Give & Take event: from regional founders to the ZAH1DE manager

(SBS) From the corporate world to the creator business – or from nothing to the top? A special ambience and a tangible entrepreneurial energy were in the air: on Friday, June 5, 2026, the Juniper in Lübeck, right next to the Lübecker Nachrichten, transformed into a meeting place for startups, entrepreneurs, social media professionals and digital pioneers.

Under the motto “Give & Take,” business models, visibility, courage and getting back up after setbacks were the focus. Impulse-givers from all over Germany met familiar faces from the region – and a digital business world that still feels unfamiliar to many down-to-earth entrepreneurs.

Instead of stiff lectures with slides there were personal stories, clear messages and a lot of pace. The evening was entertaining but not superficial. At its core it was about entrepreneurship – just on a stage that felt different from classic business events.

Sustainability also begins with future-ready business practices

On this day, sustainability was not proclaimed as a lecture topic. Still, it was present beneath the surface. Sustainable development is not just about climate protection or less packaging. It’s also about how people work (social aspects), how companies are built, survive crises, use new technologies and strengthen the regional economy. That’s exactly what the evening showed: experienced entrepreneurs from across Germany and young founders from the region; digital business models, old products redesigned, female role models, cultural diversity and the question of how traditional companies can remain visible in a social media world.

Anyone who talks about entrepreneurship in this way automatically talks about future viability!

 Note: Interviews with Burak Türkyilmaz / BreitenBerg, Michael Schuldt as well as the joint conversation with Meriem Lebdiri and Büsra Sayed can be found as linked audio files in the text. Uncut, i.e. unvarnished 

Behind the evening stood a local organizing and moderating duo from Lübeck (photo above, left and right) that built the bridge between the social media world and the traditional Mittelstand. Burak Türkyilmaz, known online as BreitenBerg, combines traditional business values with digital reach as an entrepreneur and successful Twitch streamer. On stage he brought humor, pace and his own experiences. Listen to the audio interview? Listen here.

Ann-Kathrin König complemented this digital dynamic with classic style and structure. As a business and HR consultant she brought focus on leadership, organization and people.

Young entrepreneurial talent from the region

That Lübeck and the surrounding area are fertile ground for new ideas was also shown by the guests. For example, Michael Schuldt from SchuldtSafety. He stands for a topic that has nothing to do with startup romance: road safety. Freshly awarded at the StartupDays, Schuldt has developed a driver assistance system designed to physically prevent drivers from using smartphones. Not an app that politely warns, but a technical solution against distraction at the wheel — and for fewer accidents Listen to the audio interview? Listen here.

That entrepreneurial success often starts right on one’s doorstep was also evident that day in the conversation with two further guests from the region: Merten and Jost Hannemann. The brothers come from Hamberge and attended school in Reinfeld. The younger of the two is just 23 years old.

Today they are building with nichtnurrasierer.de, alongside their retail store, an online business that combines a down-to-earth product field with modern online marketing. This shows: sometimes something new doesn’t begin with a completely new technology, but with rethinking an old market, reaching target groups better and repositioning familiar products.

Role models for young women at the intersection of culture, visibility and business

Leaving a lasting impression were, among others, Meriem Lebdiri and Büsra Sayed. The two fashion entrepreneurs, content creators and models showed how modern lifestyles, cultural identity and economic success can go together. Büsra had seen Meriem as a role model earlier — something Meriem only learned about in today’s interview.

Role models emerge when people become visible and show others: it’s possible. Even with a different background. Even with detours. Even without a classic entrepreneurial biography. For that they received a standing ovation from the audience after their stage appearance! Listen to the audio interview? Listen here.

The contrast between the speakers created excitement

The life stories of the invited speakers and participants reflected many facets of entrepreneurship: opportunities and risks, success, headwinds, falling down and getting up again. It was about founding stories that started from nothing. About people who came from corporate structures and became self-employed as content creators. And about self-employed people who fell hard during the corona years — and then had to start over.

Many stories on stage and in the interviews touched me (Susanne Braun-Speck (Su-Enna), author of this piece in the photo with Burak Türkyilmaz / BreitenBerg) also because I had experienced some of it myself. As a former entrepreneur in the IT sector I founded a company at a time (1996) when my business model was new and needed explanation: IT project work, freelancer placement. Later this became a billion-euro market. My own agency initially grew quickly — and years later slowly died again. I experienced firsthand how destructive bureaucracy, crises and legal changes or restrictions (such as corona measures) can be for companies. Accordingly, I could have exchanged personal experiences with almost every speaker on the stage. But my job at this event was press work 🙂

Large employers (250+ employees) and solo entrepreneurs met each other

Andreas Buhr and Servet Ülker on stage

On that Friday, on one side stood personalities (see photo) such as the consultant, speaker and SPIEGEL author Andreas Buhr, who shared strategic as well as personal impulses and in some respects spoke bluntly and directly. In the photo together with Servet Ülker from BurgerVision, who likes a hands-on mentality and grounded people – regardless of how successful they are.

Also present were Ertan Kesgin from the management of Uludag Germany and Europe (manufacturer of the Turkish cult drink: Gazoz) and Elias Bauer, who turns honey into modern products (photo above). Also car dealership ownerAndreas Woellenstein , who, despite the company’s multi-million scale and 600 employees, comes across as down-to-earth. He was on stage together with Serdar Bogatekin (founder and CEO of Lunatix Management). He described what the path can look like from Berlin-Kreuzberg — all the way to the top, to million-euro revenues. He discovered ZAH1DE in his Berlin dance school. Today she is a BAMBI winner, the most streamed German newcomer and an influential voice of Generation Alpha.

For humorous relief, comedianSalim Samatou

, who spontaneously became part of the program. And: Although no one was there as a lecturer and no one wanted to lecture anyone, a lot of know‑how was imparted nonetheless:

Experience is the best teacher! In the end it became clear: the diversity and the business mindset of the speakers and guests were surprising and entertaining. Almost every minute offered new impulses. Above all, the day from 11 a.m. to about 5 p.m. showed: 

Social media platforms are no longer a private playground. They are an economic space — also for traditional, down-to-earth companies.

Whoever smiles at this world misunderstands part of the present. And perhaps part of the future as well.

Because sustainable business today does not only mean conserving resources and avoiding CO2. It also means making companies resilient, encouraging young people, making regional ideas visible and using digital spaces responsibly. That was the real message of the day: Give and Take is more than an event motto. It describes how entrepreneurship can work when experience, visibility, courage and mutual support come together.

Text and photos: Susanne Braun‑Speck (Su‑Enna)