuable aspect:

Observation 2: No quick wins

Crasman has been under the ownership and guidance of a few individuals for over 25 years. It is evident in the long and deep client relationships. I soon realised that here, it seems the focus is not on quick wins and fast projects, but rather on proper dedication to what matters most for the outcome and the bigger picture. 

At this point, let me mention that “commitment and long relationships” turned out to be my downfall as I transitioned to the service of a new employer. This brings me to the next observation:

Observation 3: Curiosity and learning new things

As my work experience has grown, I've learned that I know very little. Thus, I'm not afraid to a) ask silly questions, b) be curious. Crasman has facilitated “operating” on both fronts. 

Though it may be a cliché saying, those who ask do not get lost if there's someone to guide the way. This works excellently at Crasman! In four years, it seems I've taught much but, in my view, learned twice as much. 

What do we have so far?

• Colleagues rated 6/5

• Long and interesting client relationships

• Teamwork

Not a bad triad. But below is the most important:

Honesty and transparency

In this company, there's nothing to fear, nothing to hide, and above all, no need to play a role. You can be exactly the kind of creator you were born to be. Concerns and worries are listened to, joys are shared, and the individual is given the freedom to develop in the desired direction – also to pursue their career dreams elsewhere and know that the door is open if they wish to return.

You can write all sorts of service descriptions, case stories, and solution models for all e-commerce challenges on Crasman's website, but I rather believe that words don't truly do justice to the more than one hundred Creative Nerds who form the company named Crasman Ltd. 

The aforementioned open-minded, quirky, skilled, funny, brave, and wonderfully peculiar Creative Nerds are the reason why I'm now typing this with a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat. 

And then towards something new. Or well, actually: the most important colleagues at my new job are already quite familiar (thanks to Crasman for this, too) and have been confirmed to be wonderful people, though the bar is set high.

Once again, Thank you and Farewell:

Aino-Maija (Penkojat FTW!)

Aki (Miro FTW!)

Ale

Anni

Antti

Anu (Queen of Sales 💪)

Atte

Chrispy (My Favourite Aussie)

Dille (Joensuu FTW!)

Dima

Eemil (Penkojat FTW!)

Elisa

Emmi

Emmi (Penkojat FTW!)

Eppu (Amatimiehet Forever!)

Erkka (Kerubissa tavataan!)

Eero P

Esko

Giti

Hanna

Hannes

Harri

Henri

Holde

Immot (💪)

Teemu

JaBe (Joensuu FTW!)

Jani

Jani

Jani

Janne

Jere

Jesse

Joel

Johanna

Joni

Joona

Juha

Juha

Juice

Juusp (Betonwasserman)

Kaj

Kaje (Joensuu FTW! Since 1999)

Seppo Luumu (Is this the real life?Is this just fantasy?)

Kari

Katri (Penkojat FTW!)

Kenneth

Kimja (Arigatōgozaimasu, koodisensei)

Kirsi

Konsta

Liisa

Lotta

Mari (Lempi-Strapalaiseni!)

Marianna

Jallu-Mari

Matti

Matti

Mervi

Mia

Miia

Mikko

Mikko

Mikko

Mikko

Mosse

Markus (Salut!)

Samuli (Maailman toiseksi paras TJ, iä!)

Vesa

Niina

Niko

Nuutti (iä!)

Olli (Herra Sandels!)

Petteri

Oskari

Pasi (The best CEO in the world)

Patrik

Niko

Petra

Petri

Petteri

Pinja ( 💪)

Raine (Penkojat FTW!)

Riikka

Roni

Roope

Sakke (Amatimiehet Forever!)

Sami

Sampo

Samu

Samuli

Sonja

Stikki

Tapani

Tatu

Teboil (Thank you and Sorry!)

Teemu

Tero (Welcome on the Amatimiehet's trip 08/2023!)

Tiia ( 💪)

Tiina

Timotej

Tomi

Toni (Do you remember when in the club war…)

Topi ( 💪)

Topias

Tuomas

Unto

Ville

VP ( 💪)

Special thanks to these heroes, who are currently pursuing their career dreams outside of Crasman:

Peter

Kapseri

Lare

Katja