Joypreneurs

Realizing ideas for a more humane world takes lots of energy.
That’s why joy is our fuel.

Here you find tools, pathways and community you need,
to keep joy alive - so that you can bring your ideas to life, make them thrive, and create a world that we want to be a part of.

Welcome!

I’m Melanie Kovacs – entrepreneur, coach, and community builder with over a decade of experience in empowering change-makers to turn their visions into reality.

From building Switzerland’s first coding bootcamp (Master21) to coaching founders as they challenge the status quo, I’ve learned one thing: joy fuels everything.

If you’re ready to combine impact + joy, you’re in the right place.

I’m so glad that you’re here!

Melanie

What is Joypreneurs?

Inspiration:

Podcast, Tools like the Joypreneur Canvas & more

Events & Workshops

Announced in the Newsletter

Coaching & Mentoring

 We’re Joypreneurs

We share a vision

We envision a world where people feel a sense of belonging & develop their potential. Whatever we create, it contributes to making life and work more humane. 

From digital tools that ease the burden of endless tasks and emails, to work cultures where people feel valued, communities that foster belonging, and inspiring educational content—humans and their potential are always at the heart of our creative process.

Our main driver isn’t simply to go bigger or faster. Our products and services aim to be regenerative and enriching rather than exhausting or depleting.

We’re pioneers that make change happen

As entrepreneurs, we don’t wait for someone else to solve the problems around us. We make change happen. Our vehicle is entrepreneurship—driven by purpose and profit.

We’re dissatisfied with the status quo, see how things could be better and are impatient. This leads us to take action.

And so we create the future, that aligns with our vision for a more humane world.

We spark ideas  

Ideas have the power to transform our world and inspire action. Ideas activate our imagination, invite us to dream, shift our perspectives, and create new possibilities. 

It all starts with curiosity: What if this existed? Or frustration: Why is this so shitty? Yet, in their early stages, ideas are fragile and hard to grasp. We recognize that doubts kill more ideas than failure ever will, which is why we protect our ideas from excessive pressure. We allow them to develop naturally, giving them the space they need to grow strong.

We know that the best ideas are intimately connected to our experiences, skills, and passions.

We’re fueled by joy

To bring our ideas to life, we need creative solutions, a long-term vision, persistence and the ability to inspire others. That’s exactly what joy helps us to do.

Joy is our essential fuel, because it helps us to see more opportunities and find innovative solutions. It enables us to navigate obstacles and fosters resilience. And Joy is contagious; it inspires others—be it partners, co-founders, employees, or clients.

However, we understand that joy can easily be killed by the pressure to monetize quickly, perfectionism, or the need to please others. And when we lose joy, we risk becoming bored or burnt out, making our ventures unsustainable. That’s why we take joy seriously and actively cultivate it in everything we do.

Joypreneurs create impact:

  • swissmiss, Tina Roth Eisenberg

    Designer from Appenzell, Switzerland, gone to NYC, Founder of CreativeMornings, Tattly, FRIENDS and TeuxDeux.

    JOY: She lovingly calls her ventures “Labours of love”.

    IMPACT: She spread the monthly lecture series Creative Mornings to 244 cities across 70 countries, where they gather creatives for free every month. 

  • Linda Liukas

    Programmer, illustrator, author and storyteller from Helsinki. Founder of RailsGirls.

    JOY: She infuses her quirkiness and glitter into everything she does.

    IMPACT: Her fabulous TED talk about ‘A delightful way to teach kids about computers’ has been viewed over 2 million times. Her book Hello Ruby has been translated into over 25 languages.

  • David Heinemeier Hansson, or DHH

    Creator of Ruby on Rails, Co-Owner of 37 signals, Author of Rework, “It doesn’t have to be crazy at work” & more, Racing Driver

    JOY: He advocates and sticks to 40h work- weeks.

    IMPACT: Reinvented email and calendar with hey.com, challenging giants like Gmail and Outlook. Already loved by tens of thousands of people.

  • Sir Richard Branson

    Co-Founder of the Virgin Group, Founder Virgin Unite Foundation, Space Traveller and Kitesurfer

    JOY: He believes in half day work, half day play.

    IMPACT: With Virgin Unite, they helped incubate over 20 new leadership collectives, incl. The Elders with Nelson Mandela, to tackle the toughest issues at their roots, change systems and business for good.

  • Giada Ilardo

    Tattoo Artist, Entrepreneur, Owner of "Giahi and “Giada Ilardo”, Founder of an alternative school

    JOY: She listens to her gut feeling and makes decisions intuitively.

    IMPACT: She revolutionized the tattoo and piercing industry and made it a safe and beautiful space. Her store is now at Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich, the premiere shopping area.

  • Donna Carpenter

    Owner and former Co-CEO of Burton, Snowboarder

    JOY: She committed to spending 100 days per year snowboarding, while Co-CEO.

    IMPACT: Together, with her late husband Jake they not only created a global brand, they helped create the snowboard industry and made it an Olympic sport.

The Joypreneur Podcast

Hear from other inspiring Joypreneurs

Keep Joy in mind

Design your business model with the Joypreneur Canvas, to make sure joy is infused into every part of your business.

Let’s create a more humane world, together!

Joypreneurs is for entrepreneurs who want to challenge the status quo, deeply care about humans and their potential, and take joy seriously on their journey to build a more humane world. Entrepreneurship is not easy, and making meaningful change is even harder. But it’s possible—just look at those who have done it before.

The good news is: You don’t have to do it alone. We’re on this journey together!

Here’s how you can get involved:

Cool Kids' Club 🤓

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Cool Kids' Club 🤓 〰️

Join the Joypreneur Newsletter Club


Be the first to know about and benefit from:

1) Event Invites, for connection with and inspiration from Joypreneurs who share your values.

2) Access to Resources, like Joy Hacks, Tools, Podcasts, Workshops and Masterminds designed to help you keep joy alive.