Teenager launches first business a year after moving to Finland

Benjamin Mpale, 17, moved to Finland from the Democratic Republic of Congo at age 12 and founded his first business just a year later, Yle reports.

Now a high school student with two years left before graduation, Mpale runs his own cleaning and odd-jobs company, works as a model, and speaks eight languages. This autumn, he will also join the Oma Häme youth council to advocate for young people.

After arriving in Forssa in 2021 during the pandemic, Mpale spent his first two weeks in quarantine, knowing no one and speaking no Finnish. He immediately set out to learn the language, studying up to six hours a day, five days a week.

“Finland is impossible without Finnish,” he said. His prior experience learning multiple languages—including Lingala, French, and English—helped him tackle the challenge.

At school, he insisted on speaking Finnish with classmates rather than defaulting to English, a choice he credits with accelerating his progress. He advises other immigrant youth to seek out Finnish-speaking friends to pick up the language naturally.

Mpale’s entrepreneurial drive began early. Within a year of arriving, he worked as a children’s club leader for 4H, sold ice cream, and at 13, launched his first business through the 4H program. Today, his company offers services ranging from home cleaning to yard work and shopping assistance for the elderly.

His parents, both entrepreneurs, instilled a strong work ethic in him. Growing up on a farm in Congo, long hours were the norm, and idleness was never an option.

Mpale wants to show other young people—immigrant or not—that hard work, courage, and language skills can open doors. While he plans to study at university or pursue maritime captain training in Turku after graduation, he has no intention of giving up entrepreneurship.

Though he enjoys advocacy, party politics holds no appeal. “I like making an impact and pushing for youth issues, but I’m not interested in party politics,” he said.