The courage to act like an entrepreneur
Benedikt Germanier was a leading Wall Street economist before moving back to his home country of Switzerland. He left his position as a financial expert working for television channels such as Bloomberg and CNBC behind and took over the management of ZAI, a small ski manufacturer in the mountains of canton Graubünden. He and his team developed this start-up enterprise into a niche brand with an international outreach and brand presence. Today, Benedikt is a sought-after coach, business consultant and ’man of action’.
What drives someone to call time on a prosperous career and start all over again together with his wife and their four children?
Benedikt has always forged his own path in life, often contrary to the ’sage’ advice of others. A meteoric career was never his goal – his job as a ski instructor and tennis coach was where his passion lay. After studying economics, he entered the world of finance and became the chief strategist at UBS America. But this was just the beginning.
In his presentation, Benedikt inspires and empowers people to take action in a world rife with uncertainty. He addresses young people at the start of their careers and fledgling entrepreneurs alike. He gives them the impetus to change perspectives and take a fresh look at issues. In his accounts, he describes what it means to break through old behaviour patterns, tread new paths and solve problems. In doing so, he by no means sugar-coats the fact that this is challenging and anything but simple. Today, he feels like a fish in water.
Good decision-making is always rewarded with gained freedom. And that is why courage is so worthwhile – for both people and businesses.
His speech
From Wallstreet to Disentis
What you can take with you
- Inspiring people to act
- Failure and crises happen, but if you follow your heart, you’ll do the right thing. Decisions made like this are never regretted.
- Curiosity as a driving force
- Mutual encouragement and support are crucial for the success of a team and the satisfaction of the individual.
- Developing a business and an idea into a brand with international outreach – how to make much out of little demonstrated on the ZAI example.