Stefan Klumpp: Why Focusing on Happiness Makes this Company more Money

What this episode covers

From high school dropout in Germany, to a self-driving car engineer in Silicon Valley, Stefan’s journey to co-founder of Mobile Jazz is anything but expected. I heard about Stefan’s innovative ‘happiness first’ business model from Johannes Voelkner of the Nomad Cruise, and knew I had to get Stefan on the show. In this interview Stefan shares his philosophy on prioritizing happiness over a paycheck, his love for travel, living in a Fiat camper van and spending his days kiteboarding. “Even today when I talk to people, I sometimes say, ‘If all my businesses went bankrupt, my bank account was set to zero, I wouldn’t be worried because I could leverage my network, leverage my skills and just start up again.'” – Stefan Klumpp Travel Topics: * How a high school dropout can become a successful entrepreneur [2:08] * Moving to Silicon Valley to race self-driving cars through the desert [6:29] * Getting hooked on kiteboarding [8:30] * Yes…. Island fever is real! [10:10] * What to do when you go broke in Spain [13:06] * How to become a self-taught mobile app developer [13:20] * Ha! Turns out, mobile was not just a fad! [13:49] * The simple principles of entrepreneurship [17:57] * How to create a unique office environment and pay model for your startup [21:52] * Organizational advice: First up – Start spreadsheets! [27:52] * Why Stefan took a personal financial hit to grow the business [29:00] * Low overhead = Personal freedom [29:46] * The simplicity of camper van life [31:11] * Security issues inherent with traveling in a camper van [34:32] * How Stefan measures happiness [38:06] * The nomad working on the beach myth dispelled! [40:13] * Clickbait vs Quality content [43:46] Stefan Klumpp’s Talking Points: * Check out cool camper vans * Kiteboarding in Tarifa, Spain * Read unique Mobile Jazz reviews on SE Asia, Cape Town and Sri Lanka * Connect with Stefan: Email | Facebook | Website | Vantrepreneur FB Group Connect with Optimizing for Happiness: Website |  Twitter  | Facebook | Instagram Connect with Mobile Jazz: Website...