Birthdays are a great occasion for reflection. What was achieved last year, were plans realised, and where will the next year lead? Many questions arise, and one takes stock. Especially, of course, when it's the anniversary of one's own company.
Recently, I was sitting with a fellow entrepreneur over a glass of wine when he asked me the following question: "Would you go freelance again?". That is THE question of all questions, the crucial question, so to speak. The answer reveals everything about whether you are satisfied with the current situation, if you could realise your own vision of self-employment, or if you have emotionally already said goodbye and are heading for new horizons. But what actually defines personal success in a job? Is it earnings, customer satisfaction, the team, or the tasks themselves? The answers are diverse and complex; presumably, it's a combination of all these factors.
So, intuitively, my first answer was: "Yes, of course." Followed by: "Now, yes." To be honest: that wasn't always the case, because things don't always go as you imagined, some plans are discarded, or an event suddenly turns everything upside down, and you have to adapt very quickly and reorganise.
Entrepreneurs who tirelessly claim how ideal their professional life always (!) is and that things couldn't possibly be better make me inherently suspicious. I find a lack of authenticity and honesty there. Of course, there may be exceptions, but I simply don't believe it. There are always great moments, challenges, new opportunities, but also problems – often simultaneously or on different levels. When you are self-employed, you don't just do a job, go home, and leave your profession behind.
This requires a large dose of passion, which ultimately decides whether you continue in difficult times or give up. You're always thinking about the job a little, but – and this is the crucial point – I don't perceive it as such. I don't mind getting inspiration and making considerations for my own company on weekends, in conversations with friends, on holiday, or on the way home. Quite the opposite: during this time, many good ideas emerge, and I can't wait to discuss them with the team and try them out.
Self-employment also means permanent development. No idea is so good that it cannot be further expanded. And often brilliant ideas turn out to be complete duds and have to be discarded again after a very short time. You must not be too proud to admit this. It's a bit like old photos and hairstyles. If I look at some of the considerations we had a few years ago today, I might well wonder and ask myself what I was thinking at the time.
Entrepreneurship is not for delicate people who want to cling to existing structures and are afraid of change. That has probably been the biggest learning in the last four years. You never reach the point where everything is "finished"; instead, you continuously pave the way for new processes. This starts with internal workflow, personnel management, or quality assurance and ends with corporate and customer communication. I constantly question whether what and how we do things can be further optimised.
More than once in the last four years, the romantic idea of quitting has crossed my mind. A small bar on a beautiful beach would cover the living expenses. And perhaps this would also be an interesting path, possibly even easier. But it is simply not the path I want to take, nor where I see myself. It gives me joy when our team grows, we convince clients of the quality of our work, can pursue our own ideas, and the level at which we work continuously rises. And that our employees are also happy.
I find that my passion for my job grows year by year. This is certainly also due to our great team and exciting projects. There were – and I am sure there will be again – days when I question many things, but these days are the big exception and simply part of it. To finally return to the initial question: Yes, I would definitely do it again. In that spirit: Happy Birthday to us!
