Hello Halszka, would you like to introduce yourself? Who are you? What are you doing? Hello Julia, I would love to. I trained as an architect, but my heart is beating more and more for interior design. And that’s what I do now. I design interiors with a focus on the home. The beginning When and how did you decide to become self-employed? I am an individualist and have always known that I wanted to do something of my own at some point. I designed my first interiors independently straight after graduating and have been doing my own small projects on the side ever since. The decision to finally b ..read more

Dear founders, dear friends of Andersberater*innen! Nobody needs to be told that 2023 was a year full of changes and challenges. We also had the odd high or low, but it was far more important to observe what was happening around us. How global and regional crises are increasing and impacting the economy in our country. And, of course, to you, dear founders. It is clear that this country needs you. Even if politics is still lagging behind this idea, we see every day in our work with you what an enormous resource you are for the economy and the success of society. Today we want to say thank you ..read more

For all those who are not going on vacation but can still take time off, the time “between the years” is the ideal time to tidy up. After all, a tidy start to the new year creates space for new ideas and developments. Anyone who thinks that tidying up only helps to organize the “outside” is underestimating the dynamics of the process. This also applies to those who want to attribute an esoteric component to the power of clearing actions. However, this has nothing to do with esotericism, but simply follows the wisdom that emotional stuff is also a burden. Or, as the British author Karen Kingsto ..read more

Christmas is fast approaching and if you haven’t made any arrangements yet, you should think about how you can say thank you to your customers at the end of the year as soon as possible. And not just to customers – appreciation towards suppliers and service providers should also be on the to-do list for the last few days of the year. Good companies have long known that showing sincere gratitude not only strengthens existing business relationships, but also creates a positive basis for future cooperation. It doesn’t have to be an expensive bottle of champagne to express your gratitude – there a ..read more

We have also written several times here on our blog about the poor policy for the self-employed in Germany. Before the coalition agreement was signed, there was a little hope, but the coalition government has now finally dashed that hope. According to the VGSD, it has not implemented the most important measures for the self-employed and in some cases has even avowedly broken the coalition agreement. Let’s start with what has been realised. The Verband der Gründer und Selbstständigen Deutschland e.V. (German Association of Entrepreneurs and the Self-Employed) writes that this has only been achi ..read more

Many founders rely on banks and public funding pots to get them started in self-employment. Crowdfunding platforms help to raise the necessary money. At the same time, they publicise the company or project – an added value that should not be underestimated. Whether Startnext, Betterplace, Seedmatch or Crowdfunding Berlin – there are now over 50 crowdfunding platforms in Germany. Many specialise in specific events or areas, but it is still worthwhile for founders to take a look at all of them in order to make a targeted selection. Most founders know how crowdfunding platforms work. Basically, t ..read more

Especially as you get older, questions about the right path in life and your own professional destiny become more and more important and need to be answered. But what if the answer to this search does not lie in a traditional employment relationship, but rather in self-employment? Anyone entering the world of work today can hardly imagine that there was once a time when people got through life with one job or occupation. Today’s working world, on the other hand, is fast-paced and characterised by the fact that people are increasingly looking for fulfilment in their jobs. If they don’t find the ..read more

It doesn’t have to be the lion’s den, but talking about your own product or a topic in a pitch or presentation is a challenge for many founders. As a rule, it is about nothing less than inspiring the audience, picking people up and taking them with you. To achieve this, you should follow a few rules – because not all speeches are the same. Sabine Asgodom is one who has mastered this from the ground up. She has been performing on the big stages for more than 25 years and thrills her audience. She believes that a good speech is always a mixture of individuality and professionalism. In her opinio ..read more

Being self-employed is more and more horror. Borderline workloads, minimal earnings margins, precarious living conditions, bureaucratic and legal hurdles – whether you’re a carpenter, an influencer or an editor – Germany is having a hard time with its 4.2 million self-employed, freelancers and SMEs. That’s just not how anyone wants to work anymore. It didn’t help much that the German government adopted its start-up strategy for entrepreneurs on July 27 last year. A package of 127 measures to be implemented during the current legislative period. The aim was to provide growth capital, simplify t ..read more

As a sole proprietor, there’s no getting around it: At some point, there comes a time when you have to make a public presentation. Be it to make an offer, to introduce yourself at a networking event or to appear as an expert. In-house PR is becoming increasingly important in times when markets are tight and offers hardly differ from one another. That’s why we’re working on your presence today. Increasing your visibility as a sole proprietor is crucial to promoting your business and attracting customers. Whether we like it or not – if we are a sole proprietor, only a small part of our success d ..read more