The 4ChangeMakers Show

“It’s very important to not believe you are the saver that comes to some region and saves the world. Is about caring about other people truly and deeply.”

– Christian Sigmund

In this podcast episode, Fernando met with Christian Sigmund, Co-founder & CEO of Wildplastic and they had a great experience and conversation in the campervan of Chris at the Harbour of Hamburg. 

This interview turns out to be very in-depth and long, so we decided to split into 2 parts.

This 1st chapter is about Chris's journey and how he became a social entrepreneur, the motivation and reasons why he started Wildplastic, leaving behind his corporate career at Google and Youtube. 

What he didn't leave behind was the lessons from working on these companies, and he shares some critical factors in building high performing teams. 

He also shares the story on how he found the co-founders of Wildplastic and the mission that put them to work together with a very unique ownership structure.

You will find this and much more on this 1st part of the conversation with Chris Sigmund. Enjoy!

“I can either work with companies that don’t care or work with the ones who do care. I would be stupid if I don’t choose the ones that care, because they can actually make a difference.”

– Johanna Mager

Our guest today is Johanna Mager. Johanna is the founder of Expansion Eco, a consulting company that helps international social business enter the german market. She’s also the founder of The Next Normal community of people who are committed to sustainability and positive impact.

In this episode Johanna shares with Sina the key ingredients for a successful expansion, how to deal with insecurities and fears, and practical advice to get you started with your business, what are the important things you should be focusing on  and how to find your first clients.

Now, did you know that more than 80% of businesses that try to expand  internationally fail? Well, listen to this fantastic conversation to find out more about this and how to be part of the 20% that succeeds.

Enjoy.

You Have To Be The First Believer In Yourself, So Others Can Believe In You.

– Andrea Bury

Our guest for today’s episode is Andrea Bury. Andrea is the founder of Abury, a fair trade brand based in Berlin that offers handmade accessories from different countries and cultures around the world.

Abury has the B Corp certification, which makes them a role model when it comes to doing business with impact. In this interview Andrea shares with us how she started her journey back in 2008. Since then she managed to have a Hotel in Marrakesh, start a foundation, bring TedX to Marrakech, and start her business.

She also shares in detail the business model of Abury, and the Impact business model they use and how they are making a difference in education, and some advice for entrepreneurs who are just starting.

This and much more in this interesting and fun interview. Enjoy!

“The way we approach business is by believing in the spirit of collaboration. We know we cannot solve the plastic problem ourselves, it is too complex. We need the help of other people and businesses to succeed.”

– Clara Bütow

In this podcast episode Fernando interviews Clara Bütow. Clara is an activist against climate change, TedX Speaker and part of the team of Soulbottles, an impact business based in Berlin.

This episode covers a wide range of topics. From the unique way Soulbottles organize their teams without hierarchy and bosses, to sales and marketing. From the Impact Business Model Soulbottles uses to make a difference, to practical tips on how to navigate the current global health situation.

As an activist, you hear from first hand how Clara managed to run a successful crowdfunding campaign to organize a bicycle tour over 15 cities conducting 25+ events to raise awareness over the plastic problem.

In this episode she also shares her experience living 1 month without using a single piece of plastic! Among practical advice for your daily life to live a more conscious lifestyle and raise the awareness of the people around you.

This and much more on this fantastic episode. Enjoy!

“Purpose is not something agile that comes and goes. Purpose is something to stay, we have the opportunity to create a better world for all of us.”

– Frank Bömers

Today’s Episode it’s an interesting one. Sina had a good talk with Frank Bömers on the topic of PURPOSE.

Frank is a Purpose Enable and an International Speaker, who supports companies to live on purpose. After working for 25 years in the medical sector, Frank decided to put his experience and expertise on the business world to help others to integrate PURPOSE in a company.

This topic it’s interesting because it can have a different meaning, and it’s not something we can easily measure. Frank discusses with Sina what purpose means for him, and most importantly what’s the role within an organization, with some practical tips to help you and your business get everyone involved with your purpose.

