Linus Rogge

I started my journey in high-school with a voluntary course focusing the basics of web development. That was in 5th grade when I was 11 years old. Our teacher handed me a pdf with the basic lines of html and css and I just randomly started typing them into the windows notepad. And that's how it all started.

During the last five years, I've spent long nights and early mornings figuring out how things work. It all began with simple and ugly websites (just like this first one) After some time, I did not just want to build things but also make them look beautiful and actually work for the users.

This is the user-experience and design part, which I actually enjoy most. I've read a couple of books and blogs by great designers.

When I got better at the things I do, some voices raised and said "You're not gonna succeed in this!". First, that really pulled me down. I thought about whether it still makes sense to continue and to keep on trying. And the simple answer is: YES! Of course it is!

Don't let someone tear you down, just because they're jealous of what you have achieved and they have not. Keep on going, keep on grinding and find your way!

Over the years, people saw my work and reached out to me, asking whether I want to work with them. Sadly, I had to deny most of these inquiries due to me not being 18 and a real freelancer. I was so tired of this that I started reseaching on how to start a company at the age of 15.

I just rarely found anything on the web that could help me. There was just one article giving me the right point to start. So I began to send out mails and letters to the court and the tax office. It took a while, but I got a reply from them. They wanted to talk to me in person to see if I'm really able to manage working part-time besides still going to school.

The conversation went pretty well and I soon got the official letter to confirm that I can now open up my own company/freelance business. I was hyped af about that and a week later I sat at another desk to sign a piece of paper that – followed by a payment of 20 bucks – created my company. Simply called "Linus Rogge".

I am really proud of this step and want to say special thanks to my parents for always supporting me!