Author: Paul M. Achleitner
_Paul M. Achleitner_
Reading time: 23 minutes
Synopsis
Speed Up Experience! (2025) explores how companies can learn faster and make smarter decisions in a world that is always changing. We will show you 6 key principles for success. These principles teach you that real business wisdom comes from learning from your experiences. You then use this learning to act responsibly.
What’s Inside for You: 6 Success Principles to Become a Modern Entrepreneur
In the world of business, people think that if you decide fast, you are strong. If you wait, you are weak. But the faster the world moves, the easier it is to lose your way. Then we act without seeing that we are going the wrong way. In the end, it feels like we did a lot but didn’t achieve much. The company stands still, or even worse, it fails.
We ask you to look more closely: How can you stay clear-headed among all the dashboards, KPIs, and quarterly targets? What is truly important for a company to succeed for a long time, and for no one to get burned out? We will look at six success principles.
For this, we have created a story about Lea, an entrepreneur, and her start-up company. Her journey shows you how to not just gain experience, but also how to guide it well. This will make you a better entrepreneur. Three questions at the end of each section will help you use these principles in your own work.
Blink 1 – Principle 1: Business Actions Need Public Trust.
The smell of coffee. The soft sound of a projector. Paper rustles, pens click, and phone screens light up here and there. Lea stands at the front of the meeting room. She is giving a presentation about her tech start-up. It creates smart ways to save energy at home. She talks about growth targets and how much of the market her company has. Her voice is calm and sure. The investors listen, nod, and take notes. Everything goes to plan. Then someone looks up and asks: “What is your real purpose? Other than just making money?”
It gets quiet. For a moment, only the projector hums. No chart can answer that question.
At this moment, Lea clearly sees that just making money is not enough anymore. People want to know if what she does is good for society. Her company needs trust from society, not just good financial figures. Of course, the numbers must be good. But does Lea, as the founder, take on responsibility beyond that?
After the funding round, Lea thinks about an advertising campaign to improve her company’s image. But after talking deeply with her team, she realizes this is not enough. It’s not about image; it’s about real actions. So, Lea decides to check her supply chains. She asks: Do our partners follow safety rules for workers? And what about their environmental impact?
Not everyone in the team likes this idea. It takes a lot of effort. When Lea wants to stop working with a supplier, she gets criticized. A new supplier will definitely be more expensive. But Lea goes through with it. As a second step, she makes her start-up’s supply chains public. This way, all investors and customers can see: Lea and her team take social responsibility.
The reactions are good. One investor even promises Lea to cover the extra costs. This allows her team to start all projects as planned.
This includes an app that helps users save energy at home. When it is released, people like it because it is smart. It means less CO₂ for the environment and lower costs for users. But soon, users ask: Who can see this data?
This is Lea’s next lesson: What people think is right can change quickly. What is praised one moment can be criticized the next. So, Lea now focuses not only on climate protection but also on data privacy for her products.
In the end, social acceptance is the base for being stable in unsure times. It is not just a moral extra. It might be the most important advantage a company can have.
Here are three questions for you to think about:
- What does your company truly stand for, beyond growth and profit?
- What needs do you meet for your customers, employees, or society?
- How would you describe your contribution if you couldn’t mention sales or products?
Blink 2 – Principle 2: Experience Must Not Lead to Fixed Habits.
Lea’s start-up is growing fast, and the team is working on new products. They are about to release a “Sustainability Score” for the home app. This feature will show how energy-efficient a person lives compared to others. This feature is meant to boost their growth.
The deadline is set. Marketing is ready. Investors are waiting eagerly. A developer points out that some calculations use wrong data. Lea waves her hand. “These are just single cases,” she says. “We will fix them later.” She has seen such situations a few times before, and it usually turned out fine.
But soon after the launch, many complaints come in. Users report wrong values. Some even feel they were unfairly judged. Lea stops the campaign. She takes back the feature. She realizes that her decision has broken trust. Only now does she understand that her past experience gave her a false sense of security. It had become a fixed habit.
This lesson affects her deeply. Of course, routine can be useful. But when it becomes automatic, it stops you from thinking. Lea understands: Good judgment starts when you pause before you react.
A few months later, another product launch is planned. Competitors are planning something similar. The pressure is high. The team says: “If we don’t launch now, we will lose our chance.” Lea feels the old urge to just say yes. But she stops. She asks for one last test. She checks the feedback herself. She finds small but important mistakes in how users would use the product.
Instead of three days, the update goes live two weeks later. It’s later than the competition, but the product is solid. This time, users react well. Ratings go up, and trust grows again.
Lea learns that she must always check her experiences and habits. This way, they don’t lead to bad decisions.
These three questions help you spot the dangers of routine:
- When did a routine last lead you astray?
- Are you really acting from experience or just for comfort?
- Do you consciously pause before making decisions, or do you just rush them through?
Blink 3 – Principle 3: Performance Is Not Just About Money, But About the Value of Work.
After a lot of hard work, sweat, and some tears, Lea has done it. Her start-up is moving from the test phase to growing big. But Lea feels something is changing. The company runs smoothly. But the passion from the beginning is getting weaker. In meetings, people talk more and more about efficiency and profit.
An employee suggests moving some production to a cheaper supplier. Lea is unsure what to do. The numbers clearly say yes. But she knows: The current partner is a small family business. They are reliable and committed. They have supported the project from the start. From a numbers point of view, changing would be smart. But from a human point of view, it would be wrong.
Lea asks the team to look at the suggestion not only for money reasons but also for cultural reasons. How will this decision affect team motivation, trust, and teamwork? During the talk, it becomes clear: Cheaper doesn’t always mean better. The family business knows the products very well. They also have good relationships with many of the first team members. Their quality and reliability are excellent. So Lea decides to continue the partnership.
To some in the team, this seems illogical. They could have saved money. On the other hand, ending the partnership would have made some team members frown. They would ask: Do we have no values beyond profit? From this experience, Lea introduces a new measure: “Value per Contribution.”
Simply put, teams don’t just write down how many hours they spent on a task. They also write down how useful their work was. Did they solve a problem for good, or just deal with the symptoms? Was a process made simpler so that colleagues have more time for important things? Did a new way of working make the team feel better?
Suddenly, it’s not about how much work someone does. It’s about what difference the work makes. Value also shows if something lasting remains after the task is finished.
In the first weeks, a clear difference appears. Teams that can now make their own decisions give more stable solutions. They report risks earlier. They suggest improvements before mistakes happen. The number of mistakes goes down. Learning increases. And the company’s energy feels like it did at the start.
Lea learns: Being efficient is important. But without meaning and care, it is empty.
Check yourself and your company with these questions:
- How do you measure performance: by numbers or by value?
- Are there areas where efficiency guides your thinking too much?
- In which areas could you work slower, but more carefully?
Blink 4 – Principle 4: Creativity Needs Guidance.
On the table are sticky notes, sketches, and half-empty teacups. Lea stands in front of a whiteboard full of ideas. Her team is working on a new project. It is a feature that lets users share extra solar power with others in their neighborhood. The potential is huge.
But each department has its own ideas. The social media team wants to share energy through Instagram and similar platforms. The developers think more about a gaming app. Someone else suggests a normal donation platform. The discussion has been going in circles for hours. Every idea sounds smart, but nothing fits together.
Lea listens and feels the energy in the room disappearing. The motivation is there. But it spreads out in too many directions because of too many ideas. Lea tells her team: “I really value your creativity. Now we need to focus it. I know this hurts, but we have to let go of some ideas.” This is like “kill your darlings!”
She asks the team to ignore all suggestions for an hour. They should only answer one question: What problem do we really want to solve? After a deep discussion, one sentence stays on the wall: “We want to use energy that would otherwise be wasted.”
And suddenly, the energy comes back to the team. This understanding leads to a new approach. It’s a simple feature that automatically tells people when a lot of solar power is going into the grid in their area. The app then suggests using or charging devices like washing machines or electric cars right at that moment. This doesn’t need social media, gaming, or a donation platform. The practical benefit is enough.
At this moment, Lea understands that creativity needs clear rules. This way, it doesn’t end in chaos. You can use these questions to guide you:
- How often do you work on too many ideas at once?
- What if you first check every new idea for its “why”?
- Where could you make creativity more productive by setting clear limits?
Blink 5 – Principle 5: Trust Is Better Than Control.
One morning, Lea is sitting with the customer support team leader. The numbers are good. But the team’s mood is tense. The company has grown a lot. The easy feeling of the start-up phase is gone. The team leader tells Lea, “I think people are afraid to make mistakes.” Lea frowns. Fear? In her company?
In the days that followed, she watched more closely. She realizes that she is part of the problem. She is worried about losing control. So she comments on every small thing. She corrects emails and asks questions about details. Her intention is good. She doesn’t want anything to go wrong. But by doing this, Lea creates an atmosphere of distrust.