Today’s economy has too much businesses only trying to make a profit, and that led us to have a surprisingly majority of the workforce disengaged. We need to look at business from a holistic perspective, where yes, profit it’s important, but how you make that profit, and what you do with that, it really matters.

In this episode you will find Sina’s and Frank’s thoughts on this topic, and much more. Enjoy! 

"Don't shy away and just do it! Waiting doesn't really help, take a decision and go on"

– Carlo Hein

In this episode, Fernando had a conversation with Carlo Hein, a serial sustainable entrepreneur from Luxemburg. Carlo is involved in different businesses from different industries, and sustainability is a recurrent theme in all of them.

He shares his experience and his way of thinking to integrate sustainability in everything he does, from renewable energy to sustainable buildings. From facility management to cider production.

Carlo has a strong drive to make our world a better place through business, and he shares his lessons on how to structure a business from the very beginning that makes a profit and it is sustainable at the same time. Enjoy!

"We don’t have a marketing strategy anymore. We moved away from classic marketing to sell products a few years ago. For us, communication is it’s own impact category.“

– Felix Hallwachs

In this episode  Sina interviewed Felix Hallwachs, director of Little Sun. Little sun is a social business that  produces Portable solar lamps and is now a global project that has changed over two million lives through the awesome power of the sun.

In this interview, Felix, who was involved in the company from the very beginning, shares the story of little sun, how they started and how they developed their structure to run a global business. He shares why they decided to be a social business instead of a NGO, and some practical insights to  find and get support from impact investors, something that has been a key aspect of their development.

More than 1 billion people live without access to electricity, and little sun  is helping to reduce that. They have a really  interesting Impact business model, whis of course Felix talks about it in this interview. Please enjoy!

"I always say YES to opportunities! Don't be afraid Just do it. Just say yes!"

– Liz Soto Rivas

Welcome to a new episode of the 4ChangeMakers Show where it is our job, each episode of this 1st season, to deconstruct disruptive businesses and tease out the business models, culture, mission & vision, Impact Business Models, and whatever it might be that you can emulate and test in your own impact business.

In this episode my dear friend and business partner Sina interviewed Liz, founder of Bohetnika. Today’s episode it’s really inspiring, because Liz is sharing her story of moving to Germany from Mexico and starting a business with her husband.

Bohetnika is an ethical fashion brand that sources clothes from a network of 200+ artisan in Mexico, that are 100% handmade, fair traded and eco-friendly.

When Liz arrived to Germany 6 years ago, she didn't know anybody, so she started a community that today has  more than 6 thousand people in it, and of course, she shares how she did it. She also shares how they developed a relationship with local artisans to empower them. This and much more on this episode. Enjoy!

"Make sure that what you do is authentic, that what you do adds something to the society and the people around you. Is not about you as a brand, is about them as a movement, help them become the better version of themselves."

– Ynzo Van Zanten

In the 3rd episode of this first season Fernando interviewed Ynzo Van Zanten, the Choco Evangelist of Tony's Chocolonely, the leading chocolate producer in the Netherlands.

Their mission is to lead the way for the entire industry to produce chocolate 100% slave free. In this conversation Ynzo shares key insights on how to build a fair value chain, how to develop a close relationship with suppliers, and how to market a product without (0€) paid advertising.

He shares the story of how Tony's Chocolonely started, their growth, marketing and sales strategies, the amazing culture of the company and much more.

"If you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far go together"

– Boris Kozlowski & Jose Saldaña , Founders of Impact Hub Hamburg

In this episode we had our dear friends and founders of the Impact Hub Hamburg Boris Kozlowski & Jose Saldaña. The Impact Hub is a global network of coworking spaces designed for social entrepreneurs, they have hubs in more than 100 cities around the world in more than 55 countries. Fernando interviewed them and asked them about the lessons learned on their successful crowdfunding campaign, the power of collaboration with competitors, building a community of purpose driven entrepreneurs, and many many more.