A day with Fabian (Rebellious Communications)

August 13, 2024

Rebellious Communications came to Unicorn Workspaces in January 2024.

A message from Fabian to the world:

We’re Rebellious Communications – and personal branding is the main focus of our communication agency. We craft the LinkedIn accounts of Germany’s Top Voices and those looking to join their ranks. If you’re looking to level up your game, check out our recently introduced 5-hour master class for self-employed and early-stage founders focusing on LinkedIn personal branding (course fee: 300€).

It’s 8 a.m. Are you already wide awake, or still in a deep sleep?

My alarm is called Friedi, she’s my little dachshund. Her day starts around 6.30 am, so that’s pretty much when mine starts, too. We go outside, play a bit and start the day off really slowly. I can usually be spotted in the office from around 9.00 am. Then there’s journaling, starting in on my emails and enjoying the first cappuccino of the day. However, I really don’t have a set routine – except for skincare…gotta have sunscreen!

It’s 10 a.m., time for a team meeting. There’s a lot that has to be discussed. You’re making a lot of progress, even if everyone is not always in agreement. What makes a good team?

There’s nothing that always runs smoothly, having some friction is a part of it. I hire people for character, not per se for skills. So I pretty much expect some clashes. I want to be challenged and there are things that deserve rethinking. What’s solely important to me is that no one leaves a meeting in disagreement and that everyone has a clear objective in mind. We know what we are working for, and ultimately, it’s the results that count, not the way you managed to achieve them.

It’s 11 a.m. You have a meeting with a client. How do you plan on making a good impression?

Some people are social butterflies and others aren’t. My clients are a lively mixture, a demographic potpourri. That’s why it’s always helpful for me to be on the same wavelength with them. To some extent, there’s always a bit of personal life within business and I’m in close contact with my clients. We talk about all sorts of matters before we start doing business. What’s important for me is that we communicate transparently. This means being able to share your concerns, as well as your happiness about accomplishments. Quite honestly, even the flops are part of it, too. We can then address any situations that may have been a mismatch for our collaboration and work together on finding a solution. A disagreement can happen, but it doesn’t need to be repeated. That’s why solution-oriented thinking is extremely important.

It’s 1 p.m., time for a lunch break. Do you have a quick bite to eat and get back to work or take a more lengthy break?

I divide my day into blocks of 90 minute sprints and a 30 minute break. After each 90 minutes, I always devote myself to a new issue. Each block also includes 15 minutes for debriefing. For each day throughout the week there is a topical focus plus routine blocks that always take place at a set time and day. I need a certain amount of structure in my daily routine – even if it’s not easy to maintain that in the heat of the moment.

It’s 3 p.m. You’re having quite a day! Your meeting with the investors was a total success, but right before the next meeting your computer conks out. What will you do?

Setbacks are an everyday part of life for entrepreneurs. Every day’s a roller coaster. You experience extreme highs and lows as a business founder. So to stay on the ball, I view both success and failure in a moderate way. That’s how I maintain an inner balance. We put a lot into our work and love what we do – that’s also something I can recommend. Yet it’s just as important to distance yourself from what you’re doing. I myself think it’s important to know that I can be redundant in my business matters, that I’m not needed. Then I’m assured that things can also run without me and that takes a lot of stress off my shoulders. Another pro tip: your professional success does not define your worth as a human being. So you have to accept that sometimes business may not be going well – that’s okay and it should never alter the relationship you have with yourself.

It’s 4 p.m. and you have a meeting with the press. It gets a bit personal as they ask, “Have you been particularly influenced by someone?” and “What are you especially proud of?”.

I had various mentors in the course of my career who gave me advice and support at particular stages in my life. So I think I’m probably the sum of all the things I’ve been able to learn along the way. The most important lesson for me has been that every founder has different conditions when starting up. Comparing yourself to others will just make you frustrated and won’t further your individual creation process, either. I recommend always being on the lookout for economic opportunities and doing things that you enjoy. If you can earn money with something you enjoy doing, then that’s what I consider the biggest win-win situation.

It’s 6 p.m. You’ve finished work for the day. You see a huge billboard in front of the train station with the heading “NEW WORK”. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind?

I worked as Head of Marketing for a New Work startup while I was doing my master’s in Frankfurt and Los Angeles. I associate New Work with a good deal of freedom and an enhancement of performance among the staff. It’s also about challenging how things have been organized in Germany up to now and taking a firm stand against conservatively entrenched working structures and management styles. I view New Work as a process, one that’s still going to take a long time in Germany.

It’s 10 p.m. Time for your last thoughts before going to bed. What do you wish you had known 10 years ago that would be helpful for you today?

When I look back, I’m actually quite content with what I’ve accomplished over the past few years. I’d recommend to my younger self to relax every now and then, and to spend more time with family, because you never know how long you’re going to have your loved ones on this earth for.