2019 was colourful. It had its charms, it had its peculiarities, its hurdles and surprises. For us it all was clearly under the tide of transformation. We had anticipated some economic developments and still were astonished on how they finally appeared.
How did the business year go and what influence did it have on our work?
Uwe Köstens and Martin Hammer discuss this and more in their review of the year. Come along and learn more about our year and also how much Christmas is in our mission.
enomyc in 2019: How did it go, Mr. Köstens?
The year was colorful again. Like every year. It had a special appeal - starting with our rebranding. 2019 was clearly a year of transformation for us - especially for our own company. K+H Business Partner became enomyc. Entering the year with a new name was significant and a real change.
Were there any surprises for you with regard to the 2019 financial year, Mr Hammer? And if so, which one?
Not directly, because every boom is followed by a recession. Whether or not we are currently in recession, economists will be better off judging that. However, we take note and are amazed at how quickly the spiral of downturn is now hitting. It was predicted three or four years ago that this would happen. We were surprised by the force with which these forecasts are now coming through.
Mr Köstens, what gave you food for thought in 2019?
I was surprised at the colossal change in the reporting on economic developments over the summer. For me personally, I had to note that the forecasts in the business press deteriorated significantly, that an economic slowdown was almost "written off". This was not so evident in the months before.
What does this development mean for the management consultancy sector - and what exactly does it mean for enomyc, Mr. Hammer?
Generally speaking, it can be said that now quite different topics are in the focus of the business leaders in Germany's industry. Whereas in recent years the focus has been on growth strategies or projects in digital transformation, the current focus is on cost-cutting measures, restructuring or reorganization projects. There are significantly more project entries and inquiries - especially from the automotive and supplier industry or machining sector.
Which project has particularly impressed you in 2019, Mr Köstens?
There were many special projects this year. One thing of which was homemade: We devoted even more attention to the topic of digital transformation in our consulting. I am now older than the generation of digital natives and my younger colleagues. How can I digitally upgrade a business model? This task has kept me busy, as it is both intellectually very demanding and has also challenged me in a beautiful way.
Have you, Mr. Hammer, had a realization from the year, if you could call it that?
One insight we have certainly gained is that we have ultimately turned a very successful business model - 16 years of K+H Business Partner - into a new brand. As a leading consulting company in the medium-sized consultancy business, we wanted to set a good example: In the course of our rebranding we first transformed ourselves: We have completely digitalized all of our processes – from the implementation of an ERP system, a state of the art CRM or even our financial tools.This also served as proof that our customers will also succeed in this.
What was part of the successful rebranding, Mr Köstens?
Courage - a primary virtue and a clear prerequisite for facing up to responsibility, but also for change. In addition, it is important to translate knowledge into action. This is often not so easy: The knowledge is sometimes there, but there is a lack of consistent implementation. This requires discipline - temporarily also good support from outside and consistent internal and external communication. We have prepared for the rebranding in a two-year consulting process - because we too have been advised in this respect.
What are the primary lessons you have learned in 2019, Mr Hammer?
To remain open to learn. In consulting, you always learn something new - that is also the attraction of our profession - even if the solution approaches and project processes are always similar. We learn from every industry, from every company, from all of our customers, colleagues, and people we meet; and that every day. Looking back over the whole year, this is an extremely large amount of new knowledge and this is exactly what makes our job so exciting.
You speak of encounters. Which ones did you find special in 2019?
Nice encounters are when, in our everyday consulting work, we supervise projects in which we can resolve disputes and disagreements in family businesses. These are challenging projects - but at the same time they appeal to human and emotional - not just technical - competence. This makes the challenge all the more attractive.
About 50% of the companies we serve are family-run. No one can imagine how divided some of them are. And it is precisely these disputes that often lead to companies to not performing so well - the focus is simply not on the management of the company, but often on legal disputes. One of our strengths and in great demand is to provide advice and active support to entrepreneurs.
What is your conclusion for Christmas?
It is almost always the same triggers that ultimately lead a company into crisis: simple greed. Greed for too much at once. Then power - a classic factor - and the lack of self-reflection.
What do you see the role of enomyc here as, Mr. Köstens?
Well, basically, many requests are characterized by the fact that people have different opinions. In the process of diversity of opinion and different views on things, to carry out a moderation or mediation in such a way that the solution is afterwards a solution for all - that is what it is all about. The solution is always somewhere in the middle - it is never subjective, it is never meant exclusively for you. Everyone must always be involved in finding solutions. Ultimately, this is also what makes our projects successful: That we should be able to bring everyone together to achieve the best possible solution for everyone.
Mr Hammer, what do you see enomyc's contribution to christmas?
We are convinced that we are doing something good. In recent years, we have succeeded in preserving many thousands of jobs. Now, we do not do this only out of pure Christian charity. It's business, of course. At the same time, however, we also try to give back some of what we have been able to capture as economic success in recent years.
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Dear Madames and Sirs,
2019 was an exciting and extraordinarily important business year for us.
We would like to conclude with a big personal thank you to all of you - our customers, our business partners and our employees.
They are ultimately responsible for the fact that we are where we are today.
And we've got a lot more to do. Stay tuned!
We wish you all the best, a blessed Christmas and
a happy new year!
Martin Hammer and Uwe Köstens
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