Today’s prosperity in Germany is based on the great reconstruction work that was accomplished in the years after the Second World War. At that time, many new companies were founded and the country’s work output grew year by year. For example, if only 120,000 refrigerators were manufactured in Germany in 1950, ten years later it was already 2.4 million.
The demand was great, but so was the willingness to perform and the country was characterized by a much greater willingness to take risks than today. The latter gave rise to the companies that still form the backbone of the German economy today.
Of course, numerous entrepreneurs have failed with their business ideas. But that didn’t stop many from trying again a short time later with a different, better idea. The old capitalist motto applied: ‘Anyone who dares can fail, whoever doesn’t dare has already failed’.
Obstacles are systematically placed in the way of entrepreneurial courage
Today there is a lack of entrepreneurial courage and in many places we notice its absence with extreme pain. Various reasons are responsible for this absence. One of these reasons is the excessive bureaucracy. If you want to found a company today, you not only have to have a good business idea, but also have to deal with a multitude of regulations that did not exist before.
Another reason is the lack of planning security. You don’t found a company with a perspective of a few years. But precisely because the time horizon is a lot longer than with other private investments, a high level of security is also required when planning.
If this is not the case, uncertainty will inevitably increase during the planning and decision-making phase. The current federal government in particular has to be accused of being extremely counterproductive at this point. Laws and regulations are being tightened at a rapid pace, and the general perception is that some anti-industry and anti-business is part of the plan.
Is it any wonder that entrepreneurs in Germany no longer see a future for themselves?