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Life Is Too Short for Office Politics — Here’s How I Opted Out
Think office politics is limited to large corporations? Think twice. If your startup sells to large corporations, you will get your dose, too.
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Is Time-Blocking Boosting Your Productivity or Blocking Your Team?
Time-blocking is awesome for deep work. But as a leader, you need to balance deep work and collaboration. Here are some tips.
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Multiply by Pi: Why Everything Takes Longer Than Expected
Wonder why projects always take longer than expected? Multiply your time estimates by Pi, and you will be fine.
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Emotional Emails Are a Productivity Killer — How to Respond Smarter
Emotional emails waste time and damage relationships. Learn how to respond smarter and protect your productivity.
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Why Risk Management Alone Won’t Save Your Business
Risk management is vital — but not enough. Taking calculated risks is essential for innovation, growth, and long-term business success.
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Life of an On-Call Engineer: From Symphony Halls to Server Calls
The life of an on-call engineer is surprisingly similar in startups and enterprises. As long as you answer your phone, you can be anywhere.
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Six Weeks to Repay: The Realities of Pandemic Loan Agreements
Here is a real startup story of what happened when a COVID-19 credit suddenly came due — with just six weeks to repay CHF 360k.
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Never Surrender: Learnings From a Small Nation For Entrepreneurs
What startups can learn from small nations: work harder, resist pressure, solve problems, and never surrender to larger competitors.
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Bursting the Founder Bubble: Why It’s Good for Growth
Founders must face reality. Learn why bursting the founder bubble is key to market fit, positioning, and real company value.
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Swiss vs US Business Culture: The Key Differences
A Swiss entrepreneur compares the Swiss vs US business culture, market size, scale, and transactional style.
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How to Deal with Shit Days: A 4-Step Coping Strategy
When nothing gets done and everything goes wrong, I call it a shit day. Shit days are unavoidable, and here is how you deal with shit days.
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Raising Your First Startup Funds: 6 Essential Tips
Here are my 6 key tips for raising your first startup funds to attract investors, negotiate term sheets, and plan for a successful exit.
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What Entrepreneurship and Climate Change Have in Common
Entrepreneurship and climate change share a burden: Too many urgent problems, too little time. Can you prioritize root causes over symptoms?
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Why Every Organization Is Naturally Unorganized
Even with org charts and rules, organizations are messy. Any group is naturally unorganized, and even solopreneurs can’t fully escape it.
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Deconflicting in Leadership: The One Skill That Matters
Learn why deconflicting in leadership is the one skill every modern leader needs to guide teams through chaos.
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How to Use Excel for Tech Troubleshooting
Think Excel is just for finance? Learn how to use Excel for tech troubleshooting: Spotting misconfigurations, seeing anomalies and patterns.
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Helping in a Crisis: A Practical Guide for Everyone
Crisis moments demand action. Learn how to be practical, humble, and helping in a crisis — based on real lessons.
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Why Entrepreneurs Make Bad Lawyers (And That’s OK)
Entrepreneurs value speed and pragmatism. Lawyers aim for perfection. Entrepreneurs make bad lawyers, and vice-versa.
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Startup Reality Check: What Founders Really Do
Forget the glamor. What founders really do includes HR, finance, and crisis-solving — whatever has to be done, not what they enjoy doing.
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Seek the Decision, Not the Endless Options
Entrepreneurs lose time avoiding decisions because they dread one simple thing: The “no.” Seek the decision, it will drive progress.
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Why Great Entrepreneurs Think in Decades, Not Years
Most entrepreneurs overestimate short-term gains and ignore the power of long-term growth. Think in decades to build real success.
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Graceful Degradation: The Smarter Way to Handle Crises
Don’t aim to do it all in a crisis. Graceful degradation helps keep your core functions running — even when systems, plans, or people fail.
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Jazz over Orchestra: In Times of Crisis, Choose Flexibility Not Formality
In a crisis, you need flexibility not formality. Why a jazz mindset — fast, adaptive, and structured — is better than orchestral rigidity.
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Meeting or Briefing? What Sets Them Apart and Why It Matters
Meetings waste time. Briefings make decisions. Choosing between meeting or briefing can make all the difference in a crisis.
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Business Plan or Cashflow Plan: Which Fits Your Business Best?
Not sure if you need a business plan or cashflow plan? Here’s how to decide, from private households to startups . But cash always comes first.
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Keep It Simple in Tech to Avoid Dependency Hell
Learn from our mistakes in upgrading Keycloak — dependency deadlocks and undocumented hacks made us burn in dependency hell
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Light and Shadow in Entrepreneurship: Lessons from Setbacks
Success is fun. But it’s the lessons from setbacks that keep you humble and realistic, not the success moments.
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Information Sharing Benefits Everyone — Even in Hierarchies
Think hierarchy and transparency don’t mix? Information sharing builds trust, drives results, and works within all organizational structures.
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Dealing with a Complex Problem? Decision Trees Are Your Friends
Complex problems have no clear answers — but decision trees help. Learn how to define decision criteria and map outcomes.
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Winning The Deal Is Just The Start: What Happens After the Sale
Winning a B2B SaaS deal is hard, but it’s just the start: Implementing it is harder. How to handle what comes after the sale.
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Doing Business Globally: Your Bank Holidays Don’t Count
When you’re doing business globally, you might find yourself traveling on Easter and giving presentations on Sunday morning
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Investment Metrics for Climate Change: Thoughts from an Engineer and Entrepreneur
Learn why investment metrics for climate change need to take into account bang-for-the-buck and a long-term perspective.
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ISO 27001 vs SOC 2: What Startups Must Know
Enterprise customers demand security compliance. Learn why startups must choose ISO 27001, SOC 2, or both — and how to keep costs in check.
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Summer Slowdown: Perfect Time for Books, Big Ideas, and Bold Strategies
Strategy doesn’t just define what to do, it also defines what not to do. What an analogy for a summer slowdown day.
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The High Price of Exhaustion: Why Entrepreneurs Can’t Afford to Be Tired
Entrepreneurs can’t afford to be tired and must prioritize rest. A late-night error taught me that lesson the hard way.
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Leadership Lessons from the Military for Entrepreneurs
Hands-on skills, crisis management, and planning with options are just some leadership lessons from the military I use every day.
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How to Identify the Military Guys in Daily Life
You spot them by their attitude, not their uniform. That’s how you identify the military guys in daily life.
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Why Every Software Company Needs a Chief Bug Officer
Every software company needs a Chief Bug Officer. Learn how bug ownership improves quality, speed, and customer trust.
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Why Talking About Trust Too Much Is a Red Flag
Genuine trust is shown, not spoken. Talking about trust too much in business or relationships may signal the exact opposite.
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Why Smart Entrepreneurs Commute by Train
Entrepreneurs commute by train to stay productive, get home on time, and avoid the daily grind of traffic. And there is another benefit.
