Gig work and Light entrepreneurship

If you already have some expertise - one option is to find out, how you can offer it to others for a price. This is where Gig work and Light entrepreneurship become relevant. Instead of waiting for structured roles, you can begin to offer specific help based on your skills and interests.

In Finland, one common model for this is Light Entrepreneurship or Kevytyrittäjyys, which allows you to work and invoice without establishing a full company. As with any other type of entrepreneurship, in order to find success, you have to identify what small, concrete problems need solving.

This could mean helping with social media content, creating visual materials, taking photos and videos at events, offering digital solutions, or offering to do work, that needs doing - car washing, lawn mowing, painting, helping with groceries, deliveries, moving, etc.. The scope does not need to be large. What matters is that it is demand for it.

Key differences

Gig work (Keikkatyö / Sijaisuudet) refers to short-term, task-based work where you complete individual assignments, often for different clients. It is typically flexible, irregular, and focused on immediate needs. You are paid per task, shift, or project, rather than having an ongoing employment relationship.

Light entrepreneurship (Kevytyrittäjyys) is a way of working where you offer services independently and invoice clients without setting up your own company. A service platform handles billing, taxes, and administration, allowing you to focus on the work itself. It is more structured than gig work and often involves building ongoing client relationships.

To be noted, that some platforms may call their service Light entrepreneurship, but require you to still get a business ID, which would in fact mean you will be operating as an entrepreneur, not a Light entrepreneur.

In practice, gig work is about doing individual jobs, while light entrepreneurship is about offering a service more consistently.

Gig work basics

Gig work may seem like a quick access to experience, but it also requires personal responsibility and initiative.

Work availability and income may vary, so it is important to approach gigs realistically and choose opportunities that fit your skills, schedule, and goals. Even short-term work comes with expectations around punctuality, communication, and reliability, which are highly valued in Finnish working culture. It is also important to understand practical matters such as taxation, contracts, insurance, and how income may affect your visa status, student benefits or other social support.

When approached intentionally, gig work can become more than temporary income - it can help build experience, networks, and future opportunities as an entrepreneur.

Gig work platforms

Gigly

Gigly is an app that connects you with helping hands or experienced professionals, handles the transactions and makes it easy to get things done no matter what the task is.

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Treamer

Treamer is built by a team that believes the people who do real work deserve modern career tools. The mission is simple: help frontline professionals grow their careers while giving companies faster and smarter ways to hire.

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Gigexchange

Gigexchange is a Future of Work marketplace for the 'no-exploit' freelancer gig economy, permanent & contract jobs, volunteering & business advertisements

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Quickhelp

Help with everyday life, pocket money for creators. QuickHelp connects local people in need of help with hardworking people. Safely, quickly and easily.

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Kuntarekry

Municipal sector replacement and gig work.

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Speakersforum

Find the right speakers, presenters and coaches for your event. Customized, high-quality speaker content to enable meaningful experiences and encounters.

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Myspeaker.fi

MySpeaker is a speaker agency that has achieved a stable position in the Nordic countries, for which genuinely impressive content and high-quality and reliable service are of primary importance.

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Wolt Partner

As a courier partner, you earn money by delivering orders to local customers. You set your own schedule, so you deliver when and where you want.

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Sotender

Connecting healthcare workers with open shifts.

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Light Entrepreneurship basics

Light entrepreneurship can be a low-risk option, if you want to test an idea alongside studies or other work. However, even though the administrative side is simplified through invoicing platforms, it is still important to approach it as an entrepreneur and understand the responsibilities involved.

What kind of service you are offering, who your customers are, and is there actual demand for your skills? Even simple freelance work benefits from basic planning, pricing, and especially understanding your costs. A service, that only solves your personal employment situation (i.e from unemployed to entrepreneur), or a problem some relative has is not enough to generate revenue. There needs to be market demand for a solution to a problem, that people with purchasing power need.

It is also important to understand that light entrepreneurship is best suited for selling services rather than products, and that you are still responsible for the quality of your work, communication with clients, and managing your income. While invoicing services handle much of the bureaucracy, you should still familiarize yourself with taxation, possible insurance requirements, and how entrepreneurship may affect visa status, social benefits or student income limits.

We strongly recommend to go through the Startup guide from the Uusyrityskeskus, or from your local business advisor.

Light Entrepreneurship platforms

Flexwork

FlexWork is an invoicing service that allows you to employ yourself and easily invoice for your work.

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UKKO.fi

The trusted partner for every entrepreneur
With UKKO, entrepreneurship puts a smile on your face. You get bookkeeping, invoicing, and expert support — whether you’re sending your first invoice or already running your own business.

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OP Light Entrepreneur

Your reliable partner when you need to invoice your work

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EEZY Kevytyrittäjä

That quick and eezy light entrepreneurship service

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Odeal

Odeal is a responsible partner in light entrepreneurship, passionately advancing the field since 2009.

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Gig work and Light Entrepreneurship