From Doubt to Drive – Entrepreneurs Only

Today, we have Darrel Connell with us, a trusted investor in our industry and Managing Partner at IMBIBA, a private equity fund specializing in the UK leisure sector. With over 25 years in the market, IMBIBA employs 14 investment specialists and manages €140 million, focusing primarily on F&B businesses such as Farmer J (www.farmerj.com) and Pizza Pilgrims (link to our podcast: https://t.ly/mznW8). Notably, IMBIBA is certified B-Corp.

Darrel discusses with us what makes a good investment: strong cash flow management, a high-quality team around the founder, proven consumer acceptance, and a solid property strategy—especially for emerging concepts. IMBIBA’s role is to support founders and their teams in areas where they might have weaknesses and to provide access to experienced management within the fund.

Darrel is the fourth investor featured on our show, alongside Henry McGovern (McWin) (https://shorturl.at/gClLc), Robin Rowland (TriSpan, https://t.ly/CkRdW), and Mats Lederhausen (https://t.ly/2WCga)

Mario, is also co-founder of White Space Partners, recently published a White Paper on “More than Money” (download here: https://tinyurl.com/WSP-2025-whitepaper ).

Back to the show, where Darrel dives into how to select the right concept within a crowded segment, such as pizza, and why IMBIBA chose to invest in Pizza Pilgrims. We also explore how IMBIBA balances providing operational support with giving entrepreneurs the freedom to make their own mistakes. Finally, we take a deep dive into the “brutal last five years” and the lessons learned.

Our Key Takeaways from an Industry Investor:

Mario frequently references the From Doubt to Drive White Paper, a summary of the first 30 podcasts featuring key learnings for entrepreneurs and leaders. You can download it here: https://shorturl.at/2REEy

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© From Doubt to Drive Podcast, owned and operated by Aperitivo International B.V

From Doubt to Drive - Entrepreneurs Only.

This week with David Baumgartner, founder and CIO of “Dean & David”, known for its fresh, healthy, and sustainable dishes. With a vision to redefine fast food as healthier and more conscious, he opened the first restaurant in Munich in 2007. Today, “Dean & David” boasts over 150 locations across multiple countries and is considered a pioneer in modern, sustainable dining concepts.

David is committed to uncompromising quality, regional sourcing, and innovative ideas to make healthy eating accessible to everyone. In this episode, he shares his journey from entrepreneurial ambition to building a renowned brand, the challenges of the food industry, his challenges as a young entrepreneur, his vision for the future of mindful eating and how he looks back onto 17 years of being a CEO.

The main learnings from this conversation are:

Tune in and listen to David and his honest view on being an entrepreneur, founder, CEO and now recently also a father.

Hit the subscribe button and hear more stories from successful entrepreneurs worldwide in hospitality, food & drinks, and related industries, as they share their inspiring journey FROM DOUBT TO DRIVE. Uncover their tools and tactics, shifts in mindset, and breakthrough moments - how they knew they were stuck and how they got out. Join our community & learn how you can move from DOUBT TO DRIVE.

© From Doubt to Drive Podcast, owned and operated by Aperitivo International B.V

Recorded on June 28, 2024 via Zoom from Tegernsee, Germany (David Baumgartner) – Bandarawella, Sri Lanka (Mario C. Bauer) – Hamburg, Germany (Florian Schneider),

From Doubt to Drive – Entrepreneurs Only

Originally from New Zealand, Laura immigrated to the UK and co-founded Caravan in 2010 with two New Zealand partners. Caravan, a coffee roastery and restaurant operator, was a pioneer in the specialty coffee sector and has since grown to operate eight stores in London, one in Manchester, and three coffee bars. Caravan has achieved this year €30 million in sales, €2.5 million in profit, employs 500 people, and is proudly B-Corp certified.

Laura shares her passion for hiking and the lessons entrepreneurs can learn from extreme sports, particularly in balancing risks.

Additionally, Laura sheds light on the differences between running a restaurant company and managing an FMCG coffee brand. Caravan’s commitment to ethical sourcing is evident, with at least 50% of their coffee sourced from female-led cooperatives.

Our key takeaways from the conversation are:

Hit the subscribe button and hear more stories from successful entrepreneurs worldwide in hospitality, food & drinks, and related industries, as they share their inspiring journey FROM DOUBT TO DRIVE. Uncover their tools and tactics, shifts in mindset, and breakthrough moments - how they knew they were stuck and how they got out. Join our community & learn how you can move from DOUBT TO DRIVE.

