What made you take the leap in entrepreneurship?

I dreamt of running my own business since I was a teenager. My parents run their own family business since over 30 years, and my Sicilian grandfather was known for his countless business ideas and adventures. He was actually one of the first people to produce and sell Mozzarella in Germany in the 1970ies – a true visionary (and cheese lover).

Growing up with these entrepreneurial role models has always inspired me to dream big and carve out my own path in my life and career. It also gave me the courage to jump in at the deep end over 3.5 years ago, quitting my full time job as a user researcher in Munich, following my curiosity to learn more about yoga and mindfulness.

While completing my 18-month-long yoga teacher training in London, a few yoga teacher friends asked me for help with their websites and online visibility. Through my years of studying and working in digital strategy, I was not only able to help them, but suddenly the dots started to connect. So I took the leap and founded Palms Up Club to bring together some of my big passions: wellbeing, tech & online strategy, and entrepreneurship.

What’s your favorite part about being your own boss?

As a person who loves to learn and experience new things, I really like the constant personal growth that you experience as an entrepreneur. I feel like I’m learning something new every single day. Growth will always get uncomfortable at times, but you can’t hide away or avoid it as an entrepreneur, because it’s just you – and if you won’t take action, nobody else will. So you really have to learn to face your fears and work towards overcoming them, over and over again.

Another thing I love about being my own boss is the flexibility and sense of freedom I have. It no longer feels like my life is being lived and dictated by other people and norms. I am the one making my own rules. Even though I have to work way harder than ever before, life feels so much more authentic.

Do you have any work philosophies that drive your business?

SO many ☺. As a recovering perfectionist, one of my guiding mantras is ‘progress over perfection’. I have very high standards for my work and I care deeply about it, so it’s hard for me to feel like anything is ever good enough. That’s why I have to be extra mindful in my daily working life to remind myself that things have to be DONE, not perfect. Otherwise it’s impossible to run and scale a business.

Another idea that I always come back to is: my business, my decisions. I’m the one who makes the decisions for my business. And I’m the only one who knows and sees the whole big picture and vision. On the one side, it can feel scary to be the key decision-maker. However, once you start embracing that you get to make your own decisions, the ones that feel good and right to you, it’s also an amazing and really empowering thought. It helps to waste less time comparing yourself to others and feel more confident in building an authentic business that works for you.

What does “bringing breath to business” mean for you and your brand?

For me it’s about understanding that I’m in this for the long run. When I started my business, I thought it was all about quick successes. I had this really clear, big vision in my head, and very little patience to make it all come to life. So I was working way too much, setting no boundaries and almost burning out along the way.

When you have a business, your life around it doesn’t just stop. There will be stuff going on in your private life, you have to look after your own mental health and wellbeing and nurture your relationships and hobbies as well. It can’t be all business all the time.

Once I started to think more long-term and more holistically, I understood that business success alone will not make me happy. It’s about the big picture.

At times you might be able to invest a big chunk of your time and energy into your business. Other times life will throw you curve balls and you’ve got to truly accept that and roll with it, if you want to make entrepreneurship work for you.

What’s your biggest tip for social media success?

Be consistent, value quality over quantity and show your face. There is such an information overload on social media, which makes it hard to break through the noise and be heard. People connect with people, so don’t be afraid to show your face and let your personality shine through.

I know it can be scary, but explore using video on your social media. Videos evoke a stronger emotional connection to your audience than most other content forms. It also helps to increase your visibility online and capture the attention of your audience. Besides, online platforms are leaning more and more towards favouring video content.

Most importantly: find a healthy way to use social media. Consuming social media mindlessly can have a negative effect on your mental health, and it can be a massive time sink. Find out what works for you personally.

What would be the one piece of advice you’d give to someone working to “find their passion or purpose”?/piece of advice you’d give to someone working on building a brand/business?

Stop looking for your one true passion or purpose and start following your curiosity instead. I honestly believe that the whole idea of finding your one big passion in life puts a lot of pressure on us and is probably an impossible objective.

As humans, we always keep on developing and evolving. Additionally, we live in a time where trends, topics and ideas are changing faster than ever before. So chances are that, over the course of a life, we will come across countless things we feel passionate or purposeful about. And that’s the whole beauty of it!

We could spend years and years overthinking what our passion or purpose in this life might be. I can only speak for myself, but I found that the answers will not come by thinking about them. Instead, start doing and trying things, getting out there, following your curiosity, step after step, keeping an open mind, staying curious about all the adventures and surprises along the way.