ABOUT

I build commercial engines and I research why they leak.

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I'm Maarit Asikainen, a commercial advisor based in Helsinki, working with B2B companies across the Nordics.

I help companies build commercial engines that turn growth investment into predictable revenue. My work focuses on commercialisation, and aligning marketing, sales, and customer success so they operate as one system instead of separate teams.

Whether your business sells recurring services, software, or project-based work, my goal is the same: make revenue easier to understand, manage, and grow.

Experience across the commercial engine

Throughout my career in Nordic software and telecommunications companies, I've worked across the commercial engine in product, marketing, and commercial leadership including business line roles where I carried the P&L. That means I've had to answer for sales numbers, forecasts and pipeline quality — from the side of the table where the whole result lands, not just one part of it. When I challenge a forecast or question pipeline quality, it's because I've been responsible for those numbers myself.

That experience means I've seen growth leaks from multiple perspectives. I've worked where marketing hands off to sales, where sales hands off to customer success, and where finance tries to reconcile what actually happened. The first two are where growth leaks start. The third is where they finally show up.

For my full career history, including companies, roles, and dates, see my LinkedIn.

Areas I have led:

Commercialisation — turned complex products and services into clear, sellable offers through pricing, packaging, and go-to-market design.

Customer insight — used customer interviews, win-loss analysis, and ideal customer profile research to guide commercial decisions.

Go-to-market execution — improved proposals, pricing structures, and commercial models that help sales teams sell more effectively.

Cross-functional change — led initiatives involving leadership teams, including CRM programmes, mergers, and brand transformations.

Research behind the method

Over time, I noticed the same commercial problems appearing across different companies. Different industries, different products — but the same patterns. That led me to ask a simple question: Are these isolated issues, or are they symptoms of the same underlying system?

I'm exploring that question through doctoral research in Management at the University of Vaasa. My research focuses on why these leaks appear — and how to fix them. The goal is to turn academic research into practical tools that B2B companies can use.

CEMA uses a fixed set of levels, evidence from your own data, and the same scale every time, so improvement can be measured rather than asserted.

How I work

My approach is practical, collaborative, and designed to leave your team stronger than when I arrived.

I install systems that your team can own, rather than creating processes that depend on outside consultants.

I prefer to share early drafts, work in short feedback cycles, and explain the reasoning behind every recommendation. Meetings are focused, questions are direct, and priorities are driven by evidence — not urgency.

Every company works differently. Some teams want to build together, while others prefer minimal disruption. We agree on the right level of involvement early in the engagement.

If the biggest opportunity turns out to be outside your commercial engine, I'll tell you. I'd rather recommend the right solution than expand the scope unnecessarily.

Building the practice

This practice is still growing, and I believe transparency builds trust.

When you work with me, you work directly with me — not through a delivery team. CEMA is paid 50% at the start and 50% on delivery, so you can review the completed work before making the final payment.

In return, I ask for honest feedback and, when appropriate, permission to develop a case study or provide a reference for future clients.

Maarit Asikainen · Commercial Advisor & Doctoral Researcher, University of Vaasa · maarit@runkoadvisory.com · LinkedIn

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