© From Doubt to Drive Podcast, owned and operated by Aperitivo International B.V

From Doubt to Drive - Entrepreneurs Only.

This week with Patrick Hennig, CEO and co-fouder of nexenio and of culture4life, the company better known for the Luca app, an app that was launched in 2020 during COVID lockdowns to help restaurants, bars, clubs and events to skip the manual registration of their guests and to allow easier tracking in case of a COVID outbreak. The app became rapidly famous because the German hip hop band “Fantastische Vier” supported it from the beginning. 40 million users downloaded the app to get back a little bit of freedom.

Today, Patrick transformed Luca in a reservation, ordering and payment app.

The main learnings from this conversation are:

Tune in and listen to this very reflective entrepreneur who brings in another perspective on handling pressure, assessing entrepreneurship, hospitality and society.

Hit the subscribe button and hear more stories from successful entrepreneurs worldwide in hospitality, food & beverage, and related industries, as they share their inspiring journey FROM DOUBT TO DRIVE. Uncover their tools and tactics, shifts in mindset, and breakthrough moments - how they knew they were stuck and how they got out. Join our community and learn how you can move from DOUBT TO DRIVE.

© From Doubt to Drive Podcast, owned and operated by Newmorrow

From Doubt to Drive - Entrepreneurs Only.

Having grown up between Germany and Korea, they opened their first restaurant in 2013, combining fast food with a healthy twist inspired by Korean street food. Mmaah now operates 10 locations: 8 in Berlin and 2 in Munich. With over 120 employees, they’ve reached €9 million in total sales, with 50% of sales coming from delivery.

We discuss decision-making as brothers and the importance of mutual respect and a clear process for resolving differences. They share how they balance family life with business, realizing their dream together, and reconnecting at night after their kids are asleep. They also talk about breaking free from their parents' expectations of a traditional career—so much so that their mother initially stopped speaking to them. We learn how they simplified their Korean menu to reduce complexity while preserving authentic flavors, adapting it to a European fast-food style.

They also reveal their biggest challenges, how they reignite their drive, and how they started with only €10,000 and no industry knowledge. We learn more about the "Zombie Invasion" and the harsh realities they faced while needing to be profitable from day one.

Our main learnings from this conversation are:

In the podcast we talk about the 40% rule: When your mind is telling you that you’re done, that you’re exhausted, that you cannot possibly go any further, you’re only actually 40% done.

The human mind is an amazing thing. It both propels us forward and holds us back. The 40% rule reminds us that no matter how exhausted we might feel, it is always possible to draw on an untapped reserve of energy, motivation, and drive that we all possess. Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1455534684/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_UIR1zb2ZTCFHG

Hit the subscribe button and hear more stories from successful entrepreneurs worldwide in hospitality, food & drinks, and related industries, as they share their inspiring journey FROM DOUBT TO DRIVE. Uncover their tools and tactics, shifts in mindset, and breakthrough moments - how they knew they were stuck and how they got out. Join our community & learn how you can move from DOUBT TO DRIVE.

© From Doubt to Drive Podcast, owned and operated by Aperitivo International B.V

Recorded on 24th September 2024 via Zoom in Berlin, (Mmaah) – Kandy, Sri Lanka (Mario C. Bauer) – Hamburg, Deutschland (Florian Schneider).

From Doubt to Drive – Entrepreneurs Only

Today, we have Christoph Hoffmann, Founder of 25hours Hotels (https://www.25hours-hotels.com/en), with the motto: "You know one, you know none." Founded 20 years ago by four entrepreneurs, 25hours currently operates 15 hotels in 7 countries. After being sold and integrated into Ennismore (https://ennismore.com/) , controlled by Accor (https://all.accor.com/a/en.html) , the brand unlocked tremendous growth potential, with 9 more hotels in the pipeline across 6 new countries, including Indonesia and Australia.

With 2.000 employees and almost 40 culinary outlets, including NENI (check out the episode with founder Haya Molcho here on this channel, https://podfollow.com/1737382333/episode/5a15ead11675127da3ae0d6f43e666573729688d/view, Christoph discusses how she and other F&B heroes shaped the brand positioning of 25hours Hotels through their culinary focus.

Christoph is also the co-founder of Bikini Island and Mountain Hotels Group, currently operating 2 hotels. (https://www.bikini-hotels.com/)

Our key takeaways from the conversation are:

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We have spoken 1,6 Mio. words so far in our podcasts and gathered lots of learnings from interviewing 25 entrepreneurs which we summarized in our White Paper. Download for free here: https://www.new-morrow.com/whitepaper

This is a special episode to look a little bit back but mainly forward into our next chapter: NewMorrow.

