Advance in Leadership Pt. 2 - Franzi von Hardenberg

We would like to share the most exciting insights and best tips from our Instagram live session with Franzi von Hardenberg with you. Franzi von Hardenberg is the founder of THE SISS BLISS, a jewelry company that produces personalized real gold jewelry from 100% recycled gold. Christina spoke to her about entrepreneurship and her “have it all” mindset as part of our “Advance in...” series. They also reveal that we will be having a joint pop-up event at our store in Zurich (Storchengasse 6) on 12.12.!

Christina Stahl: Hi Franzi, so nice that our conversation worked out so spontaneously before your vacation. For anyone who might be new here, would you like to briefly introduce yourself?

Franzi von Hardenberg: With great pleasure. So, I'm Franzi von Hardenberg, founder of THE SISS BLISS and BLISSBANG Capital. At THE SISS BLISS, we make personalized real gold jewelry from 100% recycled gold, which we have individually crafted for our customers in German master manufacturers.
And because we have always been very interested in gold, we discovered that Germany has the second largest gold reserves in the world. We then asked ourselves why there is actually no one who recycles this old gold and brings it back into the cycle in a gentle way. That's why I founded a second company, BLISSBANG Capital, with which we want to establish the world's first self-contained gold cycle.
We also have a roadshow concept with which we travel throughout Germany twice a year. We are very pleased that we will be able to do a pop-up with you in Zurich in December.

Christina Stahl: Yes, I'm really looking forward to that too! You're not just an entrepreneur, you're also a mother and you've built a house on the side. I'd be interested to know how you came up with your “have it all” mindset - you're kind of known for that too.

Franzi von Hardenberg: So, I think it's primarily about the definition of “have it all”. And I think, to start with, I have to say that I not only believe in it, I live it.
For me, the definition of “have it all” is very clear: it doesn't mean that you can have everything at all times. For me, “Have it all” rather means that you - or that I wish you - could use this mantra to encourage women to make self-determined decisions. Because I have the feeling that women in society in particular, whether at work or in their private lives, are very much influenced by the opinions of others - be it friends, partners, society or social media.
We have completely forgotten how to listen to our own compass and gut feeling and allow ourselves to be influenced far too much from the outside.

Christina Stahl: I find that super inspiring. I was just shaking my head a bit myself because my question sounded a bit like a criticism: “How are you going to manage all that?” I don't mean it like that at all. I think that this judgment is the main problem, because everyone is allowed to do what they want. It's nice to see that it's possible if you consciously decide to combine these things.

Franzi von Hardenberg: I didn't misunderstand that at all. It's a question I'm often asked because it's often said that “having it all is not possible”. You read that again and again. It puts women under pressure, but I think it's important and nice to turn the whole thing around and say: it's not pressure that you have to, but it's a possibility that we can and are allowed to. We can be independent, experience things, have children or not - just as we like. For me, “having it all” means above all making self-determined decisions, and that can go in any direction. I have the greatest respect for friends who say: “We are full-on at home, looking after the family”, because that suits them. That's just as “have it all” because they enjoy it and live it with passion - just like the madness I've built for myself. The important thing is that “have it all” doesn't mean that everyone has to do everything like me, but that everyone has to find out for themselves what the best life is for them and how they can work on living that life.

Christina Stahl: I think it's so beautiful that you say it's a conscious, individual choice. I actually read in Shonda Rhimes' book on this “have it all” theme that she says, “Shonda, how do you do it all?” And then she says, “I don't,” because she has a support system. She gets support, whether it's assistants, a cleaner or someone to help her with childcare.
What are your everyday supports that help you to live all these different areas?

Franzi von Hardenberg: I don't actually have an assistant - I do everything in the office myself. We book flights, travel and everything else ourselves. That's something I always save on, which is kind of stupid of course, because then I'd have more time for other things. But on the other hand, I always think to myself: “Oh come on, I'll do it myself quickly, or I'll do it in the evening or at night.” I just don't allow myself to do it, although of course I need to.
However, my team does an incredible amount for me and helps with many different things, but there is no personal assistance.

I also have to say that it's important to keep asking yourself what phase of life you're currently in and what setup you need for that phase. We had a fantastic nanny at the very beginning, then an au pair during the coronavirus period, which saved us because my husband and I were able to work through the lockdown. Now that my children are nine and seven and we've moved house, we don't need as much help.
My children are getting older now, school is down the road from us and they need less supervision. That's why we've changed the setup. I now work from home on Wednesdays and pick up the children at lunchtime, my husband does it on Thursdays and I'm always at home on Fridays anyway. On the other days, we still have some help around the house. It's important that I really have time for the family and the children when I'm there.

Christina Stahl: Yes, but I think it's great that you're so transparent about it.
What helps you in your daily business to decide what is absolutely important and what can be left to one side? Do you have a rule that helps you to set better priorities?

Franzi von Hardenberg: Everything is equally important. We work on many topics in parallel - basically, there are four companies. I also have Have it all GmbH, with which we organized the “Have it all” Summit for the first time this year with 100 participants. There are so many topics that we are working on in parallel. It's getting more rather than less. But I love it and am incredibly grateful for this flexibility. I've been doing this for twelve years now and always thought that you have more freedom when you're self-employed. I'm now really grateful because I have the feeling that my team is behind me and supports me. Communication is the key here.

Christina Stahl: Thank God, thank God. I thought you were going to say it would get easier after twelve years. I've been following you for a long time and I know that it's not getting any less, but you still always have the carrot that you hold out to yourself and say: “Okay, give it two more years, then the structures will be in place, then it will get less.” But then new projects and challenges come along.

Franzi von Hardenberg: Yes, that's true. At my first company, Bloomy Days, we worked towards an exit, but it's completely different now. We are now completely bootstrapped. I started with 500 euros, very sustainably and organically, which suits me much better. I've learned to enjoy the journey and not just work towards the goal.

Christina Stahl: I think it's really great that you're telling me this. I think I needed to hear that today. It's getting good, but you're still kind of in the grind and have your annual goals. But you radiate: “Love the journey and not the destination.” That's super nice, so thank you for that.
I have another question or I really want to include a quote from you here because I think it's so cool. You said in two podcasts that you would advise women who want to become entrepreneurs to “let it go”, because you simply need so much assertiveness, discipline and stamina that you can't do it if you don't want to do it on your own.
Another question for me is: you were also an employee. We are now both founders. When did you realize that you wanted to take the plunge?

Franzi von Hardenberg: I think you can feel that. If you're still struggling, it's not the right time yet. I always knew that I wanted to start a company. Entrepreneurship has always been a goal for me, it's the only thing I know how to do. I see things differently to others, I have a different approach, and that helps me on this journey.
I had to work in other companies first and gained a lot of experience there before I took the plunge. But I knew when the right moment had come.

Christina Stahl: That is very inspiring. Thank you so much for your transparency, honesty and authenticity, Franzi. I'm really looking forward to the pop-up event in Zurich on December 12 and wish you a wonderful vacation for now.

Franzi von Hardenberg: Thank you for the invitation, and we look forward to December! 

You can still find the whole Instagram live session here on our Instagram channel.