Employee Spotlight: Oskari Upmeier, Business Developer

Meet friendly Fin, Oskari, and learn more about his love of Crobox (and rap)!

Describe your Crobox journey so far

My Crobox journey started as a very inexperienced part-timer, you could say. I was still trying to finish my studies at the time. That inexperienced guy was super excited to start a part-time job at this awesome company – and right from the start, everything felt good. The people who interviewed me seemed relaxed, and I was very excited.

When I started at Crobox, I was always on my toes. But I realized very quickly that everyone around me was super easy-going. I didn’t feel the pressure to ‘suit up’ – both literally and metaphorically.

I had to learn a lot from scratch. I have a sales background, but there were a lot of things that I had to add to my skill set. This included learning about a completely new industry, the world of eCommerce, and about what Crobox does.

Towards the end of my studies, I noticed that writing a thesis while trying to perform well at this new job was causing some issues, as I was splitting my focus. I learned the hard way what time management meant, what was expected of me, and what I expected of myself ahead of any deadline. 

When I graduated, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. From there I started my full-time Crobox journey. I immediately noticed how much time and focus I could put into my work. My motivation, performance, and impact increased a lot.

What's more, I started to feel a real sense of belonging to the company and my team. 

What’s been your biggest achievement at Crobox this year?

Just crushing it every day of the week. No, just kidding. I think the biggest achievement is getting full-time employment, and of course, closing my first deal! 

There are a lot of small and big victories every week. But getting offered a full-time contract was definitely a special accomplishment. Getting the confirmation that I was hired full-time really lifted my mood and brought my confidence back to where it was, and this has continued to grow with my time at Crobox. 

Oskari graduating

What’s your favorite thing about working for Crobox?

The people are very warm and easygoing. They don’t expect you to operate in a formal way with strict business jargon. It’s our humanness that is appreciated. Everyone can express who they are and be themselves, while still remaining professional – which is a hard balance to strike. But for us, it’s a very natural environment to be in, and we don’t have to change our behavior. We all appreciate each other. At the end of the day, it’s about empathy. 

I know it stems from the startup vibe, but even in big corporations, I believe there has to be a sense of empathy between people on the team. 

What’s your least favorite thing?

Our internal resources were lacking, but that is just startup life. In the last few months we have really professionalized and gotten more efficient. But my least favourite thing, for sure, is the fact that I always need to run up the stairs! Our office is on the top floor of a canal house – but that means it does come with a great view!

Oskari on vacation

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I will be working for a record label, taking care of partnerships, commercial deals, and running international operations.

Care to elaborate?

No. I think I've already been specific enough 🙂

Oskari on a ski tour with Crobox!

What’s a fun fact about you?

I may or may not have peed on my finger once to stop a bee sting…

But one thing that my colleagues recently found out about me in a DiscoverMe presentation, is that I am a retired rap artist. 

Tell more about your rapping career

My best friend and I decided to start a rap duo. This decision was made, in the traditional style of Finland, in a sauna. 

He’s a musician so he started making beats, and basically made me rap over it. I didn’t think I could rap, but after blindly following his advice, it turned out well. And in our town, it actually became quite popular, so we started rapping our way around Finland. 

After about two years, I retired. I saw this kind of lifestyle getting to people’s heads and didn’t want that for myself. But I also wanted to broaden my horizons. I’m half-German and have lived in Germany before so I didn't want to be stuck in Finland. I ended up deciding I wanted to study in a different country and that was it. Both of those things led me to sign up for the University of Amsterdam. 

Oskari rapping.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

I rarely ever use three words. I mean, I rarely ever just use three words (point taken). But if I had to, I would say: Lively, clumsy, and funny.

What’s your favorite music genre and why?

Float House, because my Spotify Wrapped said that was my most listened-to genre. Haha, but seriously, I do like House music and Drum & Bass a lot, because there’s a lot of variety in there. It works well for me, for things like focusing and performing well. It hits the sweet spot in my cognition. Sometimes I need to focus on something at work, and House music really does the trick. At the same time, if I have to run or bike, some house music makes it fun. In general, I’m a fan of many genres like blues and hip-hop, but recently I've been finding my music in some very techno-heavy Soundcloud playlists!

Oskari wrecking cars with Crobox

What does your ideal holiday look like?

My ideal holiday is mostly a relaxed one. It has to be a holiday where I can get lost in nature and not see a single soul in 24 hours, BUT if I desire I can decide to have brunch in a busy spot. This would probably be somewhere in southern Italy, it’s perfect for people-watching, which I love. But I also love being isolated from time to time. So a balance between relaxation and adventure – going hiking but also going for a night out. 

If you could swap lives with someone in the office for a day, who would it be and why?

I would probably want to be Joris, just to see how good it feels to wake up at 04:30 and go straight to the gym. I want to know exactly how it feels to get up as soon as your alarm goes off.