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Interview with Claudia - co-founder of @coaching.cards

· Coaching,Personal Growth,business development

When we first came across coaching cards, we were pretty curious about the product, but had not much expectations. Then we spent a fun afternoon in our headquarters playing around with the "Kreativer Markenworkshop" set. Few days later we test drived "Team up!" with a start up in Berlin Mitte. We were astonished how many new ideas came into our minds by just answering the "right" questions and changing the perspective.
We researched and read more about the winner of Proof-of-Concept by Entrepreneurship Summit 2016 - @coaching.cards. And it was clear: we wanted to interview the creative head behind the project and co-founder Claudia Lommel for @ichselbstaendig. Luckily for us Claudia was very open and agreed to the interview.
Claudia is an amazing positive spirit and her answers radiate her love to her entrepreneural journey. Read Claudia's interview in the next posts.

PS our special thanks goes to Thorsten - secret hero behind @coaching.cards

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@ichselbstaendig: Claudia, welcome to our #heroine_the_week Tuesdays!
Claudia: Thank you! I am thrilled to be part of your project!

 

@ichselbstaendig: In 2012 you started your Freelance adventure, was it a hard decision to take? Did you ever regret the step?


Claudia: It was certainly a hard decision for me to give up a so-called “safe” job, but I have gained so much in exchange! I now enjoy tremendous creative and personal freedom. Today I pursue a variety of creative activities than when I was working full-time. Also, it eventually paid off financially too.

@ichselbstaendig: In 2012 you started your Freelance adventure, was it a hard decision to take? Did you ever regret the step?

@ichselbstaendig: Claudia, can you remember the time your interest in self-development and coaching first kicked in? What inspired you to create your own business with coaching cards?

 

Claudia: I‘ve always been very interested in coaching and psychology, even when I embarked on my creative career in graphic design. Now, I not only work as a freelance designer, but as a photographer as well. This is very fulfilling for me.
However, I find it interesting that the tools I use as a designer for developing a distinctive brand identity, also have a very positive coaching effect on my clients! I’ve noticed how much they love to talk about their ideas and vision, and as a result, their businesses reflect these personal values. The more questions I ask, the more I feel their passion, and this helps both of us to gain insight about what they want for their business. This is one of my favorite parts of my design job, and I feel blessed to be able to support people in doing what they love!

 

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@ichselbstaendig: Can you tell us more about how you and Thorsten (co-founder) split the responsibilities within your start-up? How do you handle conflict situations (if any at all pop-up)?
Claudia: When we create new card sets, we discuss our ideas and work on them together very closely. That‘s why we share authorship for each card set. However, for some card sets, there are also specific responsibilities. Thorsten, of course, is the principal author of the CODING.CARDS, which will be published next. I am principal author of the brand workshop “KREATIVER MARKENWORKSHOP”. But basically, we develop everything together.
As for the business, our roles are clearly defined.
Thorsten is in charge of all things business, accounting and shipping. As a talented software developer, he also takes care of the technical aspects, such as the website and our web shop.
As the creative director, I am responsible for all things design and photography related: the corporate design, web design, copywriting and of course the design of the card sets themselves.
We are lucky that we can do so many things ourselves, and we both love being creative in multiple ways!

@ichselbstaendig: Your coaching cards are beautifully made from esthetic point of view, is this solely your creation or did you have help from external sources?

Claudia: Thank you!! I love to hear this! It was my goal to create sets of beautiful, beneficial tools for people, so that they’ll really want to use them. So yes. They are solely my creation.

 

@ichselbstaendig: Who can benefit from your coaching cards - primarily large businesses, or also small ones?
Claudia: Both! But I think that small and midsize businesses will get the most benefits from COACHING.CARDS. The brand workshop “KREATIVER MARKENWORKSHOP” is perfect for solopreneurs, small start-ups or marketing teams. Larger companies would get the most assistance through booking a 1- or 2-day live workshop, which is excellent, but of course more expensive. The “KREATIVER MARKENWORKSHOP”-cards are the perfect way for small start-ups to get the perks of a brand workshop, but at a more affordable price!

 

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@ichselbstaendig: You have many passions in your life, do you have time for all of them?
Claudia: Ha! Excellent question!!! I definitely wish I had more time for photography especially, because it gives me a lot of energy and inspiration.

 

@ichselbstaendig: How do you structure your working day?
Claudia: I found that a morning routine is very effective for me. It is incredibly helpful to start the day with intention! I recommend the book “The Miracle Morning: The 6 Habits That Will Transform Your Life Before 8AM” by Hal Elrod. Believe me, when you start integrating these habits into your life, you get so much more done!

 


@ichselbstaendig: Do you believe that personal development is key for being successful entrepreneur and why?
Claudia: According to my experience, entrepreneurs are very interested in personal development. The entrepreneurs that I meet are all very inquisitive and open-minded. They have a constant thirst for learning and absorb every piece of information they get. They ask questions; they listen carefully. It‘s like the chicken and the egg: which came first?
Most entrepreneurs are extremely remarkable people, and I love being around them!


@ichselbstaendig: What is one most important question a beginner entrepreneur should ask themselves?
Claudia: What makes my heart sing?
What is my superpower?
What is my gift to the world?
Who needs what I have to offer?
How does he or she need it?
If I had to choose only one though it would be: What is my gift to the world?

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