It’s all Down to Communication! A Conversation with the Founding Team at friånd

“friånd. Studio for Clear Communication.” was founded in early 2026 by Kerstin Stock, a psychological and systemic coach, and Tobias Schneider, a mediator. The pair deliberately chose a Scandinavian name, as they regard Scandinavia’s diversity, liberal democracy, freedom and human rights as values worth striving for. Just as effective communication can enhance quality of life. Since 2008, Kerstin and Tobias have shared common values and beliefs which they were only able to apply and live out to a limited extent in their jobs. This gave rise to the idea of setting up their own business together. friånd. offers team development, coaching, organisational consultancy, communication training, mediation and seminars on psychological topics in a professional context.

You run a communication studio together. What role does communication play in your lives?

Tobias: For me, communication is far more than the mere exchange of information – it is the central link between people and the most powerful tool we have for building genuine relationships, trust and an understanding way of living together. We have both experienced the damage that poor communication can cause – and what good communication can achieve. The decision to set up friånd. together with Kerstin was the logical consequence of this. We wanted to create a framework in which we could support people and organisations with empathy, calm and professionalism in doing just that: changing the way we communicate with one another to improve the quality of our lives and work together.

Communication is the foundation of human interaction.

The paths to setting up a business usually vary greatly and are rarely straightforward. What was it like for you?

Kerstin: Actually, the people around us weren’t surprised that we were setting up the business, and they welcomed our idea positively. The idea of self-employment had been on our minds for several years, and we were always certain that this way of working and living suited us. I liken the journey of setting up a business to a very misty path. I can never really see what lies ahead. And that’s exactly what we like. The certainty of constant change is what we were looking for. It’s what makes our day-to-day working lives exciting. 

That doesn’t mean we didn’t have any fears, but facing them and overcoming challenges gives me an incredible sense of calm and confidence that we’ll manage everything. Part of that is that I’m setting up the business with the person I know best in life and who knows me best – something I consider a great gift. 

What support did you have in setting up your own business?

Kerstin: To be honest, we hadn’t expected any external support at all before we started the start-up process. We received concrete help and support in the form of the EXIST Women grant, as well as from the team at the FHP Start-up Service. That was really brilliant: things were made possible, solutions were found, and there were workshops and seminars. The fact that we were able to consult a tax adviser and a solicitor – which is an incredible help, especially at the start – wasn’t something we took for granted.

What roles do you each take on in your joint work as communication trainers?

Kerstin: Tobias and I complement each other as a team, depending on our individual strengths. We’re equal managing directors at friånd. As a result, certain areas have emerged that Tobias and I enjoy doing more or less, and we organise our work according to where our strengths lie. 

We also communicate an incredible amount. As a result, we’re usually very satisfied with the well-thought-out outcomes of our work. We run workshops or seminars separately, but we usually discuss the structure and content together. 

Who are the typical clients for your consultancy services?

Tobias: At the moment, we’re working increasingly with universities and the Administration. We’re also receiving more and more enquiries about executive coaching. We’re particularly looking forward to the courses we’ll be running at the University of Applied Sciences in the 2026/2027 winter semester. We’re very keen to see how these are received by students and staff! 

We’re delighted when people, companies or public institutions get in touch with us who are willing to create a space where it’s possible to reflect on oneself and on how we interact with others.

friånd is Danish and means ‘free spirit’.

What are friånd’s hopes for the future?

Tobias: We do indeed have a vision for friånd. We want to help shape a society and a working world in which people can live and work in a healthier and more self-effective way. An environment in which people can empathically value their own personalities and those of others. At the same time, for us this also involves being able to accept that sometimes ‘agreeing to disagree’ can be a healthy way of living together or alongside one another peacefully and healthily. 

friånd. has already got off to a good start – even better than we’d hoped. If circumstances allow, we’d like to further expand our client network. We’ve noticed that even small steps can make a huge difference to people’s lives. When someone comes to us after a team-building session and says, they now have the courage and the knowledge to have a conversation on equal terms with a colleague about a difficult topic – something that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible – then our work has already facilitated personal growth, and we’ve played our part in turning a small cog in the right direction for that person.

Interested in start-up consultancy? The team at 360° ZUKUNFT looks forward to receiving your enquiry by email.