Which industry does the company operate in?

 Consultancy

Description of the company

Finks Dialog supports leaders, teams, and organizations in creating meaningful development and sustainable change. The company is founded and led by me and I specializes in process facilitation, coaching, and organizational development.
With a strong foundation in action learning, protreptic dialogue, and change management, Finks Dialog helps individuals and teams gain clarity, strengthen collaboration, and translate reflection into concrete action.
I facilitate workshops, action learning for teams and individual coaching. I also offer consultancy on project management within educational systems. I.e. Erasmus+.

The journey into entrepreneurship

Towards the end of my master’s degree in Process Leadership and Organizational Change, I found myself at a quiet but decisive turning point. I had developed strong competencies in facilitation, development processes, and coaching, yet I struggled to see how I could truly bring them into play in the position I held at the time.

During one of our final teaching sessions, we were asked to do a backcasting exercise: to imagine ourselves one year into the future and describe where we were and what we were doing. I remember staring at a blank page, trying to invent job titles that might fit. None of them felt right. No title captured what I was actually longing to do; to facilitate meaningful processes, support development, and engage in coaching conversations that matter.

Gradually, the titles became irrelevant. What emerged instead was a simple realization: within a year, I needed to be doing work that gives me energy. 
At the same time, we were reading about regenerative leadership. I began asking myself: what is regenerative for me? What kind of professional life sustains energy, meaning, and growth for myself?
From that reflection, I set small milestones. This was the moment my company was born.

After completing my degree, I contacted Professor Emeritus in philosophy Ole Fogh Kirkeby, whom we had encountered during the program, and asked if he would certify me to become a protreptic practitioner. At the time, there were no other certified protrepticians in Southern Jutland. While completing the certification, I built my website and began sharing my work and reflections on LinkedIn.

What has been most exciting about this journey is that I have both led the process and been led by it. Along the way, I have met people I would otherwise never have encountered and I have had conversations that have shaped my path in unexpected and meaningful ways.

To make my work visible and to explore the nature of change, I also created a podcast featuring conversations with inspiring individuals. These dialogues explore transformation in many forms the small shifts in everyday practice and the larger changes that shape our lives and organizations. The episodes are on Podbean, Apple and Spotify and the podcast is called: "Dialog om forandring". There are three episodes in English and the rest are in Danish.

Looking back, becoming self-employed was not a single decision but a process of listening closely: to what gives me energy, to what feels meaningful, and to where I can contribute with clarity and integrity.

From education to company

I did not begin my master’s degree at Aalborg University with the intention of becoming self-employed. However, the journey I went through during the program gradually led me there.

Completing the degree strengthened both my professional competencies and my confidence. The process required significant time, discipline, and persistence, and knowing what it took to complete it gave me a deep sense of self-trust. I now stand on a solid foundation built through sustained effort and reflection. 
The program strengthened my ability to work with facilitation, development processes, and organizational change. Just as importantly, it sparked a strong desire to continue learning and deepened my curiosity about how theory and practice can inform each other.

While entrepreneurship was not the goal, the education strengthened my professional identity and gave me the courage to follow the direction that felt meaningful. In that sense, becoming self-employed was not a planned destination, but a place I arrived grounded in the competencies, confidence, and reflective practice developed during my time at AAU.

Biggest challenge and learning

The biggest challenge has been having the courage to say out loud that I am seriously investing in building my own business.
In our household, we cannot live on my husband’s income alone. This meant I had to negotiate reduced hours at my primary job to make space for my company. Choosing to accept a lower salary while beginning to sell my own services felt risky and uncomfortable. Pricing my work and standing confidently behind its value has been one of the hardest, and most important , lessons.
I have clients today, though not yet enough to go full time. Even so, I remain confident that I am building something meaningful and sustainable.

Another challenge has been the operational side of entrepreneurship. I am not naturally interested in bookkeeping, yet running a business requires financial discipline and structure. Learning to stay focused on this responsibility has been necessary.
Unexpectedly, this part of the journey has also brought me closer to my older brother, who has been self-employed for many years. Through his guidance, I have gained both practical support and a sense of shared experience.

Competencies and mindset

What has driven me most is a deep confidence that I can carry the responsibility of the work I take on. I know that I can lead processes and facilitate in ways that create clarity, trust, and movement.

During my master and the past year, I have developed strong facilitation skills that allow me to guide complex conversations and development processes. Through my training in protreptic dialogue, I have become skilled in philosophical conversations that help people clarify values, assumptions, and direction.

My master’s project deepened my work with aesthetics and creativity as pathways to reflection and understanding, perspectives that are still uncommon in many professional contexts. These approaches open new ways of thinking and enable people to engage with challenges from different angles.

I have also learned to truly listen. Deep listening requires both courage and time, yet it creates the conditions for meaningful dialogue and genuine insight. This is something my clients consistently highlight as one of the most valuable aspects of working with me.

Innovation and development

I regularly spar with colleagues and deliberately seek dialogue with people from different professional backgrounds. These encounters challenge my thinking and help me see my work from new angles.
My podcast is also an important learning space. By inviting people with strong expertise from other fields into conversations, I gain insights I would not otherwise encounter. These dialogues continually expand my understanding of change, relationships, and development.

Just as importantly, I allow myself to play. I experiment with facilitation methods, exercises, and aesthetic approaches, trying things out to see what creates reflection and movement. It is genuinely fun and the more I explore, the braver I become in my practice.

For me, staying innovative is about staying curious, listening deeply, and giving myself permission to explore, experiment, and then I grow and customers return and new arrive.

Advice for future or aspiring entrepreneurs

My first piece of advice is simple: say it out loud and say it to many people.
When you share your intention, conversations begin to open doors. Don’t hesitate to invite people for a walk-and-talk or a cup of coffee. Informal conversations can lead to insights, support, and unexpected opportunities. Even via LinkedIn.

I also discovered how rewarding it can be to seek out existing support structures. In my local municipality, Business Aabenraa provides guidance specifically for entrepreneurs. I reached out when I needed help to build my website as I wanted to collaborate with small, local businesses like my own. Through them, I also received communication advice and legal guidance when negotiating an agreement with my employer to reduce my working hours.
Had I known every step in advance, I might never have taken the leap. For me, it was about allowing myself to explore and play within boundaries I set myself.

I also spoke with other entrepreneurs and listened carefully to their experiences. Hearing both their struggles and successes helped me normalize uncertainty and stay grounded. Some advice made sense and some I parked straight away because I had to do this my own way. A way I didn't know yet. Becoming an entrepreneur does not have to begin with a perfect plan. It can begin with curiosity, conversations, and the courage to take the next small step.

Seeking partners

I think it could be a lot of fun to look into more cross-disciplinary partnerships bringing together perspectives from fields such as psychology, the arts, design, communication, and wellbeing.  I am especially curious about collaborations that begin without a fixed destination.

Exploring questions together across disciplines can open unexpected insights and creative possibilities.  I also welcome partnerships in international projects and professional exchange, particularly within Erasmus+ collaborations.

Finks Dialog