How a British entrepreneur and his Finnish wife built a thriving cottage rental business in Finland

Most short-term rental businesses focus on volume. Josh Powell and Satu Keravuori focused on quality – and it paid off.

A decade ago, while running a fashion business in the UK, the couple travelled frequently. To make the most of their time away, they began renting out their Brighton home and soon discovered a passion for hosting. Then came a game-changer – a cottage in Finland, purchased during one of their visits to Satu’s homeland. Falling in love with the lifestyle, Josh also spotted an opportunity: many summer cottages, often in prime waterfront locations, sat empty for much of the year.

After they made the decision to pack up and move to Finland, what began as a cultural observation grew into Stay North, a full-service property management company. The idea was simple: market cottages directly to international guests while offering property owners a hassle-free, all-inclusive service.

Now expanding rapidly, the duo manage properties across Finland, from the south to Lapland, generating 2.7 million euros in revenue last year, with projections set to double by 2025.

With 10 full-time housekeepers and six operational team members, the company has partnered with linen services to ensure hotel-quality bedding and enhance the customer experience with Finnish touches like Fazer chocolate and blueberry juice.

Stay North’s international reach is also growing – 70 per cent of their guests now come from abroad, up from just 30 per cent the previous year.

We spoke with Josh about launching a business in Finland, his tips for ice swimming, and how to keep up when your kids start speaking Finnish faster than you can understand.

Long before you were business partners, you and Satu were strangers. How did you first meet?

We met on a fishing holiday in Cape Verde. I went in February – none of my mates could get time off, but I had a few weeks holiday, so I thought, why not? I went by myself, and when you travel solo, you end up meeting loads of people.

Satu was there with her friend – just a bit of a winter sun holiday. We met, had a bit of a holiday romance, and then she went back to Finland, and I went back to the UK.

Then came the next visit – she visited London for a week, and for the first time, I played tourist in my own city. It’s funny – you can live somewhere for years and never really see it.

And after that, we thought, OK, should we meet again? The next “date” was in Morocco. We spent 10 days in Marrakech and Essaouira – had an amazing time.

And that was it. Three meetups – Cape Verde, London and Morocco – and then it was, OK, do you want to move to Brighton? So she moved in, and that was that.

We were in Brighton for three or four years, touring with the business – doing the shows, selling fashion garments. Then, for another three or four years, we were splitting our time between England and Finland. The best events were in the UK, so we spent a lot of time working in London. But then we’d escape to Finland – to the cottage. It had no running water, no toilet – nothing. But it was peaceful. A nice project. We’d renovate, enjoy the quiet, then head back to London, where everything was fast-paced and exciting again. It was the perfect balance.

Then, of course, the dog came, then a child, and we realised – it’s time to choose a place.

I still miss the pubs in England, the countryside, independent shops, shopping outdoors, the buzz of bars and city life. But Finland is fantastic in so many ways. Our children have an amazing lifestyle here – it’s peaceful, and, of course, there was an exciting business opportunity waiting for us.

What language do your kids speak at home?

English and Finnish, but their Finnish is better. They go to an English daycare in Lauttasaari, which is about 50/50 Finnish and English.

Whenever they speak Finnish and I’m around, I always ask, What did you just say? – which annoys them, of course. But it forces them to translate and think in both languages. I admire anyone who speaks another language fluently. I’m not great at languages myself.

Before moving to Finland, I was worried – What if my kids speak Finnish fluently and I can’t communicate with them? That sounded like a horror story. But we make sure to read in English a lot. My parents send good English books. So we keep it going.

What about you – how has your integration been in Finland from a language perspective?

It hasn’t really held me back in business. Satu handles the Finnish-speaking side of things, so that’s covered.

I remember when I first met my father-in-law, I thought his English wasn’t great. Turns out, it was pretty good – he just kept that a secret for a while.

When my partner moved to Brighton, she brought her dog, who only understood Finnish. So my first Finnish words were all dog commands – istuu, maahan – sit, lie down. That was about it.

Bet that didn’t go over too well with your father-in-law.

Not really! [laughs] But yeah, realistically, with two children and a business, there’s just no time for me to properly learn Finnish. It would be great, of course, but right now, it’s just not a priority.

When I contacted you about this interview, you mentioned that you were initially surprised by how little people here talk about work or business outside of work hours.

