TI CEO Podcast · episode 69
The Freedom to Simply Do Nothing Sometimes
1-minute summary
In this episode, Christoph Standl talks about time, freedom, and the challenge of not yet being able to keep a promise made to investors, since platform development for tourismusONE and infopoints.com currently takes priority. He admits that such delays bother him deeply, as reliability matters greatly to him, yet setting priorities is necessary. Reflecting on 2026, he notes he has not taken a single week of vacation, has worked countless evenings and weekends, and even on the alpine pasture mostly worked rather than rested. He distinguishes between the freedom to choose where to work and the true freedom of sometimes not having to work at all. His long-term goal is to build a company that functions increasingly independently, supported by a strong team, partners, and AI systems, creating more space for life beyond work. He closes by asking listeners when they last truly took time off without thinking about the next task.
Description
How free am I actually as an entrepreneur, when I can decide for myself where I work, but barely find time to truly switch off?
In this episode of my CEO Diary, I look back on an intense year 2026. A year without a single week of vacation, with many working evenings and weekends, great progress, but also countless obligations.
I talk openly about how much it weighs on me when I can't keep promises on time – such as the announced access to our new investor portal. At the same time, at Tourismus Interaktiv we have to set clear priorities in order to implement important customer requests and our major platform update in November.
In doing so, it becomes ever clearer to me: through artificial intelligence, automation, and a strong team, we want not only to become more productive, but also to gain more personal freedom in the long run.
Because the freedom to decide for yourself where you work is not yet the freedom to sometimes not have to work at all.
A personal episode about responsibility, priorities, the guilty conscience over open tasks, and my wish to one day truly be able to switch off.
🎙️ CEO Diary · Episode 69 📅 November 5, 2026 💡 Theme Week: Time is our most valuable asset