Companies meant to last
Hi, I’m Stefan, founder of Friendly, Wortspiel and Clarity.swiss.
I have worked with the internet since 1999. I have built companies, made mistakes, taken responsibility and started over.
Exist, not exit
I have an exist strategy, not an exit strategy. I don’t build companies with the goal of selling them as quickly as possible. They are meant to last, remain financially healthy and create something useful over the long term.
That doesn’t mean holding on to everything forever. But it changes the decisions you make along the way: How you treat customers. How you build a team. How much dependency you accept. And how you define success.
My companies
Today, my work centres primarily on digital sovereignty, good marketing and the question of how people and organisations make sound decisions.
Friendly
With Friendly, we provide web analytics and marketing automation for organisations that want digital sovereignty.
As a Swiss company, we rely on Swiss hosting, open source software and personal support instead of vendor lock-in.
Wortspiel
Wortspiel is my established digital marketing agency.
We support a select group of companies – with experience, pragmatism and no unnecessary agency overhead – from strategic questions to hands-on implementation.
Clarity.swiss
The decisions that truly matter rarely fail for lack of information. They get hard when too much is true at once.
Clarity.swiss is a focused, confidential conversation for entrepreneurs, business owners and others carrying significant responsibility – for situations in which a specific decision costs more than money.
Work should serve life
I am not only an entrepreneur, but also a father.
That gives my life a great deal of meaning and shapes how I think about work and success. Companies can be important. But they are not life itself.
I believe good work should create freedom – not only financially, but also in terms of time, relationships and inner wellbeing.
Work and business should serve life, not the other way around.
Selected media coverage
Over the years, the media have occasionally reported on my companies, my work and some of my personal experiments. I appreciate that. A selection:
Tages-Anzeiger
«Minimalism: What’s It Like to Live with Just 76 Things?» · 2025
A personal account of my attempt to radically reduce my possessions – and of the question of what we actually need.
Blick
«A Completely Transparent Company» · 2024
Several Friendly employees published their employment contracts. Blick reported on the idea behind it – and on the employment law and data protection questions it raised.
Handelszeitung
«Open Books» · 2021
Handelszeitung dedicated a full page to Friendly and reported on our open-startup approach, through which we publicly share our revenue, costs and the company’s development.
NZZ
«Casting the Net for Customers» · 2016
NZZ wrote about Wortspiel and how companies can use Google Ads to reach people at the precise moment they already have a specific need.
Blog
I write occasionally about entrepreneurship, marketing, decisions, minimalism, personal development and what I learn along the way.
Some articles have been read by a surprising number of people. Others mattered mostly to me. I’m fine with both. Don’t want to miss anything? There’s a newsletter.
Contact
I’m always happy to hear from people who are building, improving or deciding something meaningful: