Summer entrepreneurship advice and support

By starting a business, you learn new skills, self-confidence, creativity, problem-solving skills and social skills. At the same time, you gain knowledge about topics related to entrepreneurship (for example, taxation, pricing, materials and different industries). A person's self-confidence often increases when they are allowed to do things themselves.

People aged 13-29 can try their hand at summer entrepreneurship through a service provided by the Lahti 4H company.

You learn to be an entrepreneur by trying. The aim of the summer entrepreneurship service is to create a foundation for a model that will produce new entrepreneurs in the region in the future and increase the vitality of the region.. At the same time, a platform is offered for local young people to learn new skills, get acquainted with a growing working model in the future, and try entrepreneurship in a safe environment with support. The municipality of Hollola wanted to encourage young people to get acquainted with entrepreneurship as an alternative to ready-made summer jobs. The goal is to increase young people's awareness of the possibilities of entrepreneurship and support them in developing their business ideas into practice.

An agreement was made in early February 2026 in the Employment and Integration Services, which will enable the organization of summer entrepreneurship and allotment farming services in the summer of 2026. The new agreement covers the coordination of summer entrepreneurship, business courses and guidance for schoolchildren and students aged 13-29 from Hollola. In addition, Lahti 4H aims to offer a summer café and running of allotment plots for young people from Hollola. The association guides young entrepreneurs in these activities. In addition, the association is responsible for the summer business vouchers offered by the municipality to young people, which enable young people to receive business vouchers worth 400 euros.

Business Summer 2026 – apply to join the entrepreneurship program produced by the Lahti 4H Association

Business Summer is Free summer program supported by the municipality of Hollolawhere you start your own 4H company and you will get to experience what entrepreneurship is really like. Lahti 4H Association will help you transform your ideas for money, skills and unique work experience. You can participate alone or with a friend!

Business Summer includes:

• Corporate training, where you learn the basics of entrepreneurship
• My mentorwho will support and spar you throughout the summer
• €400 corporate voucher to start the operation, the voucher is paid in two installments. In addition, participants have the opportunity to receive a maximum of €500 in aid, for example, for the purchase of work tools or other development work.
• Help marketing and sales
• Opportunities sales and networking events
• A safe and encouraging way to try entrepreneurship
• Ready-made business packages, including running a summer café and maintaining agricultural plots. This means a guaranteed income for 4H entrepreneurs!

Who is the program intended for?

• For people from Holland aged 13–29 for schoolchildren and students
• for you, whom interested in entrepreneurship
• especially for applicants who already have own business idea or even a preliminary idea in mind. You don't need a ready-made business idea – curiosity and motivation are enough!

Summer entrepreneurship results from summer 2025

Summer entrepreneur advice was produced as a separate service in the employment and integration services of the municipality of Hollola in the summer of 2025. The municipality's summer entrepreneurship instructor taught young people the basics of entrepreneurship and offered support for practicing entrepreneurship during the summer and brainstorming an initial business idea. Support for the summer entrepreneur's initial investment was available in the form of Youth Leader funding and a summer entrepreneurship voucher offered by the municipality.

The summer entrepreneurship project offered 22 young people the opportunity to try their wings as entrepreneurs. Each summer entrepreneur attended the municipality's own summer entrepreneur workshop, the purpose of which was to teach the young person the basics of entrepreneurship and provide them with the skills to implement their own summer entrepreneurial idea in practice. The training taught the basics of skills important to entrepreneurs, such as marketing, accounting and pricing. Entrepreneurs worked in café operations, for example: in café operations, in services offered to residents (pet and child care, cleaning, yard and garden work, collecting spruce branches, painting and small construction work), in the sale of products (crafts, pastries) and in the sale of services and events (e.g. escape games and music festivals).

The participating young summer entrepreneurs made over €12,000 in sales during the summer season, and the summer entrepreneurs gained visibility in several local newspapers. Several young people have continued their business after the summer season and there is also interest in continuing summer entrepreneurship the following summer. Each participant received a certificate of their summer entrepreneurship, and in the feedback surveys, the young people said that they had experienced personal successes. The young people had found summer entrepreneurship to be, among other things, inspiring and educational – the guardians, in turn, praised the young people's responsibility and service attitude.