When work and a bachelor’s thesis complement each other, both become easier – about founders, customs, and company development

Founders, Entrepreneurs, Businessmen, Developer – was macht sie besonders?

If you ask a hundred people what their first impression is when they think of the word “founder” or “entrepreneur”, you are bound to get many answers. The most basic response is typically, “someone who founds a company.” Who is this someone and what makes him or her special? Has he or she always been that way? What make founders so special?

With these questions in mind, let’s discuss “founders.”

 

I have always been magically attracted towards entrepreneurship

It all began in Mexico. There, I spent a year abroad at the Tec de Monterrey. I took the course “Entrepreneurship and Leadership”. Here we went through all the processes of business education: With creativity techniques such as design thinking and the creation of an empathy map, we started to find products. Then we conducted a market analysis and familiarized ourselves with the Business Canvas Model. Towards the end, there was a sales pitch where we presented our product in competition to a jury.

What fascinated me was that in Mexico, every student has to take the entrepreneurship course, regardless of their field of study. This measure aims to familiarize students with the idea of their own independence as early as possible.

 

Entrepreneur – Do women found businesses differently?

In conjunction with this course, I was selected for a scientific contest to present my research on “Women in Entrepreneurship.” I found that women are typically more risk-averse. They tend to establish smaller companies than men. So, women actually start their own businesses differently than men. The Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, which has been explicitly offering “Women Startup Nights” since 2019, has also recognized this. This gives women a platform to report on their experiences as founders and to exchange ideas with other female founders.

 

How did I get from entrepreneurship in Mexico to customs and border vontrol?

Let me begin by introducing myself: My name is Valeria Herrlein and I study Business Psychology at the Stuttgart University. My focus is on human resources, market research, and consulting. Within the framework of this study program, I was able to spend two semesters in Mexico. Currently, I am in my last phase of education and I am writing my bachelor’s thesis on the topic “Entrepreneurship Education”. I am developing a competence profile that offers real added value to entrepreneurs. It is the answer to the question, which competencies contribute to a successful business start-up

The company has had a special effect on me from the first day of the presentation until today. I am happy because I can learn a lot. It is absolutely authentic and genuine in all respects. Janine Lampprecht, founder and managing director, acts according to the principle “strengthen strengths,” and wants to use the employees in those areas where their strengths lie. By looking where the interests and strengths of individual employees lie, one can see how these attributes can be best promoted and developed. Previously, Janine informed me that strengths lie in creativity and conceptual execution of product ideas. The manner in which promotion and professional development occur within Grenzlotse is unique. You won’t find this anywhere else. Janine is also extremely adept at understanding the moods of her employees

And what do customs and entrepreneurship have in common?

 

In the future, Grenzlotsen will be concerned with “hard” and “soft” border

Currently, I am working for Grenzlotsen in a new field concerning the topic “Entrepreneurship”. We want to support and encourage potential entrepreneurs to start their own business. Think without borders – then everything is possible.

 

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