''I am driven by stepping out into unchartered terrain and writing my own story''Â
Markus is the Founder of apadua - Transforming Today's "Sellers Market" Into A "Buyers Market" By Resolving The Information Asymmetry And Allowing Companies To Buy Better Services, Quicker And Cheaper. He has taken the challenge to answer our 20 Truth Questions, For us to gain some insight, And learn the Truth about the person behind the venture.
My TRUTH Story:
1. INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN THE THIRD PERSON TO A CROWD OF 10,000+ PEOPLE?
Markus is an innovator in both, his life and his career. Born and raised in Germany, at the picturesque Lake of Constance, he has later lived and worked in various parts of Germany, the U.S, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil.
Entrepreneurship is his fourth career stage. Starting as a procurement professional in the electronics industry, he moved on to the management consulting industry for Supply Chain Management.
After being self-employed as a specialist in process optimization and digitization, he finally founded his professional matter of heart, apadua.
2. WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF A TRUTH FOUNDER?
Being a Truth Founder is not an end in itself! Founding a company may only be one of the options to follow your objectives and raise the probability of achieving them drastically.
I needed the freedom of being a founder of my own company to establish my company purpose and culture, thrive personally with real-life management responsibility, and to follow in my father's footsteps, who founded his own business some 50 years ago.
3. WHAT EVENT OR EVENTS HAPPENED TO YOU THAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A FOUNDER?
As a person, I am rather motivation driven than events driven.
I am an adventurer. I have travelled to South America various times including multi-months motorcycle trips, climbing an active volcano, a journey with an old Volkswagen Camper Van that I built myself, or simply crossing the European alps with my MTB. I am driven by stepping out into unchartered terrain and writing my own story. That's what made me found my company together with my co-foudner.
4. WHAT IS YOUR MORNING ROUTINE & RITUAL? My morning routine: Getting up early from bed at the same time. I stretch my body, hug my wife and my kids goodbye for school, and do twenty minutes of calisthenics.
Next step: I'm at my desk, wishing i did more exercise - I feel I need to move my body a bit more, refreshing my mind with some fifteen minutes of walking between one or more meetings.
This has only become a new part of my morning routine only a few weeks ago.
5. WHAT MANTRA,QUOTE,LINE OR PHRASE DO YOU SAY OFTEN TO INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE YOURSELF? For what it's worth, it was worth all the while. [by Billie Joe Armstrong - Green Day] Check the lyrics and song, if you don't know it. It's worth it. I have this song lyric written on a canvas right behind my desk.
Sometimes we struggle to follow our daily business. Too many challenges, too many almost fails, too many uncertainties. This lyric helps me to appreciate what we've already achieved and will still achieve.
6. WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD CARE ABOUT YOUR VENTURE? We are solving a problem that all companies share. They spend too much good money on poor services. Our company has set out to change this.
We are innovating an industry that has long been neglected by solution providers and has proven to be neglecting digital change. In user reviews, our software is regularly evaluate superior to those of large software companies like SAP or Microsoft.
7. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONE TO MAKE YOUR VENTURE A SUCCESS?
Me and my co-founder work together as a strong and in a way unique team. We've both gone through deep valleys of sorrow and almost default of our company, and have risen stronger out of it.
My contribution is not the "one thing" that should be highlighted. It's rather how we as a management team complement each other's shortcomings.
Flexibility in acting, while staying true to your objectives is the one principle I want to highlight as one of the success factors I can bring in.
8. WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE FOR YOUR VENTURE? ( START WITH: IMAGINE A WORLD... WHAT IF... WE WILL BE... )
We will be the one company that transforms a USD 7 Tn. market from a "sellers" to a "buyers" market by standardizing it.
Our venture may eventually have the same impact on the Professional Services industry, as Uber had on personal transportation or AriBnB on your vacation habits.
Our brand should become the one inevitable waypoint services providers and industry company alike need to check when working in their industry.
9. ANSWER THESE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE - I BELIEVE... I DON'T BELIEVE... I believe technology should be human-centric.
I believe AI should create new opportunities rather than fear.
I believe that great organizations follow great management.
I believe that our company, apadua, may become the leading player in our industry.
I don't believe that there is a better beer to be found outside Germany. ;-)
10. WHAT'S ONE DECISION YOU MADE AS A FOUNDER THAT COMPLETELY CHANGED THE COURSE OF YOUR JOURNEY? Going all in! As a father of two, I had responsibilities. Bills to pay, a standard of living to maintain.
