Thinking Outside the Box

What brought you together for the podcast? - We think alike but are still very different. With every meeting, we realized how much we could learn from each other and how many shared interests we have. We both share the same entrepreneurial vision, and the belief that you have to think big and look beyond your own horizon. We both love to travel and are always open to new ideas.

Florian, you helped build successful companies like Runtastic and Tractive – what were your biggest learnings? - FLORIAN:The learnings are actually quite simple. You need to believe in your idea – and most of all, you just have to start. I had never been an entrepreneur before, and that turned out to be an advantage: learning on the job and constantly going the extra mile. One key thing I’ve learned is that with a strong team, you can compete internationally anywhere. We have nothing to hide. But we also need to understand that we won’t build a globally successful business working 40 hours a week.

Martin, you’ve established Chaka2 in live marketing. What’s the biggest challenge in scaling an agency? - MARTIN: Unlike Florian, we never focused on a digital product but rather on a service-based business model. That meant we were essentially exchanging time for money – which naturally comes with limits in terms of scalability. I believe we managed to grow by diversifying across clients, industries, regions, and services, so scaling became a natural next step in our development.

What role does authenticity play in podcast marketing? - Authenticity is the most important thing in a podcast. We speak to thousands of people every week, and if we were to say things that aren’t true or authentic, it would come back to haunt us. So, for us, it’s an absolute must.

Are there marketing trends you think are overrated? - Trends come and go some last a bit longer. Of course, we have to think about where our audience is and how to reach them. That means even we “older folks” have to deal with TikTok and Reels. We believe nothing should be overhyped – instead, test it on your own channels and find out what works and what doesn’t.

How important has networking been to your entrepreneurial success? - MARTIN: Definitely artificial intelligence. I already use it daily in my agency, Chaka2. FLORIAN: I talk about new AI use cases I discover in nearly every podcast episode. This technology has already changed how we live — and it will shape our future even more profoundly.

What tips do you have for people who aren’t naturally strong at networking? - FLORIAN: It’s totally fine. Networking is just one part of the puzzle, and there’s a lot that can be achieved even without it.

What do you think is the biggest mistake people make when it comes to networking? - FLORIAN: Doing too much networking. I think it wastes a lot of time and often leads to unproductive conversations.
Networking in the right community, on the other hand, is definitely more efficient. So it’s important to carefully consider where you go and with whom you choose to network…

Wie wichtig war Networking für Euren unternehmerischen Erfolg? - Ich bin nur ein mittelmäßiger Fan von Networking. Gerade am Anfang ist es wichtig, sich auf sein Unternehmen und sein Produkt zu fokussieren. Das heißt, man spricht mit zehn Menschen und bekommt zehn verschiedene Meinungen. Das ist nicht immer ein Vorteil. Darum nutze ich die Zeit meistens, um zu arbeiten und nicht zu „netzwerken“. Natürlich kommt das auch auf die Branche an. Martin hat sicher einen anderen Zugang aus dem Agenturbusiness. Martin: “Ich liebe netzwerken und bin sicherlich in den meisten meiner Unternehmen, Beteiligungen oder Start-ups aufgrund dieser Qualität ausgewählt worden. Natürlich ist es essenziell und wichtig, den Fokus auf das Produkt oder die Dienstleistung zu legen. Das ist das A und O. Jedoch hat mir Netzwerken geholfen, um ausreichend Inbound-Geschäfte zu bekommen.”

Welche Tipps habt ihr für Menschen, die nicht von Natur aus “netzwerkstark” sind? – Es ist alles gut. Netzwerk ist zwar ein Teil, aber auch ohne Netzwerk ist ganz viel möglich.

Was ist eurer Meinung nach der größte Fehler beim Networking, den viele machen? - Zu viel Networking betreiben. Ich glaube, da verliert man viel Zeit und oft sind viele unnötige Gespräche dabei. Networking in der richtigen Community hingegen ist sicherlich effizienter. Also vorher gut überlegen, wohin man geht, um zu netzwerken …