SPEAK LIKE A CEO

How do you steer a billion-euro company through the Covid crisis? When Nina Pütz joined the fintech giant Ratepay as the new CEO, she knew that building human connections was going to be a challenge. Germany was going back into lockdown and she had to position herself at the head of one of Europe’s largest payment providers.  As the new leader of over 200 employees in Germany and Europe, this wasn’t an easy task. But Nina knew that effective internal and external communications were essential. Luckily she had a plan both to establish herself in the company and to help streamline operations… “The key is to speak the language of your respective counterpart. Different people communicate differently. With the right amount of empathy and feeling, you can make this work very well – over video for example.” Tune in to the latest episode of Speak Like a CEO where Nina shares her experiences and strategies with Oliver and Lena. They will be talking about: 🎨 The art of building meaningful relationships virtually 💪The secret to maintaining a strong company culture from the home office 🧑🏾‍💻Increasing team productivity in lockdown with new digital tools 👍About why giving employees more freedom leads to better performance ------- Did you enjoy this episode of SLACEO? Let us know what you think on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also email me at hello@oliveraust.com. If you want to learn how to build an unignorable personal brand in 30 days, check out my latest book Unignorable on oliveraust.com.

How can you quickly grow an engaged community for your business? Founder Maximilian Rofagha might just have the answer. He’s the brains behind finimize, a fintech company which quickly grew from a bare-bones newsletter to a 1 million strong community. In 2016 Max was looking to invest a chunk of cash. But he quickly realised that the world of finance was daunting – particularly for young people. So, he set out to build a platform which helps people invest independently and with confidence. At the beginning finimize was just a newsletter. Then came small online events. And this quickly grew into one of the world’s most successful finance communities. Have a listen to the latest episode of Speak Like a CEO if you’re interested in Max’s interview with Oliver and Lena. Expect to hear more about: Strategies to quickly build an engaged community for your business Working closely with your userbase to guide key business decisions Developing an easy to understand and jargon free comms strategy The best way to build consumer trust through open communications

For most of us, falling sick means a trip to the doctor. Soon though this may no longer be the case. The world of telemedicine is taking off and it’s now possible to get a diagnosis and prescription without getting up from your desk. Digital medicine is well and truly taking off in 2021. And one of the companies working to accelerate this transition is Berlin-based Flying Health. Their team is fostering an ecosystem for next-gen healthcare, bringing together experts from medicine, science, entrepreneurship and tech. Working with startups and industry giants alike, they are driving the digital health revolution. In this episode of Speak Like a CEO, Oliver and Lena are joined by Flying Health Managing Director, Lina Behrens. Along with looking after the business on a day to day business, she is a passionate advocate for female founders and gender equality, and advises the German government on these themes. Tune in to hear more about: The importance of shaping the narrative around healthcare in the digital age Using innovation and digital tools to support and enhance medical diagnoses Establishing trust with clients and employees in a digital setting How international experiences shaped Lina’s views on female empowerment

Every year we produce almost 400 million tons of plastic.  According to some estimates as much as 50% of this is single-use. And once this plastic ends up in the bin only 10% is recycled.  Entrepreneur Boris Jebsen realised that something has to change if we are to avoid irreversible damage to our planet. Having founded one of the largest tech conferences in the world, with a presence in 26 locations worldwide, he’s no stranger to single-use plastics. From packaging to disposable forks, he spent years watching waste pile up.  But he’d had enough of this throwaway culture. With his latest venture 1less, Boris is using smart technology to establish circular economies for events. The goal driving this: helping to minimise plastic waste in professional settings.  Does communicating around sustainability topics appeal to you? Want to hear about changing mindsets when working with slow-moving, traditional stakeholders? Tune in to the latest episode of Speak Like a CEO to hear Oliver, Lena and Boris discuss:  - Why businesses struggle with sustainability communications in 2021 - How 1less employs cutting-edge technology to reduce plastic waste - Communicating to change mindsets around waste and recycling - Building and scaling one of the largest tech conferences in the world _____________________________________________________________________________________ Are you passionate about a topic that you want to make heard more strongly? A good way is to start is by building your personal brand. Become Unignorable and check out Olivers book offer including 4 bonuses to set you up for success at www.oliveraust.com/unignorable

Your message-market fit is determined by how appealing the messaging sounds to your customer.  If you are a founder, CEO or business leader you really want to nail this. With the right messaging, everything is made easier. It will attract the right people to your product, who want to be part of your journey and your brand. To be successful in business you need both product-market fit and message-market fit. If your product is not selling, it could be down to two things: #1 Your product or service isn’t good. People don’t like it and they just won’t buy it.  #2 Your message isn’t resonating with your audience. Listen to the episode and learn more about Oliver's formula to ensure message-market fit. 

