Relaxound Anniversary Story 03: About money and really important things

The Zwitscherbox almost didn't exist. Because we didn't get a loan for a long time. Many banks did not believe in the idea. It was too new. And so it turned out to be very difficult to obtain financial support. Philipp and Dennis put their own money into building Relaxound. But as demand grew steadily, they needed more funds to be able to mass-produce the Zwitscherbox. And then came an even bigger problem.

The demand

“More and more people wanted a Zwitscherbox! What sounded great at first soon turned out to be quite difficult. We couldn't keep up with soldering, assembling and packing!” More and more often, Philipp and Dennis worked through whole nights to process the orders. “Despite increasing demand, we didn't make any money either, because we invested everything right back into new materials. So we were going around in circles.”

The problem

“Those years took us to our limits”, Philipp nods thoughtfully. “We were starting to run out of steam. When we weren't building Zwitscherboxes in Dennis' apartment, we were looking for a bank loan. We didn't get much sleep during that time!” Philip pauses. "And then suddenly I received devastating news: I had cancer. A short time later, I was struggling to drag myself to bank appointments.”

The rescue 01

The diagnosis presented Philipp with new challenges. “Suddenly there was something much bigger I had to take care of. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that having a goal keeps you going!” Philipp faced up to his illness, started living more consciously, and underwent therapies. And he got well again. “The Zwitscherbox helped me. Definitely! Believing in something has incredible power. An idea gives you energy!”

The rescue 02

After a seemingly endless series of loan rejections, Philipp and Dennis meet René Stephan. He is the first bank advisor to understand the potential of the idea. “OK, I did think it was unusual," he explains. “But that can also be a strength, right?” The experienced business economist developed a financial concept for Relaxound and finally gave the green light for a business loan. Finally, they could move forward!

The production

The Zwitscherbox could now be produced in large quantities. Finding the right partners would be material for the next step. At this point, first things first: After several months of research, long checklists, phone calls and meetings, the professional production of the Zwitscherbox started. Now, Philipp and Dennis could finally treat themselves to something as well: They paid themselves a salary for the first time.

Fun fact at the end

The advice from another bank advisor: “Forget about it: That will never work!”