It is absolutely ridiculous that COVID-19 passports or vaccine certificates become more and more acceptable in our society. Currently, there are serious efforts to let those who have been vaccinated (and those who’ve been infected) re-enter life. Those who have not been vaccinated yet or those who have been infected asymptomatically are still waiting to regain their basic rights.
Avoiding Ghettos with Quotas
Denmark announced in March that it plans to limit the number of “non-Western” residents in neighborhoods to a maximum of 30%. The plan is to avoid the emergence of parallel societies and ghettos. This unexpectedly was a great opportunity for the sensational media to formulate attention grabbing headlines. However, in this article I want distance myself from attention grabbing headlines and talk about how quotas might actually establish a more equal and fair society – especially for immigrants.
Vinod Khosla: Investing in the Future of Healthcare & Moonshot Thinking
Introduction
Vinod Khosla is the founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures. In an interview with StartUp Health he talks about the future of healthcare and moonshot thinking for entrepreneurs and investors.
Read more “Vinod Khosla: Investing in the Future of Healthcare & Moonshot Thinking”
SPACs as the Symptom to Reform the IPO process
Special purpose acquisition companies or short SPACs have risen dramatically in popularity. CNBC calls them “one of Wall Street’s hottest trends” 1CNBC, 2021 But what is a SPAC, and what makes them so popular at all? Furthermore, how can we improve the IPO process due to the SPAC mania?
Read more “SPACs as the Symptom to Reform the IPO process”
- 1
Don’t Judge What Your Customer Is Willing To Pay
Yesterday I had a brief but rememberable conversation. I talked to a physical therapist who owns a small but interdisciplinary medical training center. The medical training center is offering physical therapy as the major health service. In Germany, the public health insurance is covering physical therapy. As a result, all patients of her physical therapy are accustomed to getting the health service without paying for it.
Read more “Don’t Judge What Your Customer Is Willing To Pay”
Why I am founding Valenus as a Group
Health, technology, and the power of branding are topics I’m truly passionate about. And when it comes to health services, I’m one hundred percent certain that we can redefine what healthcare means. We are going to create a brand which makes health cool. And we will raise standards while striving for quality guarantees.
There’s No Excuse for Making Cold Calls
I couldn’t believe what I read this morning on LinkedIn. Somebody proposed, if you see an interesting sales prospect on LinkedIn, to not message him and ask for a demo or meeting but instead do the following (quote):
“You have to warm her/him up first:
- go to her/his profile
- like and comment something witty
- one week break
- see 2.
- wait…!
- get him to answer one of your comments
- THEN the message comes with a situational speech.”
Why would I do this? If you want to build a personal long-term relationship with this person, I get it. However, if your job requires you to sell, this is – in my opinion – the lamest excuse for not making a cold call ever.
Here’s what you should do instead: pick up the phone, call the person and sell him or her on why your product or service absolutely makes sense to him.
If get through, you’re enthusiastic and the idea you’re presenting absolutely makes sense, there’s no better way to influence people and close them than a good cold call.
You don’t need social selling. Don’t look for an excuse not to make a cold call. A good cold call requires practice and a good script. You must pick up the phone, dial, smile, practice and close!
Tackle it!
No matter where you look, you’ll immediately see dozens of problems which should and must get solved. If you pay close attention you’ll see hundreds or thousands problems and issues which should get solved. This is true if you look at an entire industry, a single organization, at politics, the environment or our society as a whole.
Our world is not perfect. It has never been and it’ll never be perfect. We have an obligation to strive towards perfect. We must improve our world. In order to achieve this, each one of us should tackle at least one of the problems we see in our world. No matter how small the problem or issue we’ve identified. Think about what could and should be done, and do it.
The best advantage one can have is to tackle a problem with a fresh mindset. You should never listen to anyone with a rusted way of thinking – not matter how senior they are. Don’t listen to naysayers.
If there are political barriers, go and lobby for it.
If you need capital, go and find the social-capital for it.
If you need people to join you, raise your voice and attract like-minded folks.
Most importantly: Tackle it!
To Create Change, Size Matters
Take a look at our world. No matter where you look you’ll find thousands of things and problems which can and should be solved and improved. You might have a good heart and noble intentions but in order to effectively create change and improve things in this world, you must think and become big. Size matters.
