逆行人生

2.5 years ago, Zara chose entrepreneurship over a job offer. 2.5 years later, she chose to shut her company down. Surprisingly, she doesn't regret either decision. In this episode, I sat down with Zara, the former co-founder of Amendio. The company raised over €215,000 in public funding, won several startup awards, and spent years building a product designed to make home repairs more accessible through remote expert guidance. Eventually, the team made one of the hardest decisions: they shut the company down. But this conversation isn't really about failure. It's about what happens after you've spent years building something from nothing, what entrepreneurship teaches you that no classroom ever could, and why Zara still believes she'd make exactly the same decision all over again. If you've ever wondered what building a startup in Germany actually looks like, from funding and bureaucracy to uncertainty, resilience, and starting over, this episode is for you. About Zara Zara, former co-founder of Amendio. Originally from Tajikistan, Zara came to Germany to pursue her MBA. Her business idea came from a university entrepreneurship project, later evolved into a funded startup supported by both the Berlin Startup Scholarship and the EXIST Startup Grant. After closing Amendio, she joined a German technology company as a Senior Strategic Development Manager, bringing the lessons from entrepreneurship into her new role. Timeline 01:35 Zara's background and why she chose Germany for her MBA 03:10 Why she started a company instead of looking for a job 04:41 What Amendio was and the problem it wanted to solve 06:50 Why customer interviews became the foundation of the business 09:11 The biggest challenges of building a startup in Germany 12:20 Why having a German co-founder made a huge difference 17:33 Registering a company in Germany: UG vs. GmbH 20:40 What the team focused on before officially launching 22:20 Why Amendio eventually shut down 24:38 Raising more than €215,000 through public funding 29:36 Do investors favor certain founders and industries? 35:13 Why Zara doesn't see closing the company as failure 38:49 From founder to Senior Strategic Development Manager 40:25 How German employers view entrepreneurial experience 42:45 Advice for aspiring founders Follow Zara LinkedIn: Zarangez Muminova Follow Ann Lin Instagram: ann_lin66 YouTube: Ann Lin

在公司的会议室里，你提了一个想法，没人接话，5分钟后，白人男同事说了差不多的内容，全场开始热烈讨论——这可能是很多在欧洲工作的亚洲女性都经历过的时刻。 在海外用第二语言工作，“不被看见”成了很多亚洲女性在职场的普遍困境。这种"在场却不在对话里"的孤独感，到底从哪里来？是能力问题，自信问题，还是这套评价体系本身，就不是为你设计的？ 本期节目，我邀请在德国生活了近12年，同时也是英文播客Her Way- Women Living Abroad的主播何微，聊一聊亚洲女性在欧洲职场面对的结构性困境，以及我们可以如何用新的视角去解构它。 【嘉宾介绍】 何微，英文播客Her Way - Women Living Abroad 主播。来德国近12年，历经留学、求职与近8年的德国职场打拼，也经历过种族与性别带来的隐形门槛。专注采访在欧洲生活工作的海外女性，希望记录下这些真实却常常被忽略的故事。 小红书：Her Way 海外女性互助 【时间线】 01:51 为什么要做一档记录海外女性故事的全英播客？ 02:53 白人男性之间的互助网络，亚女值得学习 07:19 初到德国的文化隔阂：从"用实力说话"到"主动被看见" 14:46 "先说好再做"和"先做好再说"，两种职场生存策略该如何切换 18:37 口音背后：如何与"永远不是母语者"这件事和解 21:46 语言只是表层，语境理解才是更深的鸿沟 32:28 "在场却不在对话里"：职场里最耗人的孤独感从哪来 35:37 为什么中国女性总是习惯性内耗、从自己身上找原因 38:17 你在国内的优点，在国外可能变成缺点 41:14 出国是"逃避"还是"选择"？决定你将来能否扛住挫折 45:37 打破小红书滤镜，还原最真实的海外生活样本 48:34 女性在海外最普遍的困境：visibility缺失 51:00 亚洲女性最稀缺的品质：做到5分，就敢说出10分 54:37 长期扎根德国，你需要具备哪些特质 【关注主播】： 公众号/小红书：林安的会客厅