Then she announces an experiment. For the next two weeks, teams will decide how to rank their tasks. They will also decide how to measure their success. No one needs to ask for approval. No one needs to send Lea progress reports.
After a few somewhat messy days, where teamwork and courage were missing, the mood changes. The team seems relaxed. They approach their tasks with more self-confidence. They make smart decisions.
Lea realizes that trust is not a feeling. It is a way of working. It needs three parts to work: openness, skills, and psychological safety.
Openness means everyone knows what’s going on. Lea now openly shares information she used to keep to herself. This is the only way they can act responsibly on their own.
Skills mean giving responsibility to those who have the knowledge. Expertise decides, not rank. Lea starts regular “Skill Checks.” Here, teams show what skills they have and what skills they need. This makes it clear who can and should make which decisions. So, trust is not about blind belief. It’s about smart delegation.
Finally, psychological safety means no one has to fear being punished for mistakes. In feedback sessions, Lea talks first about her own wrong decisions. She notices that this openness encourages others to do the same. Mistakes are no longer hidden. Instead, they are used to get better.
Leadership is not a tool for control. Someone in a leadership role doesn’t have to know everything or control everything. It’s more about creating conditions where others can do their best.
Here are the questions for you to think about:
- How clear is trust in your organization, and how is it measured?
- What decisions could you hand over without losing quality?
- And what would change if your team needed you less?
Blink 6 – Principle 6: Your Company Must Be Able to Work Without You.
The sun is low over the city when Lea reads the investors’ letter. They are offering new funding. But there is one condition: The company needs an experienced management team.
Lea puts the letter down. For years, she had been the center of her start-up. She was the idea generator, the decision-maker, the public face. Now she faces a question: Should she keep this role, or give it up?
At first, everything in her resists. She built the company. Now she has to just hand it over? But the longer she thinks about it, the more her view changes. Wouldn’t that be a sign of her company’s maturity? That it continues to work and grow even without Lea?
The next morning, Lea calls her core team together. She openly explains what the investors want. She suggests that they manage the change together. No power struggle. Instead, a clear plan: How can the company grow steadily if Lea slowly steps back from daily operations? Together, they work out three phases:
Phase 1 is about giving over daily decisions. Lea sets up a larger management team. It includes the heads of the product, finance, HR, and operations teams. Decisions about budgets, staff, or product priorities will now be made by the team leads themselves. They will no longer need Lea’s approval. Lea stays as an advisor, but without veto power. The team should learn to act without her final signature.
Then comes Phase 2: setting up an Advisory Board. This board will handle long-term issues like strategy, partnerships, and social impact. It will be made up of internal leaders and outside experts. This board will think, correct, and provide guidance. But it will not get involved in daily work. For Lea, this means sharing her responsibility with many people. It also means making sure outside ideas are always part of the company’s thinking.
And finally, Phase 3: defining her new role. Lea decides how she wants to work in the future. She will no longer be the CEO. She will be the Chairwoman. Her focus will now be on company culture, values, and the main direction. She wants to keep the principles that made the company strong. These are curiosity, taking responsibility, and valuable work. She wants them to stay even if leadership changes.
The process is not smooth. Some employees doubt if the company will keep the same energy without her. But little by little, trust grows. Decisions become more independent. Responsibility is shared more widely. Structures become stronger.
Lea’s start-up has grown up.
Here are some questions for you to think about:
- How much are you ready to give up control?
- What structures in your environment ensure things continue if you step back?
- And how do you know your organization has grown up?
Conclusion
You have learned about six principles that help companies succeed today. Let’s summarize them again:
Trust from society means doing more than just making sales and growing. People expect purpose and good values. If you can show what good you do, you build trust. Trust is the basis for success.
Experience as an entrepreneur is helpful. But it can be dangerous if you don’t question it. So, it is important to always check old ways and learn new things from your experiences.
Today, performance means focusing on value, not just on being efficient. Success happens when teams take responsibility and understand why their work is important. Quality is more important than quantity.
Creativity is key for this. But it needs a clear direction. So, you must be brave enough to let go of some good ideas. At its core, every new product must aim to solve a problem.
Leadership is built on trust. Leaders who give guidance instead of control create conditions where others can grow. This includes having a positive culture around mistakes.
And finally, entrepreneurs must be able to let go. A company is only strong if it can work even without its founder.
Thank you for listening, and see you in the next Blink.
Source: https://www.blinkist.com/https://www.blinkist.com/de/books/erfahrung-beschleunigen-de