An exclusive interview with Dr.Ralf Jooss, the founder of FLOORFINDER Asia, exploring his unique approach to business, innovation, and life philosophy.
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
I was born in 1966 in Germany and grew up in a working-class family. We didn’t live in abundance, but I was always interested in movement, sports, adventure, travel, and music—driven by my own sense of freedom and liberty. In other words, I had to take care of myself to survive. I would have been lost in many ways if I hadn’t looked after myself.
I finished school with a high school diploma, focusing mainly on Economics. I was always drawn to natural sciences like chemistry, biology, physics, and geochemistry. After completing my military service, I furthered my studies in Chemistry at the University of Ulm in Germany.
Why chemistry? I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do later in life, but chemistry offered versatility—you could pursue almost any direction. I eventually focused on solid-state chemistry, single-crystal growth for lasers, and theoretical organic chemistry. What attracted me wasn’t just the subject matter, but the people—the professors were fascinating individuals. I was already interested in understanding how and why others approached their work.
I believe that if you want to leave an impression in this world, you must make your own footprints.
If you always walk in others’ footsteps, there are no unique impression is possible.
There is only one original—a Beatles revival band will never replace the actual Beatles. As Frank Sinatra sang in “My Way”: “I travelled each and every highway, but most of all I did it my way.” That phrase has always resonated with me.
I’ve always been passionate about sports and have practiced skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon ( winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting), big mountain skiing, mountain biking, road cycling, table tennis, running, mountaineering, rock climbing, diving, sailing, and playing guitar as a musician. It’s a long list, but staying active is healthy and essential for personal development—it helps you discover your body’s capabilities and performance limits. A healthy mind requires a healthy body, and vice versa. As the saying goes: “A healthy person has a thousand wishes; a sick one has only one.” When you take care of yourself, you’re able to take care of others!
That is still an important paradigm to me.
How would you describe your approach to innovation today?
Everything is possible—the sky is open, there are no limits.
The only limit exists in our minds. As Thor Heyerdahl said, “Borders—I have never seen one, but I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.”
I emphasize the positive. What could have help your customers? What are they looking for? What are their goals? Listen to them. Ask questions! And always keep your promises. If you don’t make any mistakes, then you don’t make anything at all. Increase your failure rate—it will improve your efficiency. Reinvent yourself again and again. Keep on moving!
I prefer even baby steps. Every marathon starts with the very first step. If you cannot solve a problem, it’s often just because you’re stupidly following standards and guidelines instead of thinking beyond them. you cannot solve a problem, it’s just because you stupidly follow standards and guidelines!
What inspired you to start FLOORFINDER Asia, and what were the biggest challenges you faced then & now?
The world is simply not enough for me. I’m driven by this deep desire to work with people and help them achieve self-help – to truly enrich their lives in meaningful ways. There’s something profoundly fulfilling about watching other people grow and realize their potential.
What fascinates me endlessly is learning from different cultures, habits, and lifestyles. Life itself is a non-stop learning journey, and I embrace that completely. Asia represents a different market entirely – operating at a different level with highly interested and motivated people. It reminds me very much of Europe after the Second World War, where there was this incredible hunger for growth and opportunity. I live by a few guiding principles: “Don’t push the river – it flows by itself,” and “Don’t cross the bridge before you are there.” These aren’t just sayings to me; they’re fundamental truths about how life works.
Here’s what I’ve learned: whatever energy you send out into the world comes back to you. If you don’t send anything out, don’t be disappointed when nothing returns. It’s really that simple. Everything is energy, and when you consciously send out positive energy, so much comes back that you can’t even avoid it. That’s the foundation of everything I do with FLOORFINDER and in life. I’m a firm believer in the law of attraction – when you align yourself properly, everything just comes naturally.
When it comes to challenges, I believe there is no biggest challenge. Life is life, and it’s a rollercoaster anyway—just accept whatever happens. As Jack Sparrow said: “The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.”
That’s the key—it’s not about the obstacles you face, it’s about how you approach them. When you change your attitude, you change everything. The challenge becomes an opportunity, and the setback becomes a setup for a comeback.
Hence, I don’t see challenges as roadblocks—I see them as part of the journey. Every twist and turn teaches you something. Every failure shows you a path that doesn’t work, bringing you closer to the one that does. So the real question isn’t “What’s your biggest challenge?” The real question is How will you dance with whatever challenge comes your way? And it all comes down to people. The key is finding the right ones who truly fit with your vision and values.
As someone who’s built successful international partnerships, what do you see as the keys to successful cross-cultural business relationships?
