SENNA

Seasoned Entrepreneur Shares Startup Lessons for Founders

Berlin - Serial entrepreneur Anna Alex has founded three companies - Outfittery, Planetly, and her latest venture Nala Earth - and is sharing the key lessons she's learned along the way.

As one of Germany's prominent climate-tech founders, Alex's insights offer a valuable roadmap for aspiring entrepreneurs navigating the challenges of building a business from the ground up.

Her first lesson is to embrace the "numbers game" of founding multiple ventures. "Many dream of building something big - that was me 13 years ago with Outfittery," said Alex. "What I didn't know then is that entrepreneurship is a numbers game. It's not just about the idea, but how many you pursue."

Alex has since founded three companies, with plans for more. Her advice is to "not hold on to one firm for too long" and to "fail fast and start anew" rather than sinking too much time into an idea that isn't working.

The second lesson is to be "stingy" with one's most precious resource - time. "The most valuable thing we invest is not money, but our lifetime," Alex said, referencing the children's book "Momo" and the character of Master Hora, the guardian of time.

"If you understand how valuable time really is, you'll be miserly with it. Be stingy about which ideas and people you spend it on," she advised.

Alex's third key lesson centers on the importance of diversification - a concept more commonly associated with investment portfolios than startup strategies.

"We founders put all our eggs in one basket - and if that basket fails, we have nothing," she said. "Investors know this and diversify. I've now founded three companies, and there will likely be more."

This diversified approach stands in contrast to the common startup narrative of founders pouring their heart and soul into a single, make-or-break idea. Alex's experience suggests a more measured, portfolio-style strategy may be prudent.

The insights come at a time of economic uncertainty, where access to funding has tightened and the margin for error has narrowed. Seasoned entrepreneurs like Alex who have navigated multiple cycles can offer a steadying perspective.

Her advice resonates particularly with climate-tech founders, an increasingly prominent cohort navigating the complexities of building sustainable businesses. As Alex puts it, "Fail fast, start new - and always keep an eye on the clock."