Award as entrepreneur of the future

Being over sixty again as a Entrepreneur of the future Is it possible, is it allowed, should it even be allowed? Well, why not?

I asked myself all this and more when I heard about the DUP German Entrepreneur Platform got the invitation to join me as Entrepreneur of the future certified by the diind German Innovation Institute for Sustainability and Digitalization.

To make a long story short: During the Big Bang AI Conference 2024 in Berlin, I received this very award, Entrepreneur of the future. It's really official, with a letter and seal and the signature of former Federal Minister of Economics Brigitte Zypries.

And yes, I am happy about that!

But back to the beginning: I was interested in two aspects when I was considering whether I should apply for it at all:

• On the one hand, the seriousness of the award - after all, it should have the seriousness of a seal of quality for my customers and clients.
• On the other hand, the charisma, because I also want to be able to do marketing on my own behalf.

Transparent actions, clear values, open communication - the test and selection criteria

Therefore, the test and selection criteria on which the certificate is based were particularly relevant for me. These are summarized in the Testing process of the diind quite well as follows:

The following criteria are used by diind for the review process:

• Evaluation of business practices and entrepreneurial activities including demonstrable economic successes
• Analysis of the online presence including clarity about the business model, portfolio and user-friendliness
• Future orientation, relevance & innovation potential
• Social responsibility and commitment
• Evaluation of the external perception of the entrepreneur
• Analysis of business valuations
• Presence and visibility on relevant platforms such as LinkedIn

As a future-oriented coach by profession, whose work also aims to make a constructive contribution to our coexistence in business and society, these criteria and the review process certainly correspond to my own values and goals.

So my first checkpoint was fulfilled: I can identify with these criteria. And it was a good opportunity for me to have my own work and its effectiveness looked at from the outside.

The applicability for my marketing

But what about the second checkpoint, usability in marketing?

Here came a bitter pill to swallow. I would be allowed to display the award on my website free of charge and report on it together with the picture above. However, if I want to actively use the award together with the diind and DUP logos in my marketing, for example in my LinkedIn header, in YouTube videos or in print products, then a license fee based on the number of employees is due. Well, for the vast majority of awards of this kind, it works exactly according to this principle - live and let live.

You can guess my answer to the question of whether it was worth the license fee in the end. Otherwise, of course, this blog post wouldn't even exist. The decision was made much easier for me by what I received in addition to the actual license:

• First and foremost, of course, the certificate itself, signed by the former Federal Minister of Economics Brigitte Zypries, with which, as I have already said, I can certainly identify due to its criteria.
• The presentation of the visually and haptically high-quality award during the Big Bang AI Congress in Berlin, including a photo shoot of course 📸
• The invitation to a few interesting events in terms of content and networking, such as the EuroMinds Congress in Hamburg or the aforementioned Big Bang AI Congress
• Marketing material such as image and logo files that I can use well in my public image
• And a few other goodies such as membership of the DUP Entrepreneur Community

For me, however, the decisive factor is that it is a well-rounded package, especially because it allows me to convey my work as an executive coach in an even more valuable way.

Of course, it only became a really complete package when Tanja Tete from the DUP called me in April to tell me about the award over the phone, which I finally received in person at the Big Bang AI Festival in September.

And for a solo self-employed person, all this is certainly a reason to be happy!