100% Digital Guided Self-development for Everyone

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Anouk Harde, Co-Founder and CEO of onesome, located in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We have developed an app with which we completely digitized coaching and personal development. Our customers are companies and all their employees, even those for whom coaching was previously not an option. Our vision is to make personality development available to more people since we are convinced that it enhances the most relevant skills for the future and empowers employees to use their strengths and be better people, colleagues, and leaders.

Tell us about yourself

I've had a lot of touchpoints with coaching since I was a kid, but at the same time, I was also very interested in digitalization and human-machine interaction. Together with my co-founders Swantje and Nadine, I have managed to combine coaching and digitalization in one product and combine the best of both worlds.

As a founder, I am involved in all topics of our start-up. This satisfies the curiosity that has always been there and requires me to always learn new things. I can use my strengths of "solving problems" and "making decisions." I really enjoy thinking ahead and driving and forming the strategy and vision. In doing so, I can marvel at the detailed work, where others are so much better than I am. By far, the best part of my job, though, is my team and each individual I get to work with.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think my biggest accomplishment is having moments where I realize how much I have learned in the meantime. For example, I got over myself to give a talk in front of a lot of people, and I realized that I could present well (after all)! Already in my childhood, I liked to present but got more and more afraid of it growing up. I want to go back to enjoying presentations and will follow that goal in the next year. 2022 was the year of learnings for me/us. The learnings ranged from: "Structured and accompanied onboarding for new employees is irreplaceable" to "I can use train journeys independently of a stable network connection. For deep work phases or real exchange with my co-founders or colleagues". From my point of view, it is definitely a great accomplishment to learn from mistakes and to constantly develop and try to do better next time.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

At the beginning of every business start-up, there is a vision or a dream, but in most cases, also a well-thought-out plan. I think the hardest thing is to try to determine all contingencies and difficulties in advance, but things that you didn't expect will always happen - no matter how well you have thought about it. Uncertainty is part of the start-up. That won't change, you just have to get used to it. One of the most important learnings from the past year is, for example, that a pitch deck is never finished. :-)

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Be patient with your business and yourself.
Have confidence in your team and be ready to hand over responsibility.
The most important thing is that you - yourself stand behind the idea.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://onesome.de/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anouk-harde/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadine-priessnitz/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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