Sandra: From a family care situation to her own branch from home

I firmly believe that every person has the right to self-determination and has the chance here to make their dreams and wishes come true. I'm Sandra, I'm 44 and I live in the beautiful Osnabrück region in Germany.

My story is a bit different. I come from classic self-employment: I've worked in media for 15 years. It's a fast-paced, stressful industry, and every few years you're looking for new clients. It went really well for me, I achieved a lot. And then suddenly something turned everything upside down.

If you're self-employed, you know this: an unplanned challenge comes along and suddenly you feel like you're stuck in a maze. What happened to me? A family member needed care, and I could no longer work the way I wanted. I was limited in time, limited in where I could be, nothing was the way it used to be. I couldn't work as much, but I still had fixed costs and orders to finish. Basically, I was stuck in the hamster wheel.

I looked for a solution: something where I could arrange my time so that I could work from home. Something I enjoy and that gives me a perspective and a sense of security, in an industry that is growing and resilient in a crisis. I'm so happy that I came across this opportunity.

You know the feeling: you try to achieve something and realise the saw blade just isn't sharp enough anymore. Then you either sharpen it or find a new one. That's exactly what I did, and I'm really happy, because now I can work from home. I can plan my time flexibly, the way I want, and spend a lot of time with my partner.

I've also found great, lovely colleagues here. And the best part: I work with the people I really want to work with. That matters a lot to me. Everyone knows those grumpy office colleagues who spread bad moods. I don't have that anymore.

Travel is a big topic for us. So I was even more delighted to find out that I also have the opportunity here to travel to dream destinations around the world. Of course I have to do something for that too, that's only logical. But it comes easily, and we have a great team.

Personally, I discovered the opportunity of my life and took it. I threw myself into it with enthusiasm, worked with people who bring me joy, and moved up the career ladder quickly. That's how I was able to dig up my buried dreams and goals, which had really been lying idle, and start making them happen. I can only recommend it to everyone: believe in your own dreams, dig them up again, and take the opportunity of your life.