According to the interview, Ein guter Plan (“A good Plan”) was born out of necessity and became a virtue: one of the founders, Jan Lenarz, was struggling with burnout and thus found his way to mindfulness. Together with his girlfriend Milena Glimbovski, who seemed to have fallen into a similar diagnosis, they questioned the attitude of the start-up world as a self-exploitation industry. Because they were part of it themselves: while Jan Vehement had founded the only sustainable extreme sports brand, Milena was the first owner of a store for products without disposable packaging in Berlin with Original Unverpackt. Milena is originally from Siberia and emigrated from Moldova to Germany with her parents.
They came up with an idea to break the cycle of performance mode and total exhaustion: the daily preoccupation with whether we pay attention to our needs helps to ground us - they put this idea into the form of a small diary.
Launched in 2015, Ein guter Plan is now Germany's most popular brand for mindfulness calendars and journals. The iconic design and ecological production have won numerous awards.
Ein guter Plan has a diverse product range that aims to help people structure their lives and achieve their goals. With a range of planners and notebooks, "Ein guter Plan" offers creative solutions for the individual needs of its users. The selection ranges from classic annual planners to specialized task and project planners and creative diaries.
Over the years, the products have been greatly expanded and the founders have repeatedly taken a critical look at the topic of mindfulness. Because: the topic had become hype. However, Ein guter Plan is not just quick to jump on the bandwagon, but emphasizes a combination of traditional mindfulness approaches with the basic assumption that society also contributes to the permanent exhaustion of the individual. This is why self-compassion is also an important component of the planners' concept.
The company attaches particular importance to environmental protection and aims to set new standards in the industry by developing the two seals Vegan Book and Free from Foil.
MOTIVATION FOR BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR?
The two were primarily driven by their own concerns: there is often little room for work-life balance in start-ups. Especially when you want to realize your own dream, you like to put your time into the company. You are prepared to "go the extra mile", as many startup job advertisements put it.
Milena got involved in environmental issues early on and built up a network. This in turn led to contacts that were helpful in setting up her two companies.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR - CHALLENGES FACED & HOW YOU HAVE OVERCOME.
Although burnout was seen as the initial spark for the start-up idea, it was also one of the challenges that had to be overcome. Of course, in an exceptional situation like this, you quickly reach your breaking point.
So they came up with the idea of only printing a small edition for their own network and not setting up their own company for the time being. They made a crowdfunding video and launched a campaign on Startnext. The goal of €15,000 for 600 books was to be reached within 30 days. However, the target was reached after just a few hours at the end of the campaign. Their idea was overfunded by 1,200%, making it the most successful German crowdfunding campaign for a product at the time.
Despite the overwhelming success and positive media response, there were also challenges in terms of business know-how. Milena had no knowledge of business administration and an expert was only brought into the team at a late stage. The founders learned an important lesson from this: Business management skills should be given greater consideration right from the start.
BENEFITS YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED/POSITIVE IMPACTS?
When Milena moved to Germany with her parents in 1995, it was hard to feel at home. Going to a café and enjoying her coffee, her parents thought "Only the others do that, it’s not us". But Milena refused to accept this attitude. She transformed her parents' belief into an empowering thought: my being different is an asset to society! She brings this spirit to all her projects.
PLANS & VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
What began a few years ago as a small idea for personal use has now developed into the most popular and ecological brand for mindfulness in Germany. All expectations have been exceeded many times over. The new goal now is to appreciate the success and continue to do a good job without exploiting itself or the concept. An addition to the range is planned where it makes sense, but just as much love will continue to be put into each book as into the first titles. This aspiration is being met, as you can see from the many fantastic reviews for the newer works. They are full of drive to bring their core themes of mindfulness, burnout prevention and self-love to the forefront of society.
