Earlier Ideas

My first big idea came to me in my mid-twenties.

The first big one hit me at Robben & Wientjes, standing in the never-ending queue to rent a vehicle. Surely there has to be a simpler and more efficient way. You just walk up to a container (similar to a DHL parcel locker today), grab the key, the container takes the deposit by card and you are done. Returning it the same way — with photos taken by a disposable camera as proof. (I know, from today's perspective, total environmental pollution.)

The second idea, which I pursued more seriously because so much was digitally possible at the time, was a paid Q&A platform on the internet. You attach a monetary offer to your question, and a pre-vetted professional answers it if the offer is right. Unfortunately I could not build the website alone, and having professionals do it would have cost several hundred thousand, which was beyond my means — and investors said no. Half a year later, however, a site with a very similar concept launched in Germany with plenty of investor funding. It would have been seriously exciting.

The third idea came from another one of my passions: the sauna. Ideally every day — but renting one privately is incredibly difficult and partly illegal. What about renting a private sauna for 3 hours? What would I pay to use one three times a week? Sure, there are plenty of good spas and saunas in and around Berlin, but the journey is annoying and Berlin is just so packed — because you can only go on Saturdays, Sundays or evenings, and the 1–2 hour commute often just is not worth it.
On top of that, you get the feeling in Berlin that spas no longer feel the need to make an effort, since a thousand people will show up regardless of the price — and yet during peak times (yes, I am unfortunately just an employee) there are not even seats in the relaxation rooms, let alone loungers. Lying outside in summer only works if you do not end up next to smokers… So, idea there — could it work? It failed on one banality: sauna rental alone does not bring in enough money; everything would have to come from drinks and food. At that point it is more of a restaurant or bistro.
As I said, it was eventually executed very well by someone else, though the rental price is now five times what I had in mind. I have been there a few times — unfortunately not a weekly thing for me at those prices.

The fourth idea was a YouTube channel about environmental topics.
Naturally, it failed completely after a month — partly due to politics, and who wants to hear or see that detached family homes are actually an environmental sin? Why is there a subsidy for them when they need far more energy than rented flats — exterior walls, square metres, and so on.
Do not worry, I will not go further — it would just be bashing, and I cannot blame anyone for making that choice. We were standing at that crossroads ourselves once and consciously decided against it after a few weeks of house-sitting for my brother-in-law. (You will have to ask me about the reasons.) So instead we spend the money elsewhere — yes, including on my annual challenges and crazy ideas. And we spoil our kids — sometimes a little too much…