Marianne Lehikoinen
Marianne Lehikoinen is a founder, CEO, and modern sales strategist obsessed with helping ambitious people outgrow their current identity and build companies that match their potential.
She is best known for turning her own consulting business, Smart Mentoring, from a solo operation into a seven-figure, system-driven company, achieving over 1,000% growth in its third year while raising two young daughters.
Starting from a small audience, no capital, and no industry connections, Marianne has led more than 600 coaches, consultants, and service-based founders to build premium, scalable businesses that consistently generate €20,000–€100,000+ months without burning out or doing everything alone.
Named Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 in Espoo, Finland, she combines operator-level experience with a clear, unapologetic message about wealth, ambition, and what it really takes to grow 10x.
Today, Marianne’s work is anchored in her consulting company while she intentionally builds a global, media-driven personal brand around one central idea: helping high achiever women set bigger goals, back them with real execution, and build wealth that gives them real choice.
Her keynotes focus on 10x growth, scaling beyond the “solo hustle,” female leadership, and building companies that serve both profit and a life you’re proud of, laying the foundation for a broader portfolio of expert-led businesses in the future.
Born and raised in a small town in Northern Finland by a single mother, and with a mixed cultural background, Marianne knows what it means to create opportunity from nothing and to be underestimated. Her journey from outsider to industry leader has made her a relatable yet uncompromising voice for a new generation of women who want serious money, meaningful work, and a family-first life.
Her debut book Sivubisnes (Otava, 2021) helped spark a wave of new entrepreneurs across Finland. Her upcoming book, Breakthrough – From Solo Hustle To Scalable Success (April 2026), distills the mindset, sales, and systems that allowed her and her clients to break through plateaus and build businesses that keep growing without more personal sacrifice.
Marianne’s mission is clear: to help one million women become too wealthy to be silenced, so they can own their power, speak their truth, and reshape what leadership looks like on a global stage.
“Marianne has done an incredible job building the Career Girl community—a one-of-a-kind space in Finland created for ambitious, passionate women.
I’ve been following her career and bold new ventures for years, and it’s been truly inspiring to witness her turn her dreams into reality and bring her ideas to life.”
— Pinja K, Ping Helsinki
“She champions young people’s ability to shape their own path in working life. That alone would be more than enough reason to praise or thank her.
But my praise goes deeper—it's about the way she talks about people.
Many successful individuals forget to acknowledge those who helped shape their journey—their role models, supporters, or communities. Marianne Lehikoinen could easily do the same and still be seen as credible. But she doesn’t.
Marianne is a good human being. She shares credit generously and is driven by a desire to help others live with more agency and freedom.
That’s what I’m applauding her for today: Marianne knows how to give thanks, and she knows how to uplift others. She’s the perfect person to celebrate this Monday.
Thanks to her—and people like her—we don’t need to highlight gender to speak of great role models. We can simply speak of great role models for young people.
Thank you, Marianne—you’re making the world more equal.”
— Jarkko Repo, Partner FREE!
“I joined Marianne’s online course to learn more about entrepreneurship. During the introductory webinar, I got the sense that Marianne’s teaching style was engaging and inspiring—and that drew me to this particular program.
One of my goals was to build the courage to explore entrepreneurship. Even though I haven’t officially started a business yet, the coaching helped me gain clarity about my dreams and move from “maybe someday” thinking to “I’m going to make this happen.” I think this program is perfect for those just starting out, but even more experienced entrepreneurs would find fresh inspiration here.
What made the biggest difference for me was the one-on-one coaching session. It helped dissolve a lot of self-doubt about my own skills. Marianne guided me through my situation in a holistic way and helped me realize that I’ve already done a lot of work on my path toward starting a side business. The session gave me the confidence to keep going—and to stay committed to my vision.”
— Veera Mäenpää, client
