How Eeppi Nieminen is Improving the World of Self-Improvement with His Startup, Coachilla

Finding convenient ways to get personal training or coaching is already challenging for those who don't have a lot of time or money. Getting a formal education is the most popular option, but it’s also an expensive option. However, training with an on-site person can often cost more than many people or companies can afford.

While many entrepreneurs are working on various faster and cheaper solutions to this problem, a company called Coachilla is winning the game in the self-improvement industry. Launched by Eeppi Nieminen, Coachilla (a Graduate of the Helsinki Founder Institute) is a platform that helps professionals find and meet verified coaches via video calls to help them achieve meaningful lives and careers. Their platform also helps coaches attract new clients, easily setup an online presence, and establish their reputation.

Eeppi comes from Helsinki, Finland, which is also the home of Coachilla. His education started at the University of Eastern Finland where he obtained a Masters of Science Economics and Business Administration. Before launching Coachilla, Eeppi built up considerable experience working in numerous roles at various companies, including doing sales and business development at Heebo Oy; serving as project manager and Chief Business Development Officer at 3D Online Factory; and acting as Vice President of the Kuopio Entrepreneurship Society.

Eventually, in 2016, Eeppi decided to start his own company and joined the Helsinki chapter of the Founder Institute. Thanks to his previous background in technology, it made starting a company the most obvious next step.

A year into their existence, Coachilla managed to land on a list of 13 top startups for the first CherryonTop Accelerator program, placing third overall. They've also raised considerable funding, over €200k, which has allowed them to expand their services and reach.

When looking for inspiration for building a company, Eeeppi looked back on his own life, saying:

Many events that have shaped my life; my business ideas are the ones when I met people who have mentored or coached me. So I was thinking what if there is a platform that can help people find a coach for their own needs.

Much of this was explained further through Eeppi himself in his Medium article, "How Life Coaching Helped Me". In his essay, he noted his personal experiences in trying to find a life coach, outlining six vital steps in hiring an effective coach:

1. Your confidence is not where you want it to be.
2. You lack a clear vision...Or your vision is so big you're overwhelmed.
3. Your patterns are not supporting your goals.
4. You're irritable.
5. You're in a huge (life or career) transition.
6. You're craving more purpose.

It's clear that Coachilla has a more defined and structured approach to helping people find the right help they need compared to that of other companies working in the same space. According to Eeppi:

We are building a marketplace for coaching. There are a few platforms out there already, but they are not mobile friendly and lack of user experience. Plus their business model is not so fair for the coaches – compared to ours.

When you visit Coachilla's website, you'll see how effectively Eeppi married technology with life training. Working similarly to a date match site, you can get started immediately finding a coach that's best suited to your educational needs.

Their match page helps encapsulate exactly what you need to learn. They offer categories from "Career" to "Spirituality" and more to help you get started. Simply click "Match" and you'll be taken to a database of coaches specializing in these particular fields.

While vetting your potential coach, you'll find thorough profiles giving information on their career backgrounds and expertise. It also includes reviews from their students. The site even lets you message the coach with questions before making a final decision. Once you find a coach, you'll be able to connect with them through video meetings to make it convenient on your location and schedule.

There isn't a doubt that the future of Coachilla is bright; the company was recently designated as one of the top startups of 2018 at Startup Tracker, and were noted by Arctic Startup as filling an uncultivated market. While they do have a few competitors (Competencer in Sweden being one), the market for online coaching is already in the billions in the U.S. alone, and with the momentum Coachilla is experiencing at the moment, it's easy to see how they'll be important part of a growing market.

Click here for more information on Coachilla.