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

Property of Stefan Klumpp

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:

Email | Facebook Website | Vantrepreneur FB Group

  • Connect with Optimizing for Happiness:

Website |  Twitter  | Facebook | Instagram

  • Connect with Mobile Jazz:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Music Credit:

Take Action:

Money can’t buy you happiness, right? So what makes you happier than money and what are you willing to do for it?

Jacob Sokol: Taking on the World to Find True Happiness

Jacob Sokol thought he had it all.

Yet something was missing.

His search took him to South East Asia.

Now he helps turn other people’s pain into purpose and power.

It’s a pleasure to introduce, Jacob Sokol.

“Travel is a vehicle to learn who we are, what’s important to us and what’s possible in life.” – Jacob Sokol  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • How traveling helps self-understanding
  • Why not having it all figured out can be liberating
  • How understanding other people’s pain can lead to a high quality life for you
  • Why quit a 6 figure salary job to travel the world
  • Why it is realistic to be unrealistic 
  • How Jacob got Tim Ferris to take him to a Jets game with Gary Vaynerchuk
  • How travel has helped to create meaningful true happiness…. by understanding the world
  • Recreating the thrill of travel at home

Lovely Links:

Sensophy | Twitter | Facebook

Music Credits:

Take Action:

Take a look at your environment and relationships around you at the moment – are these conducive to the changes you want to see in life?

Let us know in the comments.