The Western holidays are over. We are back at our desks in Europe. But if you work with China—or want to—your most important business opportunity of 2026 has not started yet. February 17, 2026, marks the Chinese New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Horse. For the next fifteen days, business in […]
It is December 15. If you are working in Europe, you can feel the energy shifting. The “Silent Night” of the business world is approaching—most offices will effectively shut down by December 21. Right now, you might be staring at a draft email. It probably starts with “Dear Valued Customer” or “Hi everyone,” and you
Please, Delete That Mass Holiday Email: A Strategic Guide to Authentic Networking Read More »
Last November, I stood at the edge of a tech networking event in Munich, watching something that broke my heart a little. Thirty experienced professionals—PhD engineers, senior product managers, successful entrepreneurs—were scattered across the room in awkward clusters. Not because they weren’t impressive (they absolutely were), but because the format was working against them. Every
You Don’t Need More Networking Events—You Need Better Conversations Read More »
Three days before the grand opening. I was part of the team organizing a major brand event for a German premium company in China. Everything had been planned meticulously – the venue, the guest list, the marketing materials, the technical setup. Typical German precision. Then, three days before the opening, the technical problem appeared. The
Four years ago, I attended a business networking event in Hamburg. I did everything “right” – worked the room, introduced myself to different groups, collected seventeen business cards by the end of the evening. I felt productive. Successful, even. When I got home and spread those cards across my kitchen table, I waited for the
Why Your Business Cards End Up in the Trash: The 5-Step Method for Real Connections Read More »
