Greetings from Jörg Dittrich

When the wind blows hard, it brings with it many great opportunities. For example, it's a good idea to build a windmill. We want to reduce bureaucratic hurdles. 125.000 craft businesses will soon need new management. Start one and take over!

This article is part of the special feature GründerNavi – for founders and young companies

Dear entrepreneurs,

" Nothing ventured, nothing gained ." Everyone knows this proverb. In China, a country known for wisdom and figurative language, a similar thought sounds like this: "When the winds of change blow, some build walls, others build windmills."

People are looking for protection and support

Dear readers, the "winds of change" are currently blowing quite hard . This is both threatening and unsettling , because nobody knows how and where things will develop . Especially in times like these, many people search intensely for protection and support. They seek or build protective walls.

But the "winds of change" also have another, productive side. Yes, some certainties may no longer hold true. But this, besides causing concern, also presents many great opportunities . When the wind blows hard, it's good to build a windmill ; it's good to harness the power of the wind and the energy released by change.

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Business takeover as an opportunity for self-realization

I know that the construction of windmills faces some unfortunately typical German obstacles. Let's call it the "building permit" —I mean the bureaucracy . It has reached a level that, metaphorically speaking, makes the construction of windmills considerably more difficult.

I encourage you to start or take over a business

The German Confederation of Skilled Crafts is doing everything in its power to reduce the number of bureaucratic hurdles . Because one thing is clear: young people like you, doers and skilled individuals, don't want to be burdened with more forms than necessary and reasonable. And it's also clear: for the future of our country, it is absolutely vital that you, the doers and skilled individuals of today, start and take over businesses ; that you train apprentices and thus ensure the skilled workers of tomorrow and the day after ; that you continue to build on the foundation upon which our country will stand for many years to come.

Over the next five years, 125.000 craft businesses will be looking for new leadership . That's 125.000 opportunities for self-realization. Because when I wholeheartedly and with deep conviction encourage you to start or take over a business , I do so not only so that our country can move towards a prosperous future, but also, and above all, so that you can develop and flourish as a craftsperson and as a person.

Leave your comfort zone and overcome your own limits!

A person's personality develops through work and personal achievement. It emerges from overcoming inner resistance and stepping outside one's comfort zone to expand one's horizons. And what a satisfying and exhilarating feeling it is when you realize: I can do it, I've accomplished it! This sense of happiness and the resulting self-confidence strengthens the personality , allows you to transcend your perceived limitations, and enriches your life. I can attest to this from my own personal experience.

Dear readers, take advantage of the "wind of change". For your sake and our country's. Are you one of the people build the windmillsYou have what it takes, because you're a skilled and a doer. And yes: who dares wins. I wish you much success and all the best from the bottom of my heart,
Your

Jörg Dittrich
President of the Central Association of German Crafts