I arrive at the office earlier than usual. I like the silence in my “Atelier Hilty.” It offers me the right environment for reflecting and organizing my day.

Most people wouldn’t admit it, but I do. Around 8:30 a.m. I check out the news pages for 15 minutes. To be up to date is essential for me.

After I have prepared the appropriate information, I am ready for a discussion with a client about his new e-banking strategy this afternoon. I will use the remaining 1.5 hours before lunch to work on a new business idea that came to me a few days ago.

My favorite Italian restaurant isn’t far from the client’s offices, so there is enough time to order a pizza (Padrone with extra cheese is always a sure choice).

A difficult discussion with my client begins. They don’t want to decide on one of my proposals. Again, I explain, and for a short moment I wonder if I should start wearing dark suits and boring ties like some guys from other consulting companies. I quickly dismiss this thought and put my efforts into elucidating my proposal.

I am invited to attend the client’s executive board meeting. The project leader of my client’s most important project is also in attendance. The board members ask many questions, and the meeting goes well. I walk out of the presentation with a smile on my face.

After a tough afternoon, I am back at “Atelier Hilty”, taking advantage of our new coffee machine that is supposed to prepare the best espresso in the world. We now have a spontaneous internal Acrea business meeting, where we challenge and support each other on the most difficult problems of our client projects.

Decision time: beer or sport? Beer wins out at a bar close by. And after that, I like to experiment with a new feature in my current Scala project – I do that just for fun, even though my colleagues call me a nerd for it.