Exactly 13 years ago today, I was awarded my doctorate in England. I had spent four years working on my doctoral thesis on identity-driven artist brand development. In terms of content, I explored how artists can develop a brand that is not artificially constructed, but is built on their actual identity. Many of the insights from that time still guide me today. They shape my view of personal brands and brand development. They inform my work today. And they also play a role in

I was just shown an advert for a Premium account on LinkedIn. Its central message was that networking is a key factor in professional success for many professionals and executives. I wholeheartedly agree with this assessment. Particularly in senior management, sales, business development and business-focused networks, a great deal depends on people’s ability to build strong, sustainable relationships. After all, new clients, collaborations, recommendations, knowledge and acce

No time for networking? (AI generated) Today, I delivered the reflective closing session of my business networking training programme in a company. One participant shared that over the past few weeks he had hardly done any networking because there was simply too much to do – and asked for advice on how to handle this better in the future. This situation is honest.And it is absolutely typical. Networking is not a nice-to-have – it is a strategic success factor Business network

When I put together the 44 reasons for strong networking, there was one category that perhaps surprised some people and was received very positively by others: “For the good of humanity.” Yes, within an overall business-driven context, this category may seem unusual. But it is there very deliberately. Why business networking always has a societal impact Business is often viewed as a separate sphere – detached from society, ethics or responsibility. In reality, that separation

You know me as a full-time networker, as a cluster manager, as a networking trainer and speaker. Fittingly, on the occasion of my 44th birthday: 44 thoughts and reasons about contacts, relationships, trust and genuine networking. General Because no one is successful who tries to do everything alone. Because relationships open doors that CVs cannot. I’ve experienced this myself – both positively and negatively. Because trust is the foundation of all development. Because every