Meditation, affirmation and a “weekly fight club” – this founder swears by mindfulness exercises

Julian Wiedenhaus is CEO and founder of Plancraft, a startup that aims to drive digitalization in the skilled trades industry. Together with co-founders Alexander Noll and Richard Keil, he developed a software solution that consolidates all administrative tasks of a skilled trades business on a single platform – from order management to the creation of quotes and invoices to project tracking.

In the summer of 2024, Plancraft secured twelve million euros in a Series A round led by Swedish VC Creandum. Today, Plancraft has more than 80 employees and plans to expand into the European market.

The goal of Plancraft is to provide craftspeople with freedom – in terms of time, location, and also mentally, says Wiedenhaus. Mental freedom also plays a major role in the founder's private life. The 31-year-old has been meditating daily for more than five years, and for no less important reason. For Wiedenhaus, mindfulness exercises and reflection are prerequisites for long-term performance, both personally and within the company. However, he also notes that mindfulness exercises can look different for everyone. They don't necessarily have to involve meditation and affirmation. The important thing is to find out for yourself what helps you cope with the stressful and demanding daily life of a founder and stay healthy in the long term.

In the calendar check, Wiedenhaus explains why meditation, affirmation, and journaling are part of his daily routine, why he also does mindfulness exercises with his team, and gives tips on how to get started with meditation.