You are finally taking the leap to found the company you have been dreaming about? Get ready for exciting times and the challenge to balance many moving pieces! For our series The Tough First Years As a Founder, we have asked four different founders from the German Entrepreneurship network about their early days of establishing a business. In today’s episode, Julian Feser (28), Co-Founder and Head of Business Development of Einfach E-Auto, talks about his experiences with founding the startup in 2019 and shares some great advice.
What is Einfach E-Auto? Einfach E-Auto is an online platform that makes the transition to electric mobility as simple as booking a flight. Customers receive an individually tailored, all-inclusive package, consisting of an electric vehicle, a charging solution, green electricity, and more.
Founded in: May 2019 in Gauting
Founded by: Konstantin Dietzel, Dennis Lindauer, Sebastian Dietzel, Julian Feser

Julian, how and when did you start Einfach E-Auto?
When did you decide to work full-time for Einfach E-Auto?
How did your environment react to you founding a company?
While you were deciding on a career as a founder, many of your fellow students started working for large corporations. How do you deal with the fact that founding a company brings financial restrictions?

What is it like to suddenly have lots of responsibility and make far-reaching decisions?
You have three co-founders. Does that make the situation easier?
Meanwhile, you hired the first employees and are looking for even more staff. What is it like to be an employer?

Do you remember the first moment when you wanted to give up everything?
Do you have mentors who help you in such difficult situations?
As a young founder, what does your work-life balance look like?
When meeting friends, is your business the No. 1 topic?
Do you wish that your friends would ask more often how you are doing as a person?
How do you reduce all the stress that comes with being self-employed and working independently?

Which 3 tips would you give to young founders who are just starting their journey?
1. Do not Overthink.
It is easy to think too much and overthink every detail. The best thing to do is just start with an MVP and try to sell it.
2. Get Help!
We have participated in different accelerator programs which have helped us a lot. They approach things in a structured way and talk you through all areas from product, HR, finance, sales to marketing. That helps.
3. Set Yourself Goals.
Building a new business is a huge project that can seem overwhelming sometimes. The only thing that helps is to do it piece by piece. We work with Scrum and set ourselves 2-week goals. This sets the tasks for the next two weeks and afterwards we are proud of how much we have achieved as a team. And then, of course, just as important: Celebrate Your Successes!