“It’s not starting that’s difficult, it’s perservering.”

Mr. Gassert, exactly what do you mean with this headline? And in this context, how do you advise an entrepreneur with an entrepreneurial urge?

To start something new and untested, you usually need a kind of conquest energy, a motivation injection, sufficient pressure or an insight about necessity. If the outcome of an entrepreneurial venture is uncertain, the reward comes only at the end. That’s why I like to say that starting is not rewarded, but rather perserverance. Only someone who is prepared to go the whole distance will experience the success in the end. Frequently, the big hurdles, obstacles and problems only become clear along the way; they were not visible at all in the planning phase – that’s why things are often more complex and difficult than they seemed at the start. Entrepreneurs who are in a position to radiate their goals make it easier for all participants to keep motivating themselves along the unknown and perhaps rocky path and to look forward to the goal.

Another statement for which you are known is “The world belongs to the courageous.” Are there too few courageous decision-makers in our economy?

Of course, yes. We are living in a society of hesitation, dithering and squeamishness. We are afraid to make decisions and we don’t like to create facts. We prefer reacting to acting proactively. Here, courage would be just what’s required. According to Aristotle, courage is the virtue of the average; that is, precisely between extreme arrogance and fearful hesitation. In a complex environment, decisionmaking and action with forward-looking daring is often associated with great risk from a business perspective, that’s why people don’t like to act. On the psychological and social level, things are precisely the opposite. Courageous people feel better and a community of courageous people develops an unbelievable motivation. So let’s let ourselves be more courageous as a team!