Satori #2: Month One: Between Freedom, Focus, and the Unknown

One month has already flown by. Slowly, I’m beginning to get used to this new sense of freedom.
Every now and then, small and large client requests pop up — and what a wonderful feeling that is.
It gives me my first real glimpse into digital‑nomad life and reassures me that my clients are handling the situation far better than I ever expected.
Fortunately, the requests stayed within limits, allowing us to continue focusing on our internal projects.

The first month in Taiwan was something special, with far more adjustment than expected — from the way we work to the way we eat.

One morning, while walking toward Kaohsiung City Central Park, a wave of joy hit me —
Is this what work is supposed to feel like? Completely location‑independent, wandering the world, and still being highly productive?
In the remaining weeks, I want to lean into this even more, to see where this way of working leads me — or how much productivity is left at the end of the day. ;)

Manchmal macht es allein mehr Spaß

In the past few days, I’ve noticed how much I enjoyed going on adventures alone.
Detaching myself from the group for a few hours — or even days — and letting the country carry me without a fixed destination.
Never before have I met so many people and discovered so many incredible places.
Yes, this life could truly bring me joy.
Stepping out of my comfort zone is what matters most — nothing brings more excitement and energy than knowing you’re navigating uncharted waters.

Ansonsten ist es gemeinsam doch schöner ?

What could be more fun than discovering new places together and collecting new experiences along the way?
Exactly — a win‑win situation for the whole group.
I’ve really enjoyed the time with my two travel companions and I’m grateful we took this leap into adventure together.
The only bittersweet part is that my girlfriend couldn’t join me this time — because at the end of the day, she’s still my favorite adventurer. My Robin.

Das liebe Gluten

Naive as I am, I always let myself believe that eating gluten‑free in Asia would be easy:
“They use rice for everything anyway.”
True — but soy sauce also comes from Asia (Japan), and it’s celebrated everywhere, just like wheat.
I can hardly think of another region with more baked specialties on the menu.

Naturally, I managed to give myself a gluten poisoning within the first two weeks — each time knocking me out for three to four days.
Either I was completely drained or dealing with migraines. Great start.
But once I got through that and started eating only at home, things slowly improved.

I’m grateful that my companions try to watch their gluten intake and look out for me — reducing the risk of contamination to a minimum. That’s far from a given.
And I try not to immediately see them as potential threats whenever they bite into a delicious piece of bread — not always easy.

The best ideas are born out of necessity.

That’s exactly what happened here.
For years, I’ve been on the verge of finally working on my gluten app.
And thanks to these new experiences — with my companions and with the city — I’m more motivated than ever.

Arbeiten 2.0 ?

One of the biggest adjustments for me is the ability to work and stay reachable while on the move.
In Germany, this is much harder — an LTE plan alone costs 80 to 100 euros, and even then you have to be lucky to get a signal.
Here in Taiwan, it’s much easier: no matter where you are, you almost always have excellent reception — for just 25 euros a month!

Was machen die eigenen Projekte?

Projects? They’re running!
Among other things, we launched VeganFacts.de in the past weeks and started work on three additional projects.
If all goes well, they should all be launched in one form or another by early April.

With a completely clear mind and full focus on ourselves, entirely new ideas emerge — ideas that now need to be explored and validated.
So the motto is: stay on it!

Learnings

Freedom and focus make all the difference — especially for people like us, people who love to work and work a lot.
I truly hope we can bring all our ideas and portfolio projects to life, so we can share them with you and continue developing them together.

Was ist mit euren Kunden?

Of course, we didn’t neglect them.
While Staffbase gave us the freedom to grow, others reduced the workload a bit.
We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunities this created and proud to work with such great companies.

At the beginning, there was — understandably — a more than healthy amount of skepticism. But it faded quickly.

Vertrauen

Actions speak louder than words.
At first, there was — understandably — a more than healthy dose of skepticism.
But it disappeared quickly once we delivered exactly as promised.

After the first two weeks, clients practically enjoyed sending us their briefings the day before —
only to click through the iterations and proposals the next morning.
Now the real challenge will be getting them used to a different rhythm again once April comes.

Kurzgesagt

The first month passed in no time, and we even managed to launch one of our projects already (veganfacts.de).
So far, the focus seems to have paid off.
Still, I’m already looking forward to going home — to my girlfriend.

If I could wish for one thing for the final month, it would be that we don’t lose our momentum and continue working steadily on our projects.
And honestly, when it comes to my friend and business partner, I’m not worried at all —
if anyone can stay focused even under the worst conditions, it’s him.