One day a week to build a company and why that’s enough for now

I write this in between breastfeeding and drywall construction. When I decided to leave meshcloud shortly after having my second baby, and a couple of months after we bought a new house, people thought I was crazy. And I think I am, well, the good kind of crazy. The kind that lets you dream and do things you will remember for the rest of your life. If you are curious about how it’s going, keep reading.

Why Now?

I think there are only a few things in life as drastic as losing a parent. When my mom died in 2023 at the age of 63, four weeks between being a healthy working grandma to us mourning her on Christmas Eve, it shook my world to its core. It changed how I see the world and how I want to spend the time I have.

I was raised with a high need for security, and while that had shifted slightly over the years, it shattered completely during that time. It made me painfully aware of everything I had been holding back on out of fear. It became very clear to me that if I were to receive a terrible diagnosis, there were things I would deeply regret not having done.

A friend of mine suggested I sit down and draw a picture of how I wanted my life to look in the future. And suddenly there it was: the house and my own company.

What Now?

I have always been obsessed with smooth workflows. No matter if it’s getting kids ready for bed, building a product, or installing electric cabling. During my time as Head of Product at meshcloud I became very good at creating, improving and rolling them out, often within a matter of days or weeks. In a company of that size, without millions to throw at problems, it is absolutely vital to focus on what really moves the needle and to reinvent along the way. As a Swabian (people from southern Germany with a reputation for being penny-pinchers 😉), saving costs comes naturally to me.

Founding a company should be a combination of what you are passionate about and something that makes a real impact — something people actually need and are willing to pay for. For me that intersection is clear: helping people work smarter through AI, automation and building teams that are set up for success. Because the best tools and people in the world only move the needle if they work well together.

I also see very real risks when AI is not implemented thoughtfully. The debate out there ranges from “replace everyone with agentic AI” to “avoid AI entirely.” I want to be the voice of reason that helps companies navigate this exciting but also complex topic.

One Day a Week

For now, that means one focused day a week, squeezed between a seven-month-old, a toddler, and a house we are renovating with our own hands. It is slower than I imagined. Some days it feels like barely enough. But I have learned that progress does not always look the way you expect it to. Sometimes it looks like a finished wall. Sometimes it looks like a finished blog post.

This is mine.