Koblenz – September 15, 2026 -- Florian Sondershausen traded ten-to-fifteen-hour shifts in a Michelin-starred kitchen for full-time trading on global financial markets, eventually co-founding Haag Sondershausen Consulting GmbH to teach others what he learned along the way.
Sondershausen started earning money outside traditional jobs early: at 13 he bought Yu-Gi-Oh! cards cheaply and resold them on eBay, later working as a professional online gamer. Those digital ventures gave him an early feel for markets outside the classroom.
Health problems forced him out of the kitchen
Long shifts in fine dining eventually triggered heart arrhythmia, pushing Sondershausen to look for an alternative career. After his restaurant earned a Michelin star -- the professional goal he had set for himself -- he quit and turned his attention fully to trading.
Early trading wins were followed by real losses
His first months of trading brought quick profits, but losses soon followed, teaching him that market success is not automatic. Regulatory changes in 2017 and 2018 disrupted his existing trading approach, forcing him to shift to the forex market. He says it took roughly a year to become profitable there again.
Kitchen discipline became his trading rulebook
Sondershausen draws a direct line between running a professional kitchen under time pressure and trading financial markets: both, he argues, depend on preparation, discipline, and clear processes rather than emotion. "In fine dining I learned that success comes from preparation, discipline, and a clear system. On the markets it's no different: anyone who trades emotionally and without a strategy will struggle long-term," Sondershausen says.
A free knowledge-sharing project turned into a company
In late 2019, Sondershausen met Christian Haag, and the two began sharing trading knowledge for free, continuing for about a year and a half. Noticing that many newcomers lacked basic financial literacy -- and some had already been burned by dubious offers -- the pair decided to formalize their teaching. That decision led to Haag Sondershausen Consulting GmbH, which now runs training content, live calls, workshops, and events aimed at building a broader understanding of financial markets rather than promoting single strategies.