25-year-old Doris Pfleger runs an agency in Hamburg with her partner. Some of her customer base have been with her since she was 14 years old. Finn Bündert
Doris Pfleger and her boyfriend founded the Generation Z creative agency “Max & Doris” in Hamburg. The agency helps companies make their products and brands attractive to young people. The couple works with freelancers from their network to work more agile and creatively.
Doris Pfleger was barely seven years old when she independently logged onto the computer in her parents’ basement and searched for drawing competitions on the Internet, she tells Business Insider. They are excited to read through the tasks, implement them and then submit their contributions. So she sits at home and draws – first in kindergarten, later at school.
“There were more and more competitions,” says the now 24-year-old in an interview with Business Insider. “At one point I was doing ten a week and winning at companies like Toyota. First in the Austrian sector, then in the international sector.” Profits followed at companies such as the chocolate manufacturer Milka, the Austrian broadcasting company and the stationery manufacturer Faber-Castell. At the age of eight, she was invited to an awards ceremony in Tokyo.
I often heard that my dreams were too big. That’s why I was on my own early on.
Doris comes from an Austrian village in Upper Styria. “I often heard that my dreams were too big. That’s why I was on my own early on.” So she continues to search for tasks and learns what juries pay attention to. “I think it’s a little weird that I was interested in this as a small child,” admits Pfleger. It is precisely these activities that will shape her future career.
As an 11-year-old, she experienced bullying
At the age of 11, Doris had her first experiences with bullying. As she says, her secondary school doesn’t like the fact that she sits at home a lot and pursues her passion, drawing. As she tells Business Insider, she wins prizes like an iPod and art supplies. This is how envy arises because: “Children can be mean,” remembers the Austrian.
After winning numerous painting competitions, at the age of 12, she finally took the bus to Graz, the Styrian capital, about 80 minutes away. She attends the open day at the vocational art and design center “Ortwein School”. And she admits: “When I was asked how old I was, I said I was there because of a school trip.”