What do you do to maintain balance in your life?
I don't separate my life into distinct categories like job, personal life, hobbies, or family. I see my life as a whole and focus on the aspects I truly want to pursue in various contexts. Continuously challenging myself to reflect on my inner balance allows me to make ongoing adjustments. This is a continuous process that will never be complete.
What do you wish you had known 10 years ago?
Relax and follow my own path without worrying too much about others. During my first job as a business consultant at Bain & Company, I constantly questioned everything. I became obsessed with whether I would get promoted a few months early or if my reviews were perfect. None of those thoughts benefited me in the long run. Focusing on what I believed in helped me more in achieving my goals. Understanding this earlier would have greatly benefited me during my early years.
What’s an important belief / a guiding principle that informs the way you build and run your business?
When all team members share a common vision, communicate effectively, handle setbacks constructively, and treat each other with respect, the team can achieve extraordinary results. This collective harmony not only fosters a deep sense of personal happiness but also leads to business success.
What's your secret sauce for building a great team?
I only want to work with team members who are proactive, enthusiastic about their job and tasks, and genuinely want to collaborate. Trust, commitment, and mutual conviction in the working relationship between employer and employee is the secret sauce for a great team. If either the employer or employee feels they are not in the right place in their life, I believe it is best to part ways.
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What do you wish you had known 10 years ago?
I always thought that my life can be balanced between personal, business, health, family, finances and love. In that sense how much energy I put in and get back. But with the years, I learned that life is imbalanced by nature. It's still a goal for me and I believe if all parts are some kind of balanced, this speaks of a highly valuable life, but accepting that there will always be a certain imbalance, helped me a lot.
What's the biggest insight you learned in recent years?
It’s always a good idea to be connected to your product – even if you have to deal with high-level topics, always remember the things you offer.
What personal habit helped you accelerate your personal growth?
In one of the hardest times of my life so far, I started journaling for 1-2h on Sundays. Not digital, but with paper and pen. Always answering the same questions related to self, social life and work. This brutally honest and regular reflection once a week helped me identify problems early and iterate fast.
When times are tough, who or what is an anchor for you?
My co-founders are my anchor in work-related topics. Having an environment where failure is welcomed with a helping hand and where weakness is valued as openness, once you are down those people will drag you up.