After selling my website, the vehicle transport GmbH I launched quickly collapsed into insolvency. Criminal charges for delayed filing of insolvency (Strafanzeige wegen Insolvenzverschleppung) followed—though the proceedings were ultimately dropped—along with tax liabilities that led me to file for personal bankruptcy in 2016. Fortunately, a trade release allowed me to remain self-employed and retain my income. In hindsight, that failure was a stroke of luck: the company was a heavy liability that would have controlled me rather than the other way around. The crisis forced me to deeply re-examine my life, my goals, and my core values.
