Ombrelo 18 years – part 1
This is a true story about how we became Ombrelo. First there was an idea. Then one person. Then two. Then a small group who believed in the same direction. There was no certainty about what this would become. There was only a feeling that things could be done differently – together. This year Ombrelo turns 18. Of age. But this is not a celebratory speech. This is a 12-part series about how a community is born. How people find each other under the same umbrella. How growth is not just numbers, but trust. This is our story.
Decision on Leap Day
On February 29, 2008, the founding documents of ombrelo were signed. Leap Day felt fitting – after all, the company wasn’t born in a completely ordinary way either.
You can’t really tell the story without what happened before. The founder of ombrelo has worked as a speech therapist since 1997, first in the public sector and then as a self-employed professional. At some point, a company was founded together with a colleague. They started out with enthusiasm, and at first things went well.
But then their values stopped aligning. Leaving also came with a promise: never again to be in situations where you have to tell people to do more or be more. It didn’t feel right then, and it doesn’t feel right now.
Returning to the public sector quickly turned out to be only a temporary solution. Decisions were made slowly, and development was rigid. Speech therapy continued in private practice alongside the public job – and at the same time, an idea began to take shape, one that wasn’t really a business concept. It was a need.
A need to have a group of independent people around you, where everyone does their best work without unnecessary bureaucracy. A group where clients are met genuinely and individually – not treated like they’re on an assembly line.
It’s a lot more fun to have a holiday party with a group than alone. That was the thought ombrelo was truly born from.
The idea was simple: bring good professionals together under the same umbrella. Share the space and equipment, but everyone is responsible for their own work. No hierarchy, no policing. Individual solutions for clients, and a good, energized spirit of doing things together for the team.
This year ombrelo turns 18 and is therefore officially an adult. We have seven locations from Raahe to Rauma and a group of people around us we are grateful for every single day. This is our story. We’ll tell it this year one chapter at a time.