The courage to be self-employed

It was a Friday in October 1998 when the three colleagues Marek, Werner and Hendrik learnt that the company they worked for was being sold by Siemens Nixdorf. It was a different time: 50 per cent of the cigarette ashes still ended up in the keyboard, families were invited to lavish company parties and SAP R/3 consultants were wild guys. For the trio, it was immediately clear that they did not want to give up this entrepreneurial spirit. "We handed in our resignations the very next Monday," recalls Marek. The starting signal for HR Campus had been given.

Away from the safe harbour, straight into the unknown

Marek as a visionary consultant, Werner as a top HR specialist and Hendrik as an ingenious developer - a well-rehearsed team. "We started our own business with what we already knew how to do," says Marek, describing their business idea. "To be more precise: SAP consulting and working with people." Despite the experience and the already high demand at the time, the step into self-employment required a good deal of courage. A secure income was no longer guaranteed. Marek had three small children and had just bought a house in a catastrophic state. Hendrik operated a small farm on the side and Werner only had a turtle farm, but he was already a little older.

Hard work and lucky coincidences

The courage of the founding trio was to be rewarded: Thanks to good contacts at SAP, convincing skills in consulting and an infectious passion for their work, HR Campus quickly established itself. "We were one of the first players in the game when the demand for HR providers emerged." Companies such as Rolex were among her first customers. "Sometimes life is just made up of happy coincidences," says Marek, summarising the journey of HR Campus with great modesty.