Liis Laanesaar is a well-known name in the Estonian finance sector. She is the ambitious, innovative and inspiring leader of Klaar.me. How can one simultaneously be the CEO, focus on sports, keep family and friends close, and be the lead innovator of an entire country’s accounting industry?
A sporty start to the journey
We meet Liis Laanesaar at the Audentes Sports Club, a place she calls her soul home.
“I really enjoyed exercising as a child. My father, a sports fan, saw that I was talented in various sports and took me to competitions when I was little: athletics, skiing, volleyball, swimming,” she recalls.
The best path for an athletic child was to continue her education at the Audentes Sports Gymnasium, where the most talented athletes in the country gathered to study and train. Liis was a sprinter in the national team and still holds the Estonian relay record.
She admits: “Training with competitors formed me. You can train and compete alone, but rivals inspire. Growing with competitors is a good skill to take to the business world.”
“It’s important to choose the right companions for yourself.”
The business world is a challenging environment. “I often see situations where people focus on short-term cooperation and their own immediate benefits. I prefer to see a long-term view and greater cooperation. Mistakes are human, but it’s sad to see how people forget the big picture and goals.”
Setbacks are lessons for growth
Laanesaar, a professional athlete at the time, faced a significant setback. “One of the biggest challenges of my life was recovering from an injury while in top form. Hearing that I can’t compete at the European Youth Championships because my body couldn’t handle it was tough,” she recalls.
“I watched the coach’s interest and attention shifted towards healthy athletes.”
The emotionally difficult period was a good lesson for joining the business world. “You can’t just live for being at the top. Sometimes you’re pulled down, and then you get back up.”
Liis Laanesaar says staying focused on goals and not listening to others helps her overcome difficulties.
“I pull myself together and move towards new goals.”
An athlete who loves numbers
Many would assume that a top athlete would continue as a coach, but Liis Laanesaar studied financial management. “I have always been stunned by numbers’ beauty, charm, and logic. I have thought about a coaching career too because I have much experience to share,” she explains.
Liis’s interest in numbers was sparked by her father, a merchant: “My father asked me to weigh candies and cookies. When I got older, he brought a bag of cash home for me to count.”
“At one point, my father stopped checking my counting because he knew everything would be correct”
The detailed precision and systematicity inherited from her system-loving father has become Liis Laanesaare’s signature.
She states that Estonian accountants don’t know how to appreciate the beauty of numbers: “Without a love for detail and order, you can’t become a good accountant. These values improve your competence.”
Klaar.me accountants hold detail in high regard. Liis specifies: “We have created an internal quality mark. Klaar.me is responsible for designing and coordinating the style, and accountants are responsible for the style of their work.”
“Without it, we don’t have cooperation.”
Valuing people turns an ordinary manager into a good manager
The values of Klaar.me are cooperation, honesty, openness and transparency.
“When there are conflicts in life or at work, I first think about in which value the conflict may lay. That way, solutions come more easily. Sometimes you must acknowledge the conflict and move on,” says Liis.
Work is stable at Klaar.me because the CEO has made it her passion to help accountants and clients create transparent work processes.
“Managers need to build a structure and assign responsibilities for processes.”
“I often see that sections of work are not connected to a larger system. This creates a situation where everything needs to be done ASAP. Otherwise, it will all burn down, so to speak. A transparently managed process and clear planning give you time and freedom,” Laanesaar explains.
Accountants don’t often welcome change with open arms, but Liis Laanesaar has managed to change this. “They come along when you explain why we are doing something or why it is useful.”
“Now accountants themselves write to the Klaar.me support if, for example, their sales process with a client is not working. We then find out together what is broken in the process,” Laanesaar praises her team.
“We currently have the best team ever. I hope we raise the level even higher.
Leadership is the essence of my femininity
There have been situations where others don’t understand Liis’ principles or even life. “I have been told I am a woman with a man’s energy because of my straightforward thoughts and determination. How can that be? I am still a woman with children and a family, but I live differently,” Liis explains.
“Perhaps the courage to make decisions, which scares many, resembles a man’s energy. Life has shaped my principles. This is who I am, and I cannot change it. Otherwise, there would be a conflict within myself, which has sometimes happened.”
Liis finds: “I like a world with clear boundaries. Similarly to accounting.”
“Nobody asks if the taxes are calculated nicely. They ask if they’re calculated correctly or not.”
The key to Laanesaare’s success is trusting her gut feeling. “If I want to do something, I just do it. Sometimes, deciding takes too long to minimize risks, but it will eventually come. I know from experience that the consequences are unpleasant if you don’t trust yourself.”
Two feet on the ground
Liis Laanesaar’s father taught her to keep two feet on the ground. Liis admits: “I, as women often do, tend to get carried away by my emotions and feelings.”
She received a lot of attention as an athlete prodigy. “My father taught me that even though your achievements are special for someone else, you must keep them as the norm. It’s the only way you can grow. This idea has made me modest, and I often don’t show my true essence.”
“You can’t be too proud. It will bring you down.”
Work-life balance
Liis Laanesaar uses an unusual tactic for a manager to stay focused. “I don’t work on the phone, so it doesn’t ring during the day. I also don’t take calls from unknown numbers,” she explains.
“When I give someone my time, I’m committed to them.”
“I don’t want to pick up the phone all day, not to remember who I talked to or what I agreed upon. We have a lot of clients and employees. It would destroy me as a person,” Laanesaar admits.
Children allow Liis to use her love of organizing. “I always like to organize something or go somewhere with them,” she enthusiastically explains. In recent years, I have learned to stay at home and sit on the couch.”
“Loitering gives my life balance.”
The future of Estonian accounting looks like Klaar.me
The future of accounting is clear to Liis Laanesaar. “We have gone through the digitalization and automation stage. The focus is currently on bringing together business and financial processes. From there, we will unite competence, need, demand and supply.” Liis reflects.
Klaar.me is the innovator of competence in Estonia.
Laanesaar shares her ambition with everyone. “I don’t just do things for my team or put myself on a plaque. My mission is to shape the career path of accountants more prominently. I want to bring out accountants to be honoured at the national level. I want to increase the quality of service and the value of accounting across the industry.”
“Accounting is not a meaningless detail and obligation.”
“I’m determined that the state should start intervening in such a responsible field, not only from a tax perspective, because accounting reflects our business culture in general.”
Run towards your dreams
Liis recently returned to running as a sport. What she learned from the sport helped her run a successful business.
“I once had a competition where a hurdler from the side track fell on my track. My run was interrupted, and I didn’t get a medal. I was angry for a moment, but I realized that life is full of surprises and lessons. What can I change? Next time, I will be faster than they are. If they fall, I’ll be in front of them.
Her advice to leaders is simple:
“Run your path, and don’t let anyone distract you.”
“Stay focused. If something happens, forgive, take it as a lesson and move on. Don’t forget about cooperation, especially in the long term. Congratulate the winner for a good performance, even if you came last. Respect the people around you who support your development and push you to develop positively.”
Liis Laanesaar guides both her own life and Klaar.me’s. She inspires her team, clients, partners and the entire accounting industry in the country.
Picture by: Anne-Ly Palm