Not How Many But Who
Several days ago, I posted my latest blog article “Re-Invent Remote Events” on LinkedIn. The post got around 134 views – not a lot. But then a coincidence happened.
Re-Invent Remote Events
If you ask me – remote events suck. If you ask why – it is basically because they are usually live-streamed. Live-streaming is a technology which is great for democracy and free-speech but not so much for regular remote events. Let’s find out why.
Growing Together – The Secret to a Successful Long-Term Relationships?
On Amazon you can find hundreds of thousands of books on relationships, marriage, and sex. Which proves that most people are striving for a successful and fulfilled long-term relationship or marriage with a life-partner. But what exactly is the major factor and the basis for a successful long-term relationship?
Read more “Growing Together – The Secret to a Successful Long-Term Relationships?”
Why the Future of Rehabilitation is Outpatient
A rehabilitation can be carried out “full-time outpatient” or “inpatient”. There may be individual factors that speak more in favor of inpatient or outpatient treatment – but in principle, both are equivalent alternatives. So why is a predominantly outpatient concept practical?
My Learnings from the Corona Pandemic
If there is one thing the corona virus taught me so far, it is that time is an extremely precious asset. Unlike money, you cannot make more time. Wasting time simultaneously means wasting life. And the corona virus pandemic taught me greatly how much life time we are carelessly wasting.
Influencers and Mentors
In our lifetime, there are many people who are influencing our thinking and decision making. I believe the most important thing we have to do in life is to choose appropriate role models, mentors, and influencers. These are the people you look up to. Ideally you look up to them because of their values, their attitudes, and their thinking – not because of their material possessions.
Morning Movement & Gratitude
Every morning when you wake up, you decide yourself how you start your day. I myself developed a great habit of morning movement and gratitude in nature. It is the best way I can imagine to start a new day and besides of a little morning exercise, it also gives me a lot of clarity and gratitude on my life.
Don’t Use WhatsApp
Born in 1993, I grew up as a teenager using ICQ – the instant messaging service of AOL. With the rise of the smartphone it was WhatsApp which slowly replaced all desktop messaging services like ICQ, MSN, and Skype. With WhatsApp having over 2 Billion active users, I was definitely one of the early adopters of the messenger which once costed €0,99/year.
Why Your Company Needs an ISP-Inbox
Every company has it. The info@example.com email address. It seems to be the standard inbox for companies around the world. Some companies are more creative than others. They have a hello@example.com or contact@example.com address instead. Which is creative but doesn’t solve an underlying problem.
The Magic of Doing it Right Away
Often it’s a simple daily chore which reminds me of important concepts in life. Concepts which are true for small things such as cleaning the dishes as well as large and important projects in life and business.
The Hotel Room of the Future
The last two days I visited the Intergastra Messe in Stuttgart. I was engaged in many conversations and the main topic was the innovation and digitalization of the hotel industry. One of the most striking persons I met at the exhibition was Rolf Schlecht, the CEO of Fritz Schlecht SHL, a full-service company specialized in everything from planning and interior design to furniture and installation. He was very curious and asked me the question: “What do you think? How will the future of the hotel room look like?”
Be All You Can Be
I believe that our world would be a more exciting and more ethical place if everyone would strive to fulfill their own potential.
This blog post is a transcription of an ice breaker speech I gave at my Toastmasters club in Düsseldorf. I thought you might enjoy reading it.
1+1+1 = How To Create a Winning Business
In business, there are many industries. No matter the industry, small businesses are somehow behaving in a similar pattern – this results in an opportunity to grow your small business into a winning champion.
Never Offer Bad Coffee
With counting appointments in many companies, coworking spaces, hotels, and law firms there is one thing which is always present but rarely equally good. I am talking about coffee.
The Familiarization Phase of Augmented Reality
Today, smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung are struggling to come up with new innovative smartphones. Each year there is a phone with a slightly improved performance, slightly improved camera, and tiny software and design adoptions. However, phones and screens are the main portals of how we consume media and communicate with other people. Screens, as we know them, might soon become obsolete.
Let International Students Study for Free
When it comes to education, what sets apart most European countries to Anglo-Saxon countries – especially the United States of America – are tuition fees. While students in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Belgium, and counting can study at minimal or no costs, students in the United States, Canada, and Australia do easily pay more than $4,000 just for tuition fees.