We also like to welcome our new partner on board: the SODA Group, a leading firm for architecture and design. And together we build a community to gather great minds who are on a professional journey and are looking for new roadmaps. We will challenge doubts, redefine strategies and embrace the passion for great entrepreneurship paired with long-term resilience and guided determination. Hospitality is our home, our future is our concern, building educated intuition is our mission.

We see a strong demand for building a platform for future leadership that is nonexistent so far – and we want to change that.

We are highly inspired by the outcome of the Podcast FROM DOUBT TO DRIVE. But not in a studio but in real life. We strongly believe in the power of personal motivation through informed intuition and expeditive partnerships. The first needs insights and vivid experience. The second needs a truly qualified environment that listens and that resonates over time. Breaking down barriers is our approach. And there is probably a single road to achieve that – by personal gatherings in unusual places, personal exchange on an intimate and open level, with impulses and discussion formats that really inspire and bring everyone on a next level.

Learn more about our first Think Tank in Greece in April 2025: https://www.new-morrow.com/

This is a format that brings together selected groups of entrepreneurs who seek for exchange on eye level, moderated by also experienced entrepreneurs and renowned experts.

We have carefully selected the venues to make that possible, the first will happen to be in a beautiful remote space in Arcadia in Greece, 2 hours from Athens. We expect a truly intensive experience with deep dives into highly strategic challenges and also really practical aspects of management in the future.

Please contact us for more information: [email protected]

We want to take the time to thank our partners:

Coca Cola Europe

And our Media Partner: Deutscher Fachverlag, the Food Service Magazine and the European Food Service Summit.

Today, we have Alberto Cartasegna, Founder & CEO of Miscusi, a smart casual restaurant chain centered around pasta, which he started in 2017. Now, Miscusi has 18 restaurants across 7 Italian cities, serving over 1 million guests per year, employing 300 people, and generating €20 million in sales. With top investors on board, they have raised over €25 million in equity, achieved B-Corp certification, and created a place even Italian grandmothers love to dine.

In this episode, Alberto shares how he faced resistance to the idea of building a restaurant chain in Italy. Frustrated that no Italian had successfully exported their cuisine globally, while brands like Starbucks and Vapiano had, he set out to change that. He also discusses why creating a well-organized restaurant chain in Italy is still rare, and how love and passion can thrive not only in a single restaurant but across a chain.

Alberto opens up about the personal cost of his dedication and focus on work—how it led to suffering, strained relationships, panic attacks, and hitting rock bottom. He shares how he overcame these challenges and describes the perfect storm that almost destroyed them but ultimately made them stronger.

Our key takeaways from the conversation are:

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© From Doubt to Drive Podcast, owned and operated by Aperitivo International B.V

From Doubt to Drive - Entrepreneurs Only.

This week with Enrico Sodano, serial entrepreneur, started his career as a goldsmith and jewelry trader before he ended up in the hospitality business. He became a McDonald’s franchisee, followed by taking over the Vapiano franchise in Switzerland and Egypt. Today, he runs different restaurant concepts in Switzerland, built his own delivery service and launched recently a small Vapiano format for gas stations – aiming double-digit numbers in stores for Switzerland.

Join us on Enrico’s entrepreneurial journey around the world and learn how he puts family and employees first, and what he does when he hits a wall. And you shouldn’t miss out Enrico’s encounter with a tuktuk driver in India in 1979 while he was carrying one kilogram of gold around his neck.

The main learnings from this conversation are:

Hit the subscribe button and hear more stories from successful entrepreneurs worldwide in hospitality, food & drinks, and related industries, as they share their inspiring journey FROM DOUBT TO DRIVE. Uncover their tools and tactics, shifts in mindset, and breakthrough moments - how they knew they were stuck and how they got out. Join our community & learn how you can move from DOUBT TO DRIVE.

© From Doubt to Drive Podcast, owned and operated by Aperitivo International B.V

From Doubt to Drive - Entrepreneurs Only

This week, we’re speaking with Travis Masiero, Founder & CEO of Luke’s Oyster Bar & Chop House and four other restaurants in Singapore and Japan (https://tmrg.com.sg/). Born in the U.S. and educated at Cornell University, Travis made the bold move to the other side of the world to open restaurants.

Our key takeaways from our conversation are:

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