Mr. Mühl, you’ve worked as an entrepreneur in New Zealand, as an employee at a large corporation, and now at a small-to-medium-sized business. What really sets these worlds apart?
Mühl: The difference becomes apparent as soon as you have to make decisions. At a large corporation, there are clear processes, large budgets, and a high degree of specialization—but also lengthy decision-making processes and little leeway for deviations. In a small-to-medium-sized business, the opposite is true: you can pitch an idea in the morning and start implementing it in the afternoon. As the owner of a small business in New Zealand, I experienced firsthand how quickly small-to-medium-sized suppliers respond, while large corporations let the same inquiries sit for weeks. Speed and customer focus aren’t just empty promises in small-to-medium-sized businesses—they’re a living reality.
Leiding: The buzzwords “fast, pragmatic, decisive” are no myth. They very accurately describe the flat hierarchies in SMEs. If the arguments are convincing, a decision can be made on the very same day. In a large corporation, you would have needed a committee for that. SMEs also support customers where large corporations stop. We also help customers break out of their “specification bubble”—not to water down standards, but to pragmatically find the best solution. That’s a skill you can’t simply copy.
By international standards, Germany is considered rule-driven and sometimes slow to adapt. Is that a structural disadvantage?
Mühl: In some respects, yes, but that’s just complaining from a position of privilege. When you come back from abroad, you realize: Germany works. The infrastructure, the reliability, the quality standards. The problem is that our adherence to rules sometimes leads to rigidity. Abroad, certain issues are resolved more pragmatically and quickly. When markets become more volatile, speed is a real competitive factor, and that’s where we in Germany sometimes struggle.
Leiding: I’d add this: Small and medium-sized businesses can cushion that well internally. If the external environment remains complex, you can’t create additional complexity internally. Clear processes, quick feedback, and good data—these are no longer optional extras, but prerequisites.
Is “Made in Germany” still a door-opener in international business?
Mühl: Yes, but you have to view it realistically. Perhaps “Made in Germany” no longer has quite the same appeal as it did twenty years ago. In the industrial sector, German products still stand for reliability, technical expertise, and high standards. That’s a real advantage that should be confidently leveraged. The real issue is something else: Customers are no longer willing to pay double just because the product comes from Germany. Quality must therefore prove itself in terms of value for money, not just through the label.
Many small and medium-sized enterprises are technologically strong but lack visibility on the international stage. How do you explain that?
Mühl: There are cultural and structural reasons for this. Large corporations have different budgets, different marketing departments, and a different reach. For small and medium-sized businesses, marketing is often an afterthought. Here, companies rely on performance and word of mouth. On the one hand, that’s endearing, but in the face of international competition, it can become a disadvantage. Visibility doesn’t happen on its own—not even when the substance is there. Today, you have to be active online, be discoverable via AI, and establish a presence. Americans do this better—sometimes to excess, but with results.
Leiding: Yet small and medium-sized businesses have a genuine unique selling point: they truly take care of their customers. Where large corporations stop responding personally once a certain volume is reached, small and medium-sized businesses are still there—with a real point of contact, technical advice, and a close relationship with customers. That’s what needs to be communicated to the outside world.
The shortage of skilled workers is ubiquitous in small and medium-sized businesses. How is this situation escalating for you, and what really helps?
Leiding: Good employees are hard to come by, and competition for talent is fierce. What helps us is that we place a strong emphasis on internal development—hiring people from technical backgrounds and training them in sales. It takes longer, but we can be sure that, in the end, these people will embody the IDT DNA, truly know the company, and understand what they’re selling. In addition, you have to be an attractive employer—not just on paper. The traditional sales force with company cars is no longer enough of an incentive.
Mühl: What many people underestimate is that international sales today means being present on a wide variety of channels simultaneously. WhatsApp, WeChat, local platforms. This is a nightmare for German IT security, and internally, clear structures are needed to ensure these various strands don’t descend into chaos. On top of that, language skills are essential—English is a minimum requirement, and additional languages are a real advantage. And a willingness to travel remains indispensable, no matter how much can be done digitally.
How do you lead a team through a phase in which so much is changing at once?
Leiding: Through open communication—and that goes both ways. I don’t make a distinction based on who I’m talking to. Anyone who wants to give me honest feedback will find my door open, and whoever receives it should be able to handle it. The fact that I started as a staff member and worked my way up through several levels helps. I still remember what it’s like not to be at the very top. In my view, top-down leadership doesn’t work. What does work: leading by example. Passion is contagious. When you’re fully committed yourself, it inspires others to follow.
Mühl: Flat organizational structures help here, too. If someone has a good idea, there’s no need to convene a discussion group. Employees appreciate that—the feeling that their contributions can really make a difference.
What are the most important skills that small and medium-sized enterprises need to develop in the coming years?
Mühl: Speed and adaptability. Small and medium-sized enterprises must remain fast and become even faster. This is only possible if processes are designed for flexibility, not rigidity. Those who aren’t willing to change will be replaced by others in the medium or long term. That sounds harsh, but it’s the reality.
Leiding: Staying close to customers, despite all the digitalization. Technology is a tool, not a substitute for genuine relationships. And being open to change within your own organization as well.
In closing: Are there any companies or individuals whom you look up to with particular admiration?
Mühl: What fascinates me are companies that consistently reinvent themselves. Specifically, Rocket Lab in New Zealand comes to mind. It’s a company that builds rockets and now collaborates with NASA. Back when the founder was asking about sealing solutions for his rocket, hardly anyone took him seriously. Today, the company is headquartered in Los Angeles, and its development has been a success story. That reminds me of IDT’s founding story: Someone starts out alone, with an idea and the courage to take a risk, and over decades, something sustainable emerges from it.
Leiding: What I admire in entrepreneurial personalities is the combination of long-term thinking, a sense of responsibility, and the willingness to remain steadfast even during difficult times. These are the values that lie at the heart of small and medium-sized businesses and that must be nurtured, even as pressure mounts.
