20 years of BusinessMind – An inspiring journey

2005 – The starting signal

As an employee of FFG (previously at TIG), I had the opportunity to moderate again and again, which brought me incredible joy and obviously valuable results for the participants. The numerous training courses I had previously attended obviously had an effect.

At the same time, I also wanted to offer these activities externally. And out of nowhere, the name suddenly appeared: BusinessMind, a – to this day – wonderful combination of two words, each of which has multiple meanings.

And I am still grateful to some of the FFG-EIP employees today, as I owe my international reach to them: they had attended my training(s), obviously recommended the quality in their international NCP networks (e.g. net4society, inconet, Bionet, Idealist, energy, SIS-net, NCP-Academy, ect). The first orders came in. And the snowball continued to roll: in these networks were employees of similar agencies who – after attending the seminar – told others about it in their national workplaces. And so orders came in from Estonia, Sweden, Holland, France, Malta, Cyprus, Switzerland, ect.

In addition – so that it doesn't get boring – I also carried out project management training for next level consulting and later for pmcc.

And all this alongside my FFG job as an RTI program manager, then as an EU project manager and as a personnel developer, albeit increasingly part-time. A bit crazy, isn't it? Maybe even more than "a bit" .

2011 – Full independence

And yes, it was crazy, because at some point life was almost all about work. And as much as I enjoyed it, the passion then turned into something that caused suffering: it became too much! I was 45 years old and knew I had to change something or I'd lose my mind. And if not self-employment now, then when? And then I asked myself: at the end of my life, will you accuse me of not having tried?

And so I resigned from FFG, this great organization where I loved working. With wonderful people and bosses who were also mentors – THANK YOU!!!

In the summer of 2011, I was suddenly SELF-STANDING. Fortunately, I already had a good network as a basis. Job after job rolled in, expanding my reach and deepening my experience, enriched by additional training courses that I attended again and again (e.g. organizational development course).

2014 – Reinforcement by Nicole Schmidt

Nicole brings a breath of fresh air, new ideas and valuable expertise to the team. Together they develop creative concepts and inspiring training sessions.

Many, many thanks, dear Nicole, for being such a wonderful companion over many years, who also laid the foundation for my book "Blühende Workshops und Trainings mit Erfolgsgarantie" by summarizing the rich pool of seminar slides. Without this valuable foundation, I might not have started writing it.

And now we can both look back on around 10 years of valuable cooperation, during which we have both learned a lot.

2020 – Benjamin becomes a cooperation partner

Since 2020, Ben has been enriching Businessmind with new perspectives and innovative training formats. Together we grow opportunities and visions.

Ben also did valuable work in improving our internal processes to make them more efficient, took care of the new design of our logo and built the new homepage (2022) and is continuously improving it, apart from being an international (online) trainer and moderator.

We are also reciprocal sparring partners for our assignments, which is not only more efficient and creative, but also more enjoyable and certainly beneficial for our clients.

In general, the online formats in particular were driven forward by Ben and Nicole, especially when Corona drove the governments and thus also the people in front of them, and almost no stone was left unturned. My sleepless nights at the beginning of the pandemic were alleviated by the valuable energy, drive and expertise of Ben and Nicole, as together we managed to fill the calendar again – which had been swept clean from one day to the next.

In 2025, Ben redesigned the homepage again and improved the presentation of our (extended) range of services, such as strategy process support and seminars on the subject of "conflict moderation".

And what can you take away from 20 years of BusinessMind?

Perhaps you are currently at a turning point yourself – in your job, with an idea in your head or the desire to do your own thing. Then these seven learnings from my journey could serve as inspiration for you:

1. consequence of joy.

If you feel that something makes you come alive – be it moderation, writing or a topic that won't let you go – then this is often a reliable signpost.

2. take time for a strong name.
A name that touches you and makes sense to others can open doors – often more than you think.

3. maintain your quality and your relationships.
Recommendations arise where people feel seen and well supported – and they often have more impact than any advertising campaign.

4. pay attention to your balance.
Self-realization should fulfill you, but not burn you out. Ask yourself regularly: Does this serve my life energy or does it rob me of it?

5. build a network before you jump.
You don't have to do everything alone – sometimes courage lies not in going it alone, but in being connected.

6. get sparring partners.
With the right people at your side, ideas become bigger and clearer – and work becomes more enjoyable.

7. and finally: see crises as a catalyst.
Change hurts, yes – but it also creates new forms, formats and opportunities that you couldn't see before.

Perhaps you find yourself in one or more of these points. Perhaps you also feel a small inner impulse to change something in your own business or everyday life. If so, then this review was not only my story, but also a little piece of yours.

Also take a look at the blog article on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of "official" entrepreneurship:

Haus am See – Review 2011