Under the heading “Start-up Stories”, the team members from Manheim Express blog stories and anecdotes about the development of the new company. Sebastian Fuchs makes the start.
At the beginning
At the beginning of our life our expectations are shaped, it gets more exciting from year to year and the more we learn about this world, the more we want to experience.
At least that’s my experience, and it’s the same with building a new business: You start with a blank sheet of paper, lots of information and experience, and then you think about how you can build a business out of it.
Hours of data analysis, exchanges with colleagues and controversial discussions – you spend hundreds of hours talking about a topic. Quite unobtrusively, you develop what will be the core of the new company.
Gathering many different opinions and views is the most important thing in this early phase, as you can still make fundamental decisions now.
A tough climb
A rocky path in the foothills of the Alps, which slowly but surely leads you into high alpine areas, is perhaps the best metaphor to describe how you ultimately get the result. Similar to a hike, you start full of energy and the first kilometers are interesting, but only a warm-up for the moments that follow later on the journey.
After the first small ascent – the internal approval of the project – there is this plateau: beautiful meadows with many opportunities for a little break, but since you want to arrive and the competition is not sleeping, it goes on.
The path becomes narrower, the chasms to the right and left deeper, but this is accompanied by fantastic views and therefore fades into the background. You are still on your own, but all of a sudden team colleagues join in and the solo excursion becomes an expedition with many talents.
There is the introverted computer, which ensures that you don’t run out of money on the way, there is the colorful and dazzling hiker who not only motivates colleagues with her flair and esprit, but also casts a spell over the first customers.
Suddenly you are halfway up this alpine pasture: a breathtaking view of valleys, mountains and rivers with a blue sky and lots of sun.
In the meantime, experienced mountaineers and young dynamic climbers with different experiences have joined the group that dares to climb.
The path – although it gets steeper – does not seem difficult, because someone always progresses who knows how best to get ahead in the respective situation.
The route is the goal
As you progress, you realize: the real goal is not the summit, because up there it’s windy, narrow and you actually want to get back down right away. Rather, it is important to enjoy the journey – the journey and the many different challenges that customers, team and business offer you every day.
You are the goal of the journey when building a startup – and then it goes on, from mountain to mountain, overcoming highs and lows.
Always looking for that one moment when you can feel success: a wonderful view, a wonderful valley.
The adrenaline, the tiredness – all of these are part of the experiences that make a startup special.
Most of the strength comes from the fellow travelers, the conversations, the challenges that you solve together – you don’t forget that, and it forms the basis for stories that you will be happy to tell later.
Since we are still at the beginning with Manheim Express, the journey is only just beginning.
I would like to pause at this point and give my colleagues the chance to report on their own experiences and tell the story from their personal perspective.
Sebastian Fuchs
Managing Director
Manheim Express Europe
