Lineage: Ep. 7- Florian Heinemann (Project A) - Organizational Design and Hiring

Lineage: Ep. 7- Florian Heinemann (Project A) - Organizational Design and Hiring

Hiring and Organisational Design for First-Time CEOs | Florian Heinemann on Lineage The difference between a company that scales and one that stalls is rarely the idea. It is almost always the execution, and execution comes down to organisation and people. For an ETA operator walking into a business with fifteen, thirty, or a hundred people hired by someone else, the first hires and the first structural decisions shape everything that follows. Dr. Florian Heinemann is founding partner of Project A Ventures, one of Europe's most successful operational VCs. Few people in Europe have thought as deeply about how organisations get built, who to hire first, and what makes early people decisions compound over time. He co-founded JustBooks in 1999 and sold it to Amazon, ran online marketing at Jamba and iLove, was Managing Director at Rocket Internet where he was instrumental in scaling Zalando, and has spent the last thirteen years at Project A backing over 130 companies with an in-house team of 120+ operational experts who work directly inside portfolio companies. Project A now also co-invests alongside PE funds in traditional businesses, giving Florian a rare view into both startup and Mittelstand contexts. What you'll learn in this episode: → Why the first hire in every function sets the ceiling for what follows → How to balance experience versus potential when hiring under constraints → Structuring equity and ESOP packages for C-level and beyond → How to identify potential in candidates and what actually predicts it → Where to invest in professionalism first (defence before offence) → How to build a value creation hypothesis before you even close the deal → Assessing existing talent inside a business you just acquired → Driving digital and AI transformation in traditional businesses Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Florian Heinemann and Project A 01:12 The importance of early hiring decisions 04:41 Hiring under constraints: balancing experience and potential 07:54 Incentivizing talent: equity vs. salary 09:37 Structuring employee incentives for success 14:22 Evaluating potential: key characteristics to look for 18:53 Identifying needs: the first steps for new CEOs 21:31 Value creation in private equity investments 24:52 Hiring for potential vs. experience 29:51 Empowering teams for growth 35:49 Assessing talent in acquired businesses 38:36 Driving digital transformation in traditional businesses 41:14 Key advice for new operators About Lineage Lineage is a podcast for aspiring searchers, ETA operators, and succession entrepreneurs. Every episode is a targeted conversation with someone who has been in the chair, made the decisions, and lived with the consequences. No panels, no theory, no fluff. Connect with Florian Heinemann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florianheinemann/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/florianheinemann/] #ETA #SearchFunds #Hiring #Leadership #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SuccessionEntrepreneurship

Lineage: Ep. 6 - Sebastian Schuon (Schub) - Making AI Work Inside Legacy Businesses

Making AI and Software Work Inside Legacy Businesses | Sebastian Schuon on Lineage Most ETA operators inherit a business that runs on outdated software, manual processes, and a team that has never worked any other way. The instinct is to digitise fast. The reality is that most software projects fail not because the technology is wrong, but because the people part is mishandled. Sebastian Schuon is co-founder of Stylight (exited to ProSiebenSat.1) and Alasco, and is now building Schub, a Munich-based accelerator and AI tooling company. He is also personally acquiring and transforming traditional service businesses with technology. In this episode, he shares the playbook for selling change inside resistant industries, the order in which to digitise and improve, and where AI actually creates leverage in a legacy business. What you'll learn in this episode: → Why software projects fail and how to avoid the most common traps → How to sell change to a team that did not ask for it → Stakeholder interviews and finding internal champions → The right sequence: stabilise, digitise, then improve → Where AI creates real leverage in legacy operations → Cybersecurity and cloud risks operators must take seriously → Why trust matters more than technology in the first 100 days Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Sebastian Schuon and Schub 01:17 Why software projects fail: the human factor 03:10 Selling change alongside the software 05:27 Stakeholder interviews, benefits, and rollout timelines 07:02 Asking the right questions and finding champions 09:37 Best low-hanging fruits: support functions and flexibility 11:20 Adoption blockers: real limitations vs resistance 14:43 Cybersecurity, cloud software, and social engineering 17:53 Buying a legacy business and why trust matters 21:05 Stabilizing, digitizing, then improving processes 24:12 AI-assisted internal tooling and fast software building 27:01 Internal versus external processes in transformation 32:29 AI's impact on efficiency and legacy system integration 35:35 Hiring a change agent and leading transformation through people Website: https://www.schub.space/ [https://www.schub.space/] Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schuon/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/schuon/]