First, I did apadua as a side hustle - with little to no return. I had three jobs at a time and little personal satisfaction. After going all-in with apadua, my income literally dropped to zero.
That's when our company started to make sense to me, and money.
11. WHAT DO YOU REGARD AS YOUR GREATEST SUCCESS PERSONALLY & AS A FOUNDER? Sometimes, success is a very temporary sensation.
Today one celebrates a new deal, tomorrow one struggles to make the deal profitable.
There are a few long-term successes that I want to call my greatest.
I would say founding a family with a multi-cultural background and founding this company.
12. WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY? First: My ability to socialize within my business environments as well as in my personal life.
I am happy around people and draw positive energy from meeting riends and family, and my colleagues.
Second: My dedication. Everything I do, I do with dedication and commitment. Including and most importantly my business.
13. WHAT'S ONE THING YOU CAN IMPROVE ABOUT YOURSELF, AND WHY DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE NOT DONE IT BY NOW?
I must start to respect my achievements more deliberately. I tend to move on to the next item too quickly.
Any success, may it be a major or insignificant one, deserves some positive contemplation.
The solution sounds as simple as it is challenging to realize. Imagine me hanging up the phone after a new client confirmed a three-year contract. I should not just move on to the next item on my to-do list. I should rather step aside from my desk, go on the balcony, take a deep breath, enjoy the view over the lake to the swiss alps, and say to myself: "Good job! Another step forward!". Breathe, pause, let it sink in...
14. WHAT'S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED OR GIVEN, OR BOTH?
"Be more relaxed!" Three simple words which, if I followed them, would make my life so much easier.
Unfortunately, I am still struggling with this. The downside of dedication is doggedness. For me, it is hard to relax during work which radiates into my personal life.
15. ON A SCALE FROM 1 TO 10 - 10 BEING THE BEST. HOW WELL DO YOU THINK YOU AND YOUR TRUTH STORY IS CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD BY YOUR COMMUNITY? ( WHY NOT 10? ) 7 - I see people understanding my journey, my motivation, and the reasons for it. However, the personal side of founding and managing a company.
The everyday challenges and doubts cannot be seen from the outside. I receive respect, rather than understanding. Which is ok I guess, it also nourishes my energy.
16. WHO DO YOU MOST ADMIRE AND WHY? My dad. Born to a farmer's maid and a plumber a few years after WW2, he had nothing else as "seed capital" than his own will.
Being the only one of his siblings to graduate from a more advanced school, He prepared himself to take on one of the most challenging exams in Germany to become a state-certified tax lawyer.
The company he founded in the 70ties, now handed over to my older brother, has not only sustained our family but also created a sustainable business employing over 30 people. I am proud of that.
17. DESCRIBE YOUR VENTURE - ELEVATOR PITCH STYLE?
All companies need and buy professional services. While most of them do not know whether their service providers and prices are ideal for their next project they try to find out using tools like email, excel, or PDF. apadua's SaaS-Solution helps companies to improve this process and automate it with AI. Our clients save up to 70% in process time and 20% in service cost.
18. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT MISSION STATEMENT OR MESSAGE + MARKET FIT FOR YOUR VENTURE?
Today, large corporations like ABB, AXA, covestro, GEA, and RWE are using our software to follow our best-in-class processes for Professional Services Procurement.
By 2027 we want to be recognized as the gold standard in the industry and transform today's "sellers market" into a "buyers market" by resolving the information asymmetry and allowing companies to buy better services, quicker and cheaper.
19. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO UNWIND AFTER A LONG WORK DAY?
Let's face it: Long working days don't leave much time to rest and relax.
What I always try to do, however, is spend time with my family and read a good book before going to bed.
For over a decade, my favorite stories have been real-life adventure stories, such as the discovery of the Amazon during the 16th century, the search for the sources of the Nile, or survival stories of brave people shipwrecked on a reef.
Once, I find more time, I will revive my hobby of restoring old motorcycles!
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU TREATED YOURSELF TO AND WHAT DID YOU CELEBRATE? A night out for dinner with my wonderful wife and spending time over some good conversations and laughs!
BONUS QUESTION: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SUPPORTING YOU ON YOUR AMBITIOUS JOURNEY?Â
Let's keep the ball rolling and be patient! Our journey is a marathon, not a sprint.
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