Founder interview with Simon

Who are we and what happens here? There is already some information on our team page. But that only answers who works for us, not what our team does. That's why we want to give you some more detailed insights. To do so, we talked to a few of our colleagues. Today we introduce you to Simon.

Hi Simon, thank you for your time!

In a few sentences, what brought you (and the others) to wunschlösung?

The desire for freedom to develop software the way we see fit. And to do so without coming up against the limits we encountered in other projects and companies. It was also important to us to build a company that is there for the people in it. A creative space that gives the team the opportunity to try things out. Human interaction is extremely important to us; no one should be just a cog in a system here.

What is your field of work here?

My field of work here is very diverse. Since I am one of the founding members, I have taken on responsibility and lent a hand in many areas right from the start. My background is in IT, I have developed software and worked as a project manager. That's why I helped build up the areas of customer communication, development, project management and technology. But I've also been involved in other things, such as office set-up, finance and recruiting. Over time, all that has shifted a bit. But my topics are still a colourful mix. Marketing, for example, is a new addition. I also coordinate issues in the team and with clients and am responsible for maintaining the internal technology.

Have you ever wanted to try out another area? (Have you been able to?)

Fortunately, I can usually decide for myself which topics I want to work on, where I want to deepen something or try something out. In this respect, I don't have the desire to do something completely different here with us. My topics always change anyway, develop further and priorities shift.

Do you still remember your first days here? What were they like?

Yes, they were crazy. It was an incredible feeling to spend your first days in your own company. In the beginning we worked from Thomas' couch, then later at the BLACK BEAN Cafe in Jena with chai lattes and the Wi-Fi there. At that time we didn't have an office. The first few days we had a lot of organisational stuff to do. Everything had to be registered, the first website had to go live and we bought computers. Especially the early days were very exciting. They are still super intense in my memory. It was absolutely positive stress. A very euphoric phase that inspired us all.

What does a typical day in your life look like?

Because I work on so many different topics, my average day is not particularly uniform. Some days I have workshops with clients. Then there are the typical office days. I like to start the day between nine and ten in the home office. I start with emails and make a plan for the day. Then it's off to the dev daily, where we discuss topics for the day. Once a week we also have a larger planning meeting with all the developers. After that, everything depends very much on the current topics. I often have appointments with clients where we plan releases or discuss new features. Or I work with my colleagues in technology to implement these features. I also work on the code generators, the website and our marketing campaigns. Once a week I'm in the office in Leipzig - I always enjoy that a lot because it's a really nice office. In general, it's always nice to be with my colleagues.

If you were to start up again, would you do it the same way?

No. Because that would mean that I wouldn't have learned anything over time (grins). We have actually taken a lot with us from the last few years - for example, in topics such as market positioning, approaching customers or personnel acquisition. Thomas and I come from a technical background. Our focus was mainly on the implementation of customer projects, which we fortunately already had from the beginning. But all around, we had to learn a lot about how to build a business. And it's still a constant process. So yes, I would change things, but I am still happy with the path we have taken.

What do you wish for the future?

I would like us to continue to grow in a controlled but steady manner and to further strengthen the team. I also want us to continue to work so well together and to expand and improve our technological base. We still have many good ideas for our code generators. I am also looking forward to developing our products further and expanding our range.

Und finally, why wunschlösung and not another company?

I dreamed of setting up my own company from a very early age. I always wanted to be my own boss and make my own rules. The idea of freedom drives me strongly in this. Of course, we are not in a vacuum, we also have deadlines and budgets in the projects and have to make compromises. But the possibility to insist in some places that our values are implemented and lived… That is extremely important to me. That's why no other company comes into question for me. Apart from that, I think we have a great team, great technology and it's just great fun to work here.

Thank you, Simon!

Would you like to know more?
Find out here how the foundation of wunschlösung came about or take a look at our team page. In our blog you can also get to know other wunschlöserInnen.