Kriittinen piste published: the book was celebrated in Helsinki
This article has been translated from Finnish with the help of automated translation. The Finnish original is the authoritative version.
Kriittinen piste (The Critical Point) was published on 24 September by Otava. The book tells of the road to Olympic gold, entrepreneurship and real estate investment, the story of The Hotel Maria, and the founding and present day of Samla Capital.
Illustration, produced with artificial intelligence
Kriittinen piste was published on Thursday 24 September in print, as an e-book and as an audiobook. It was written by Janne Villa in collaboration with Samppa Lajunen and has been published by Otava. The book is in Finnish.
The book travels from Lieksa during the recession of the 1990s to Olympic gold, and from there to entrepreneurship and real estate investment. It tells the story of The Hotel Maria, of the relationship with the media, and of faith and values in life. It also tells how Samla Capital was founded and how the company has come to where it is today.
The title comes from ski jumping. The critical point is where the steepest part of the landing slope ends and the landing begins to flatten out. It is the line jumpers aim to clear. A short jump is safe, but it does not bring success. A jump taken too far, on the other hand, can lead to a fall and injury.
“So often in life, it comes down to this balancing act. You have to recognise where your own personal critical point is. If that point is crossed, what does your life rest on then?” Samppa reflects.
Launch celebrated at Otava
The book's publication was celebrated on Friday 25 September at Otava's premises in Helsinki at an invitation-only event to which about a hundred people had been invited. In addition to Samppa Lajunen, the speakers were author Janne Villa, who edited the book, Samppa's father Heimo Lajunen, media consultant Taneli Hassinen, and Jana Sasko, who was responsible for the interior design of The Hotel Maria. Music was performed by Trio Triangeli and by Samppa's brother Olli, who sang a moving version of Juha Tapio's song “Rakastettu”.
“The book project was an investment of several years alongside work, and the past year was especially intense. Now that the book is out, I feel lighter than before. The launch week has been busy and there has been plenty of interest. I have wanted to be available and to give an interview to everyone who has asked for one,” says Samppa Lajunen.
The book drew attention
The book drew wide attention in the media. On the day of publication it was covered by, among others, Kauppalehti, Talouselämä, Keskisuomalainen and Hufvudstadsbladet. The interviews discussed openly the events surrounding The Hotel Maria and Samla Capital's latest news in a wider context than before. In addition, Samppa Lajunen was a guest on MTV3's Huomenta Suomi on 26 September and on Radio Rock on 30 September. An episode of the Sijoituskästi podcast covered the book's themes in an interview of almost three hours. The episode (in Finnish) is on YouTube and Spotify.
The book is available from Otava and bookstores. More about the book here and about Samla's history and lessons on the Openness and lessons page.