Florian Hübner, CEO of Startup Creator & Decondia, on Reading that Changes How You Do Business
Florian Hübner is a man with a plan: his personal goal is “to enable as many entrepreneurs as possible to start and grow their business, and boost the startup success rate from 10% to 90%”.
He is the CEO of the Startup Creator, a tech-accelerator that supports entrepreneurs by turning their initial ideas towards the implementation of their tech concept, while providing everything a founder needs – at minimal costs.
Florian is also the CEO of Decondia, a company that offers development services at German quality standards in connection with cost-effective Indian expertise. They offer mobile app development, creative web development, strategy CRM development, and unique AI implementation solutions.
As you’ve already noticed, Florian is very motivated by the idea of helping companies maximize their efficiency while spending their budget in a rational way. Both companies he runs focus on helping entrepreneurs get the best “bang for their bucks”.
His past explains his motivation: even in college, Florian was an AIESEC volunteer and acted as a Vice President for the Finance department in Munich. He also worked in the Accounting and Marketing Department of illycaffè, where he learned about budgets, planning, strategy, operations, and also implementing marketing campaigns. All these contributed to his financial knowledge and turned him into a trust-worthy figure as far as business and finances are concerned.
Aside from his favorite books, Florian talked to us about common mistakes entrepreneurs make, and also shared the one mistake he regretted doing himself. Happy reading!
What’s your favorite book and why? Business and non-business, if possible.
My favorite book is Mephisto by Klaus Mann, son of Thomas Mann.
It’s not only an exciting novel but opened my eyes, how close to reality his predictions were in 1936 in which direction the Nazi dictatorship was shifting.
Originally Mann was asked by his publisher to write a sci-fi novel about Europe in the future. However, he rejected the proposal stating that he could not write an apolitical book at that point in history and wanted to reveal the racism and cruelties in the Third Reich.
If more people would have been as brave as him many wars could have been prevented. Read it!
Was there a moment, specifically, when something you read in a book helped you? Can you tell me about it?
It happens to me all the time that books are helping me out. When I started my first company I read about getting all the trivial things off the ground. When I had to get into sales, I read everything about sales. Without these books I would have definitely hired the wrong people and would still use carrier pigeons to reach out to people.
What books had the biggest impact on you? (perhaps changed the way you see things, dramatically changed your career path)
Probably all these autobiographies about great entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs. They showed me the possibilities of entrepreneurship if you just have patience and ambition.
And still right now… these books produce so many feelings of euphoria so that I just can’t stop creating new stuff.
Sometimes of a dose of Medium (no books, but inspiring articles from any field) is enough for a whole day full of energy.
What books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path? Why? (no number limit here)
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight – It shows you how to run a fast-growing business where innovation is key (probably the most exciting business book I‘ve ever read).
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki – Strange title, but it let’s you redefine how you see work.
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh – A great journey behind the Zappos founder with strong focus on how to lead employees.
How do you make time for reading?
During weekends there is always time to read. At least 3-4 hours are a must.
How do you choose what books to read next?
That’s very intuitive. If I am in the mood reading a sci-fi book, I follow my recommendations and read it. If I have the urge to educate myself in any topic I just buy it and read it.
Do you prioritize the books recommended by certain people? Is there anyone that you consider a book-recommendations guru?
Yes, I try to read all the books that Bill Gates recommends in his Gates Notes. Never got disappointed.
What book are you currently reading and what are you expecting to gain from it?
At the moment I am reading „How to Create a Mind“ by Ray Kurzweil. It reveals the secret of human thought and I want to know how brain patterns can be applied to machines.
What are three common mistakes made by early entrepreneurs?
Consider investor funding as the only success driver.
Try to do everything by yourself.
Spend money on unnecessary things like Office space etc.
Do you have an example of a mistake you made while building your business?
The biggest mistake in the beginning was not letting go of people who harmed the business/team. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize these red flags and believed they might change.
Now, there is a radical process and if they don’t perform well/harm the business, I let them go immediately.
Links where you can follow Florian Hübner or find out more about his projects:
- Florian Hubner on LinkedIn
- Startup Creator – Official Website
- Decondia – Official Website
- Decondia on Facebook
All books mentioned by Florian Hübner in this interview:
- Mephisto by Klaus Mann
- Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
- Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
- Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
- How to Create a Mind: The Secret of Human Thought Revealed by Ray Kurzweil
