1. Your company specialises in succession consulting for outpatient care services companies. Can you give us a brief description of the work you do?

Broadly speaking, I work in the field of mergers and acquisitions. The company I founded, ixxconsult GmbH of which I am the managing director, specialises in the valuation, sale and merger of owner-operated, outpatient care services. My focus is on business succession consulting, and in that role, I assist nursing service owners sell their business. In the course of Germany’s recent care reform, which has led to a strengthening of outpatient nursing care, the need for advice in this sector has once again increased. Since founding my company in 2009, I have been providing consulting services across Germany, and I also work as a private appraiser and expert witness.

2. How did your background prepare you for founding your current company?

I studied the German language and literature at the University of Bielefeld in addition to sociology. I then worked as a freelance journalist, and later as a PR editor in the automotive sector. Through some of life's detours, I stumbled across the issue of business succession. In addition to my freelance work as a journalist, I was given the opportunity to sell a large engineering company, and I did so very successfully. This positive experience led me deeper into the field of mergers and acquisitions. For personal reasons, the issues of outpatient care became increasingly relevant to me, and I quickly recognized there was a need for professional consulting services in the search for a successor to take over a company. All these experiences and encounters shaped my professional path and eventually led me to found my current company.

3. What led you to become a member of the Office Club?

When I founded ixxconsult, I was basically a one-man operation with ambitions of working across the country. I quickly realized that a more prestigious business address would enhance the professionalism of my company. I also needed a back office. The services provided by Office Club’s predecessor Dussmann Offices came in very handy: They provided me with a professional and prestigious company address, at that time still directly at Hamburg’s Glockengießerwall. Even after moving the office building to Ballindamm in Hamburg, my business address is no less prestigious. In addition to a first-class address and the professionalism that lends, the concept of shared office space also really appealed to me back in 2009 – many years before the term "coworking" became ubiquitous.

4. As a long -time member, what do you value most about Office Club’s services?

As a member of Office Club, one of the services I use is the virtual office, and I have a special appreciation for the high quality and consistency. Since the beginning, my back-office needs have been handled by the same staff member, who is very committed both on a personal and professional level. I'm not the only one who benefits from this continuity and professionalism – my customers do as well. I am also extremely satisfied as an office tenant: When I hold business meetings, everything is always prepared in a first-class manner.

I also benefit enormously from the exchange within the office community. I regularly have inspiring conversations with a colleague who works in pharmaceutical marketing. In general, I find the exchange with non-specialists extremely valuable; it helps me to add fresh perspectives to my work and promotes my further development. The combination of professional service and a stimulating office community is what makes Office Club so valuable to me.

5. Was there an encounter or decision that most shaped you in your professional career?

There was no particular encounter that shaped me. It had a lot more to do with a condition I have had to live with: I have had leukaemia for many years. But rather than preventing me from developing, it was my diagnosis that actually led me down the path to doing what it was that I really wanted to do. Paradoxically, living with this disease has freed me – it has given me courage and determination. Instead of holding me back, the disease has spurred me to use my time efficiently, implement my ideas quickly and not let anything or anyone stop me.

6. Looking back, what career decision would you like to revisit if you could?

The fact is, I can’t really identify any wrong decision. Thanks to my hands-on mentality, I have always tried to seize opportunities as they arise. I don't regret any missed opportunities because there really aren’t any. And I can say that I am extremely happy with the way everything has turned out. It has made me who I am today.

7. How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

I have made some changes to improve my work-life balance. In the past, when I researched and wrote for customer magazines in the automotive sector, I was constantly on the road. In the meantime, I have switched to the train. This change has decelerated my everyday life: I use the journey to a meeting with a client to mentally prepare myself. And the journey back home then helps me transition from my professional to my private life. For example, I really enjoy having an unexpected and interesting conversation with the person sitting next to me. I find things like that enriching – in the past, I probably would have been busy with the insufferable search for a parking space in some big city.

8. Which of your qualities have contributed to your professional success?

In my profession, I benefit significantly from my open-mindedness and curiosity towards other people. I just like getting to know people and being open with them – whether they are customers, clients or colleagues. I think the combination of this openness and flexibility – and I mean flexibility in the mobile sense of travel as much as in the mental sense – is a very important factor in my professional success.