Setting up your own company is risky and stressful. Not so for Maja Fritschi. She has been working as a freelance programmer for five years. She has never encountered any headwinds along the way.
My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.
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A bright office with a view of the Sihl. The Macbook Pro on the table, her iPhone next to the capsule coffee machine and an iPad as a notepad. "I used to scribble on paper," says Maja Fritschi, founder and sole employee of the software company Freegee. "I couldn't find anything in the notebooks anymore, I just flicked through them. I can search for keywords on the iPad, which has made my work much easier." Especially since the 37-year-old took the plunge into self-employment five years ago.
It all started with her father's 13-kilo laptop. He is an electrician, but is heavily involved in measurement technology. Through his work, the family has owned a Compaq Portable since 1984. In the 90s, the monster also became interesting for Maja. She plays games, clicks through programmes, sits in front of the screen until Mum has to make a phone call. In 1998, Maja has to decide in favour of an apprenticeship. She would prefer to start an IT apprenticeship, which was still fairly new at the time. But she didn't dare. "I didn't know anything about IT, it scared me." She became a chemical laboratory technician.
After completing her training as a chemical laboratory technician, she obtained her federal school-leaving certificate and began studying sport at the ETH in Zurich. "I enjoyed the computer science course there the most." After two years and with the encouragement of her boyfriend, she took this sign seriously and dropped out of her studies. In 2011, she began studying computer science at the ZHAW. "I loved it straight away. I was one of only three women, but that didn't bother me." She was well received in the male-dominated environment and always had helpful fellow students around her. Contrary to all expectations, she doesn't have to prove herself as a woman above average, is never ridiculed, her elbows stay tucked in. "I questioned my abilities, I questioned my motives, but never my gender."
When she started her studies, she landed her first job as a programmer. "A scout friend of mine who works in online marketing received an order for an iOS app and needed people to implement it." She was employed there on a 50 per cent basis and developed her first app together with another employee. At this point, her knowledge was based on the computer science course from her sports degree and a few modules during her adult A-levels. "And I built a website for a friend who rented out holiday flats. I bought a book for it and implemented everything with Adobe GoLive." Sounds like little experience, but her boyfriend recognises her talent, passion and determination.
Directly after her bachelor's degree, Maja set up her own company. That was five years ago, and this month she is celebrating her anniversary. "I quickly realised that self-employment was the right path for me. Large companies are not for me." The fear she felt when she decided to do an apprenticeship is gone. For the first two years, she continued to work 50 per cent for her mate. This allowed her to generate a fixed income and get her own business up and running. It didn't take long. "The Apple Store in the Glatt centre invited me to a B2B event." An event that others simply go to in order to be fed for free launched her career. "I got talking to a guy who is now a good friend. He recommended me to others, which led to a few orders coming in," says Maja. To this day, she lives almost exclusively from word-of-mouth advertising. A website that is reduced to a landing page is enough for her to run a successful business.
What has changed, however, is her focus. "In the beginning, I only wanted to programme iOS apps. The whole of Switzerland was full of iPhones, you didn't have to be able to offer Android." Today, that's no longer possible. If you want an iOS app, you also want an Android app and a website. These are major projects that Maja usually can't manage on her own. "That's why I opted for the web sector." The affinity with Apple remains. This can be seen not only in her choice of gadgets, but also in the way she beams at the thought of a job for a native iOS app. "Of course I would take a job like that straight away."
She is only in the office with a view of the Sihl river and creaky parquet flooring about once a week. "Two friends of mine, with whom I occasionally realise projects, work here and offer me a place to work from time to time." Otherwise, she works from home in Winterthur. As a one-woman business, this works without any problems. "At the moment, I don't want an office or any other employees, as that would take away my freedom." For her, freedom means working in a holiday flat in Graubünden in winter and in a furnished flat in the Canary Islands in summer. At both domiciles, she pursues her second passion, sport. She spends her free time snowboarding in winter and surfing in summer. She is never tempted to focus more on her hobby than her work. "I have enough discipline to switch on my laptop between eight and nine at the latest."
She doesn't miss the dialogue with colleagues in her everyday life either. "I need absolute peace and quiet to be able to concentrate on my work. Not even listening to music works for me." If she needs the opinion or help of others, she can always fall back on her professional network - or on her dad. "He's more of a tinkerer, but computers are still our common topic. We always end up there at some point." What stands out? All these carers are men. She never feels disadvantaged by this, on the contrary: she stands out, she thinks. And she is always supported. From men. They put in a good word for her, recommend her to others. To other men. She is still waiting for her first customer. The only woman in her professional environment is her accountant. "Until today, I never thought about whether everything might run so smoothly because men put their money where their mouth is." But in the end, she has to convince the men herself. And that's what she does.
As a freelancer, Maja has to be an all-rounder. She has no designated programmers, designers or key account managers. She combines all of these tasks within herself. "Of course I can't offer the same level of service as specialised employees. But I'm quicker and cheaper." And she is constantly learning. Thanks to her boyfriend, who comes from the industry, she is developing a better graphic eye. And she writes better codes by reading other codes and having her own read back by colleagues. "It's pretty much the same as with a classic text. We programme in a certain language that is based on syntax. But everyone has their own style."
Maja has also found her style in the industry. She works in her dream job. Sometimes at home, sometimes in the office, sometimes in the mountains, sometimes by the sea, but always without any problems. Nobody throws obstacles in her way. The only person who ever makes her life difficult is herself. It takes her longer than the people around her to recognise her own abilities and make a full decision in favour of IT. The gamble has paid off. And Dad has always had someone to talk shop with ever since.