I believe in fundamental human connection: “In the end, it’s just that simple: you need to be at the right time, at the right place, with the right idea, to meet the right people.” International success stems from treating everyone with respect and appreciation, regardless of background. All over the world, you will meet humans—no matter what race, religion, etc.
Everyone wants to be treated with respect and appreciation.
Be authentic, honest, straight, direct, and keep your promises.
How would you explain why advanced flooring systems matter in today’s world?
Advanced flooring systems matter because every new building needs a great foundation, a basement—otherwise it will not work and be durable. Ideas rule the world, we have to ask question, constantly seeking new questions and with FLOORFINDER functional floorings—seamless, conductive, antistatic, smooth, anti-skid, elastic, plastic, hard, soft, glossy, matte—we enable industries to develop their products and serve as a basement for their development, as every industry has different demands. FLOORFINDER grows together with them.
What impact do you hope FLOORFINDER has had on making the world a better place?
Music easily enables emotion in people! There are many great songs about it. Listen to ‘Imagine’ from John Lennon or ‘Heal the World’ from Michael Jackson, ‘All You Need Is Love’ by The Beatles.” These songs capture the essence of what truly matters. All about peace, respect, and love. Whatever you do with love is pure life. Yes, whatever you do, you should do it with love.
Love is all about life; life is all about love. If you give it to the world, to your team, to your suppliers, competitors, customers, friends, family—whoever—you help to make the world a better place.” This approach transforms every interaction, every business decision, and every relationship into an opportunity to contribute positively to the world.
Focus on the things you can change and not on the ones you can’t.
This philosophy of conscious influence, combined with love-centered action, forms the foundation of how FLOORFINDER operates and the impact it seeks to create in the world.
What opportunities or challenges in the flooring industry still excite you and make you want to keep working?
Again: listen to the industry, to your customers, look what the world needs, be open-minded, expect the unexpected….there are no limits. Don’t follow standards. I hate standards as they limit the competition and the creative developments, and finally slow down new developments. For example, to the applicator, the application needs to be easy—easy does it, and FLOORFINDER DECK ONE is a good example. Breaking boundaries and reducing the layers.
Next, what I want is to open a new branch in North America, as it is all the time a very interesting, multicultural, open-minded culture. Then connecting people all over the world, as the world is not enough. But perhaps most importantly, coaching other people and lighting fires in others to increase their self-confidence, power, and energy!
This desire excites me to ignite potential in others, not just building a company, but building people.
What achievement in your career are you most proud of, and why?
The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is that life’s most important truths are actually quite simple: Easy does it. Take it easy, but take it. Life becomes a collection of “yet, yet, yet” moments that shape us over time called experiences. This kind of wisdom can’t be learnt or taught in school; you have to
-Live on it by yourself.
Many people miss out on living in the present because they’re stuck dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. But yesterday and tomorrow are the only days we can’t change. The power lies in living today with full awareness—what I call “presence awareness.” Every moment is unique and won’t come again, so we should embrace each one fully. As I like to say, “I enjoy it when it rains, because if I don’t like it, it’s going to rain anyway.”
My greatest realization has been learning to accept life as it comes and to live in the flow. As the saying goes: “Energy flows where attention goes.” Give your life the chance to live in the flow, and naturally, you’ll find that’s achievement enough.
At the end of your career, how will you measure whether you’ve been truly successful?
Success cannot be measured at career’s end because for me there is no end—I never stop creating, never stop building. Whereas Money? Irrelevant as a scorecard. Money is pure energy potentially waiting to be unleashed. Money sitting dormant in accounts has zero value—it must flow, must create, must make things happen!
True success reveals itself differently. When I survey the landscape today, I count perhaps ten companies across Asia alone that emerged in the past fifteen years, built upon the foundation of my work in this industry. This is genuine appreciation—the sincerest form of validation. As the saying goes: first they ridicule you, then they fight you, then they copy you. This is simply human nature.
My philosophy centers on “help for self-help.” I genuinely love people and am passionate about helping them grow—but only if they truly want it. The key is to enjoy and love what you do, then test yourself regularly: Does this activity give me energy or drain it? Whether it’s work, sport, or life itself.
When I tackle a Mountain bike (MTB) marathon race, I feel truly alive. Yes, there’s suffering—but this is how we discover ourselves, how we extend our limits, assuming limits even exist. The suffering is the doorway to growth and to discover your true self.
Ultimately, it remains better to travel hopefully than to arrive.
The journey itself is the destination, the process is the prize.
Dr. Ralf Jooss continues to practice philosophy through engineering and engineering through philosophy, proving that the best innovations come from minds that refuse to be confined by traditional boundaries. His journey from chemistry labs to Olympic stadiums, and then to international markets demonstrates that questioning deeply and building boldly isn’t just a career strategy.
—it’s a way of life.
