The bottle for all occasions. My promise: “You can´t find a similar product in this capacity and quality class. Not even on amazon!”
But slowly. Lets start from the beginning.
From burnout to turnaround – my personal sad story behind my project.
burn..what?? It was less than two years ago that I smiled at this topic rather than seeing it as a test for life. And believe me when I say: it can happen to anyone! You too!
My name is Thomas, I’m 31 years old and I’m from Germany. I was always a funny guy who liked to laugh and was up for any nonsense. Yes, that was me. Until 2 years ago.
I was given responsibility as a personnel dispatcher of a delivery base with approx. 350 employees.
What I couldn’t even imagine in a nightmare at the time, I made my way into the hardest phase of my life with this job. I’ve always tried to bring out the best, to take care of everything and everyone. I was always available, even after work and on weekends.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t cope with the daily stress level in the long run. I gradually (over 3 years) slipped into a phase of my life that I could have avoided myself. For far too long I ignored my body’s physical signals and just kept going. Daily abdominal pain, sleepless nights and just being tired were just a few of the current complaints. I had almost completely withdrawn from my social environment. Then came the big bang. My plug was pulled or rather almost cut through.
I was forced to deal with the topic of “burn-out”, which was completely unknown to me. I was physically and mentally battered. On top of that… I lost my job.
During the first few months, I was hardly able to concentrate on listening to a conversation for longer than 10 minutes. Panic attacks, lack of drive, feeling unwell, tiredness, simply no motivation for anything were completely normal. I often just lay in bed for hours just wanting the day to be over.
I started taking pills for panic attacks. I had to wait months before I got a place in therapy. I took my dog for a long walk every day. Far from all worries.
Day by day my energy and drive came back a little bit more, but still not good enough to start looking for a new job. (Not until today – 1 ½ years later).
At some point I started to use the small contingent of concentration to deal with the topic of online trading. Something I could do at home. Just to do something productive. I looked at hundreds of different products. After a while I came across the thermos flasks division. I was very euphoric and couldn’t wait after realizing that it’s an innovative idea. What started out as a “crazy” idea quickly turned into something I could build something.
I got to work. I made a self-made prototype out of two plastic bottles and a hot glue gun (my first 50 cent investment). I had the first sketches made by freelancers.
With these images, I contacted various manufacturers and had the feasibility of the idea checked and evaluated there. Lo and behold, no problem. Within a few weeks I had about 15 different offers. All of a different nature. After many hours of explanations, in the end I decided to work with a manufacturer who best implemented my idea and the development continued with professional support. I raided my savings account for the development costs. There was no certainty of success. But I was willing to take that risk.
Months later the time had finally come. On December 24th, 2021 the doorbell rang and my eagerly awaited package was there. The feeling when I could hold my own invention in my hands for the first time was breathtaking.
What I have achieved on my own makes me very proud. But it is much more important that I feel better every day. It’s a great opportunity for me to build something great. Something where I can live out my creativity. I can be flexible and free. Just wonderful. Thanks to my family and many friends, I was able to reach my official funding goal on day one. Sensational for me.
The number of previous supporters confirms my work. There’s still plenty of time. But my financial means to continue promoting my project are dwindling. My professional future stands and falls with the success of my campaign. It could be my starting signal for a new life. Support me on the way to make this happen.
Help me bring ThermoTom to life – to my new life.