Lineage: Ep. 5 - Benny Hahn (Zep) - Building the Go-to-Market From Scratch

Most ETA operators eventually face the same situation: the business they acquire has a solid product and paying customers, but no real commercial engine behind it. No marketing, no structured sales, no outbound, no content. Benny Hahn is answering that situation inside ZEP, a 20-year-old German time tracking and project management software company he acquired through a traditional search fund in 2022. In this episode, Benny shares how he built a go-to-market from scratch and transformed ZEP from a legacy licensing business into a growing SaaS company, and what ETA operators can learn from that playbook. What you'll learn in this episode: → How to diagnose what is broken in a go-to-market you inherit → When and why to invest in a full rebrand and website relaunch → Building a marketing and sales team from the ground up → The KPIs that actually steer a recurring revenue business → Structuring sales with MQLs, SQLs, and pipeline ownership → Designing commission structures and realistic sales targets → Migrating existing customers from on-premise licences to SaaS → Communicating pricing model changes without losing loyal customers → How to sequence change when the team and customers are watching Timestamp: 00:00 Introduction to Benny Hahn and ZEP 01:10 Initial observations on marketing and sales after acquisition 01:53 Restructuring marketing and sales processes 02:43 Discrepancies between product quality and marketing 03:30 Quick wins with Google Ads and early marketing moves 04:33 Hiring an agency for rebranding and website relaunch 06:28 Reflections on the rebranding process 08:57 Advice for new CEOs in similar situations 10:22 Building the marketing stack from scratch 11:16 The KPIs that matter and how they evolved 13:45 Structuring the marketing team 14:44 Sales pipeline structure and strategy 16:45 The MQL to SQL transition 18:44 Tools and change management in sales 21:32 Hiring strategy and team specialisation 24:18 Commission structures and sales incentives 26:20 Setting realistic targets and top-down planning 30:06 Targeting larger accounts as the business evolves 31:14 The transition from on-premise to cloud 34:28 Pricing strategies and customer negotiations 37:21 Simplifying complex pricing structures 40:40 Managing customer migration and expectations 42:16 Key metrics for steering the business 45:07 Final advice for new operators and CEOs Linkedin: Benny Hahn https://www.linkedin.com/in/benny-hahn/?locale=en [https://www.linkedin.com/in/benny-hahn/?locale=en] Website: https://www.zep.de/ [https://www.zep.de/]

Lineage: Ep. 4 - Jonathan Weiss (Bego) - Building a Subsidiary to Enter a New Market

Most operators eventually face the same question: the business works here, but can it work somewhere else? A new geography, a new customer segment, a new channel. Jonathan Weiss is answering that question inside BEGO, a German dental manufacturer founded in 1890 with operations in over 100 countries. In this episode, Jonathan shares how he transformed and built BEGO USA as a subsidiary into a growing business by shifting from a product-first mindset to a customer-centric workflow approach, and what ETA operators can learn from that playbook. What you'll learn in this episode: → How to diagnose whether a new market is a real opportunity or just an assumption → Why shifting from selling products to solving workflows changed everything → Building trust and communication between a subsidiary and HQ across borders → The case for narrowing your product focus and reducing complexity to accelerate growth → Cultural and operational differences that catch every operator off guard in a new market → How to grow revenue without scaling headcount proportionally 00:00 Introduction to Jonathan Weiss and BEGO 01:25 BEGO USA's Challenges 03:05 Understanding Market Entry Strategies 05:31 Customer Insights and Field Research 08:07 Operational Changes and Go-to-Market Strategies 10:22 Shifting Company Identity and Product Focus 12:31 The Role of Family Business in Leadership 14:17 Hiring Strategies for New Markets 16:26 Deciding on Market Expansion 17:51 Team Structure and Efficiency 20:49 Streamlining Operations for Growth 21:56 Optimizing Sales Processes 23:12 Aligning with Headquarters 25:18 Navigating Communication Challenges 28:10 Best Practices for HQ-Subsidiary Relations 30:11 Cultural Insights for Market Entry 31:46 Testing Product Market Fit 34:45 Focusing on Core Products 36:22 Building Competitive Moats 38:45 The Importance of Team Dynamics Website: https://www.bego.com/de/ [https://www.bego.com/de/]

Lineage: Ep. 3 - Jochen Engert (Flix) - M&A & Post-Merger Integration

Most first-time CEOs underestimate how much trust, intuition, and emotional intelligence shape successful acquisitions and what it takes to successfully integrate an outside business into your own. Jochen Engert co-founded FlixBus in Munich in 2013. Within two years, he and his co-founders merged with their fiercest rival, MeinFernbus, creating a dominant national network almost overnight. In 2016, they absorbed PostBus and Megabus’s European operations, pushing their German market share above 80%. In 2019, they entered Turkey by acquiring Kâmil Koç. And in 2021, in the middle of a global pandemic, they acquired Greyhound, a 107-year-old American icon, and began its transformation. Drawing on experience from more those specific acquisitionsns plus a two dozen more transactions, Jochen explains why relationships and clear communication often matter more than spreadsheets and formal processes. What you'll learn in this episode: → When M&A makes sense and when organic growth is the better path → How to build deal relationships long before a formal process starts → Building a synergy case line by line through the P&L → Who to talk to during due diligence beyond the data room → Structuring earnouts and deferred payments that don't create conflict → Why integration breaks on the human side first → Making hard decisions early instead of letting ambiguity fester Whether you are preparing for your first acquisition or refining your approach, this episode gives you the tools to make better decisions, negotiate more effectively, and execute with confidence. 00:00 - Introduction 01:30 - Buy vs Build Decision 02:37 - Challenges in Acquisitions 03:48 - Starting Conversations 05:11 - Long-term Relationship Building 06:36 - Quantifying Synergies 07:56 - Building a Business Case 11:29 - Understanding the Target 13:40 - Human Element in Deals 16:39 - Role-playing in Negotiations 19:00 - Risk Management 20:55 - Aligning Incentives 23:31 - Diligence Insights 26:00 - Market Entry Considerations 29:50 - Balancing Workload 32:57 - Human Side of Integration 36:30 - Leadership Decisions 38:55 - Strategic Branding 42:56 - Adjusting to New Environment Post-Merger 44:20 - Integration Strategies 49:05 - Key Advice