这是一期全英播客，Startup Women 系列采访的第二期。 我采访了一位在柏林创业做可持续循环时尚的女性创业者。作为一名不会说德语的硕士毕业生，5年前，她的创业项目完全从0开始。现在，她在柏林市中心有一家自己的线下门店和一个业务覆盖全欧洲的线上平台。但也面临着创业常见的增长挑战：缺钱，缺合伙人。 一周几乎工作七天，这样的生活她持续了5年。她深知这样的工作模式不可持续，也许改变就在2026年...... ------ This year, while studying abroad in Germany, I started a new series called "Startup Women", where I interview female founders who run their own businesses in Germany. This is the second episode of the series. I interviewed a truly powerful female solo entrepreneur, Floriane. Five years ago, she founded Codressing, a circular fashion store and platform based in Berlin. As a french girl who couldn’t even speak German at that time, she faced a lot of difficulties. Five years later, she has built a loyal customer base, and both her online platform and physical store are running successfully. Some of her clients and friends even believe Codressing is a business with at least ten employees behind it. However, almost all the work is actually done by Floriane herself. And now, in 2026, she is facing a new challenge, the one that may determine the future of Codressing. ⬇️In this episode, we talk about : -How to start a business in Germany as an expat -The challenges of running a one-person business -Floriane’s most authentic reflections about her business -Advice for female entrepreneurs who want to start their own business Timeline： 02:35 The original idea behind Codressing and how the concept first came to life. 07:35 In the early stage, understanding your customers is more important than knowing competitors. 10:29 The main challenges faced when starting a fashion rental business. 14:15 Money comes and goes, but the lessons learned from this experience are invaluable. 18:39 What it is really like to manage a one-person business every day. 26:04 The least enjoyable aspects of entrepreneurship and running everything alone. 28:09 How the first customers were found and what helped attract them. 34:11 Why fashion rental still requires education, as most people prefer buying over renting. 37:06 Reasons for insisting on a rental model and building a meaningful business. 41:40 The hidden stress of self-funding and moments of doubting whether to continue. 47:17 Advice for female solo entrepreneurs on why now is the best time to start. �️Support female innovative entrepreneurs Right now, Floriane is participating in a green innovation competition, and Codressing is currently ranked third, very close to first place. If you’d like to support this inspiring female entrepreneur, please download the “Inspired” app and search for Codressing to cast your vote. Please note: before voting, you need to create an account and verify your identity using a professional or school email address, or a passport ID, to ensure that all votes come from real people. Follow Codressing and Floriane: -Website: co-dressing.com/de -Insta: florianepalussiere Follow Ann Lin: -Insta: ann_lin66 -Youtube: Ann Lin

亚洲女性在欧洲，本就是少数群体。更别提在欧洲创业的亚洲女性，更加凤毛麟角。2025年的某篇德媒文章显示，在德国的创业市场中，女性创业者只占19%-20%，且91%的投资都流向了全男性团队。 在陌生的国家、语言和文化语境下，亚洲女性如何突破性别和少数族裔的双重困境，在欧洲市场找到自己的立足之地？ 2026年，我新开了一个「Startup, Asian Women」专栏，记录在全球创业的亚洲女性故事，既分享她们创业路上的Aha moments，也揭示最真实的创业挑战。 第一期节目的嘉宾留德10年，两次创业，拿到过德国联邦政府20万欧元的创业奖金，也利用业余时间合伙创立了一家活动创意设计公司。 本期节目，你会听到： -亚洲女性在德国创业的真实体会 -外国人可以在德国申请哪些创业奖金 -如何在柏林从0-1开一家活动设计创意公司 -在德国开公司的实用建议 【嘉宾介绍】 Bass，留德十年，连续两次创业。曾获得约20万欧元德国联邦政府创业资助。现于柏林三年，正在运营并发展一家以文化、创意与社群为核心的「创意活动工作室」- KIKI BERLIN，致力于通过策划社交，体验式活动，连接个体、社群与多元表达。 【时间线】 02:18 嘉宾介绍：在德国10年，经历留学、工作与两次创业 03:38 为什么毕业后直接在德国创业？ 05:43 留学生，如何成功申请到德国政府创业奖学金？ 10:26 德国创业资助体系 & 州级补贴 （附德国不同城市的几大知名创业奖学金） 12:15 创业初期的现实：每天工作10+小时，几乎不赚钱 20:08 第二次创业：从线下女性话题活动，到KiKi berlin 23:37 柏林独特的城市气质，天然适合发酵小众活动 32:40 活动型创业成本低，但天花板也显而易见，如何长线发展？ 37:28 办活动的不可控风险：与人相关的工作最复杂 42:03 外国人申请德国创业奖学金，有哪些注意事项？ 47:46 在德国注册与注销公司，有哪些意想不到的难点？ -德国两类最常见的有限公司类型 1.GmbH（Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung） 最常见、最标准的有限公司 最低注册资本：25,000欧（至少12,500实缴） 适合：成熟创业者，需要和大客户、投资人合作，有一定启动资金 2.UG（haftungsbeschränkt） 也叫“迷你GmbH” 最低注册资本：1欧起 必须每年把 25%利润存起来，直到达到25,000欧，才能转成GmbH 适合：资金不多，想要有限责任，未来打算升级为GmbH 51:50 越来越多startup在搬离柏林，为什么？ 57:30 给想来柏林生活的国人一些小tips