For me, growing up, our family dinner conversations were always about business. We enjoyed talking about it.

But my wife often reminds me, Josh, stop talking about work. They don’t want to hear about the business. And I’m like, Oh, right… But I just find it interesting – hearing what people are working on. It’s different here. Generally, work stays at work, and after hours, people talk about other things.

Yeah, it’s a different mindset.

It really is. Back home, talking about work is normal. In fact, it’s a common way to start a conversation with a stranger – What do you do? – and then you’re off. You find common ground.

And talking about work during holidays is a strict no-no.

Yeah, exactly. Actually one of the biggest lessons I learned here was about summer holidays. The first couple of years, I worked out of a co-working space. I showed up in July, and the office was locked. I had to ask security to let me in. No one else was there – everyone had taken the whole month off.

At first, I thought, That’s unbelievable! But now, I totally get it. Why would you work in July? It’s beautiful – just enjoy it.

Running your own business no doubt takes up a lot of your energy and enthusiasm, but what do you do in your downtime?

After work, it’s family time. We go swimming occasionally, play padel now and then, do some winter swimming. I discovered it here. Back home, my family thinks I’m mad when I tell them about it. They assume it’s extreme, but the truth is, the water is never as cold as you think.

You build a tolerance to it. The first time I tried was at Christmas – we made a hole in the ice, went in after sauna. My brother-in-law showed me how. It was addictive. You get this amazing rush.

It’s a great way to reset. If you’re stressed, it just wipes it away. And you don’t even need a sauna. You can just dip, dry off and get dressed – you’ll still feel incredible. It’s like a superpower.

I’d recommend it to anyone – just try to relax instead of tensing up. The benefits are incredible, but it’s hard to convince people to try it the first time. Hats, gloves and socks make a huge difference.

Someone once gave me great advice – when you walk toward the ice hole, don’t stop.Don’t hesitate on the stairs, don’t pause at the edge. Just keep moving, get in, stay as long as you can, and then get out.

Yeah, that’s a good one. Hesitation just makes it worse – it builds anxiety.

And another great tip: take a deep breath in before you go down. Your natural reaction is to gasp when you hit the water, but if your lungs are already full, you won’t. Then just breathe out slowly as you go under.

That’s great advice! Changing tack: What advice would you have for others thinking about moving to Finland to start a business?

The biggest challenge is surviving the first few years without making much money. If you have enough savings to support yourself modestly, it gives you the time to build something. That’s the real hurdle – costs are high for small businesses, and when you’re starting, you make mistakes. But it’s through these mistakes that you learn to find your feet and fine tune your service.

But there is real opportunity here. There are gaps in the market – things that aren’t being done, or businesses that exist but could be run much better. Sometimes you look at the “leading” company in a sector and think, Really? That’s the best we’ve got?

In the UK, competition is fierce – there are so many people doing the same thing. But in Finland, you see opportunities where no one is even trying yet.

For us, we started this because we loved hosting. We never sat down and said, Let’s make money from this. We saw these incredible properties and wanted to manage them. We wanted to offer a great experience for guests. That was the foundation.

So, what is it about the Finnish mökki (cottage) experience that appeals so much to international guests?

It’s the peace and quiet. If you’re from a place with constant noise, traffic and stress, you can’t help but relax in a setting like this. It’s about slowing down – sauna, swimming in nature, just disconnecting. As the world becomes more fast-paced and tech-driven, I think people will seek out these authentic experiences even more. Quality time with family and friends, somewhere quiet and beautiful.

How about when you and your family are on holiday in Finland – what’s your favourite part of the country?

Every summer, we rent a boat and tour the Turku Archipelago. The first time we did it – five years ago – it was the best holiday we’d ever had.

It’s like camping, but on a boat. We take a small motorboat – though this year we’re trying a sailboat. The islands are incredible. Some are completely uninhabited, while others have little harbours, bakeries, saunas you can rent, or walking trails. Some even have bikes to rent so you can explore.

For me, it’s the best holiday. I don’t understand why people leave Finland in summer – it’s so beautiful. Before moving here, I was naive. I thought Finland was always cold. My instinct was always to head south, chase the sun.

To Cape Verde!

Exactly! But now, I get it. And I think more people are looking for something different –away from crowded Mediterranean resorts. Finland offers peace, nature and something truly unique. Yeah, the forests, the lakes – it’s something special.