We are all familiar with the terms IQ and EQ. CQ on the other hand may be a new concept. It refers to cultural intelligence - in other words, the ability to cross bridges and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. In particular for leaders working in international teams, cultural awareness and understanding is a key factor for success. Someone who knows this all too well is polyglot and former investment banker Michael Shangkuan. As the CEO of language learning platform Lingoda, he’s on a mission to break down cultural barriers. His belief: that CQ and foreign languages go hand in hand. Michael became CEO of the company in 2018. His team of 20 at the time has now grown to more than 140 - representing 42 nationalities - and has helped tens of thousands of people to not only learn, but to truly master a foreign language. Want to hear more about how this international team helps to make languages more accessible? Check out the latest episode of Speak Like a CEO where Oliver and Lena will be chatting to Michael about: 🗣 Why cultural understanding is crucial for meaningful communication 📤 Building a management style as an externally recruited CEO 📈 The secret to outstanding change communication within a business 💡 How COVID has accelerated innovation in the ed-tech sector ______________ Are you passionate about a topic that you want to make heard more strongly? A good way is to start is by building your personal brand. Become Unignorable and check out Olivers book offer including 4 bonuses to set you up for success at www.oliveraust.com/unignorable

Every year more than 100 billion garments are produced globally. But more than 85% of all material used for clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators. And it’s no secret that producing waste at this rate is damaging the planet beyond repair. So what’s the solution to this pressing issue? Among the ventures tackling this question is Berlin-based startup Kleiderly, launched by chemical engineer turned entrepreneur, Alina Bassi. She’s a Google for Startups Female Founder alumni and in 2020 joined the Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2020 in the Manufacturing and Industry categor. Alina is convinced that everyone has a purpose - and for her, this is making the world more sustainable through innovation. With cutting edge technology she and her team work to reduce textile waste by creating a circular economy. Discarded clothes are given a new lease of life as sustainable plastic, being repurposed as clothes hangers, security tags and even furniture. In this episode of Speak Like a CEO, Oliver and Lena are joined by Alina to talk all things sustainability, innovation, and communication. You’ll hear more about: Alina’s tips on finding professional and personal purpose, and the impact this can have on business strategy Communicating effectively to help people understand the motivation behind your business How building a dependable network of mentors and founders helped Alina to scale Kleiderly The biggest differences between the UK and German startup scene Sounds interesting? Tune in now. __________________ Are you passionate about a topic that you want to make heard more strongly. A good way is to start is by building your personal brand. Become Unignorable and check out Olivers book offer including 4 bonuses to set you up for success at www.oliveraust.com/unignorable

In early 2020 Urban Sports Club was on track to reach Unicorn status. They were making new hires every week, smashing sales targets, and gaining great media coverage. Then COVID struck. Suddenly everything the team had worked for was on the line. The Berlin-based company offers Europe’s largest flat-rate sports membership; but with gyms and studios shuttered across the continent and people forced to stay home, their business model simply wasn’t viable. USC needed a rapid change of direction. And this had to be communicated to partners, customers, and more than 500 international employees. In this episode of Speak Like a CEO, Oliver and Lena are joined by Benjamin Roth, Co-Founder and CEO of USC. They’ll be chatting about learnings from the last 11 months and the challenges posed by such a drastic pivot. Have a listen to find out more about: ●  Making and communicating crucial decisions when against the clock ●  Dealing with and responding to critical media coverage during a crisis ●  Why clarity and transparency are key for exceptional CEO communications ●  How great storytelling can help inform customers and build brand loyalty Tune into the episode now. ------------------------------------- Build your personal brand and boost your business in 30-days by getting UNIGNORABLE, Olivers new book including 4 free-bonuses for the special price of 4,99€ today: https://www.oliveraust.com/unignorable

Women make up 50% of the global population. Yet they don’t own half the wealth. Of course, there’s no such thing as ‘male money’ and ‘female money’. So why is this inequality present? It’s this question that fintech entrepreneur Andrea Fernandez is concerned with. She’s the founder of Alice, an app at the ‘intersection of consumer fintech and femtech’. In this episode of Speak Like a CEO, Oliver and Lena talk to Andrea about changing women’s lives by inspiring financial confidence and awareness. They cover: ●      How to change mindsets around money ●      Why financial education should start early, and at home ●      Communicating complex concepts in an easy to understand way ●      The challenges posed by business communications in multilingual markets   Tune into the episode now. ------------------------------------- Build your personal brand and boost your business in 30-days by getting UNIGNORABLE, Olivers new book including 4 free-bonuses for the special price of 4,99€ today: https://www.oliveraust.com/unignorable

Without a strong personal brand you simply won’t stand out online. Quality content is what will get you noticed and elevate you above the noise. From CEOs to students, a personal brand is the key to gaining visibility and in turn attracting the opportunities you deserve. There’s just one problem. To build your brand you need to invest time and effort. So, what’s the best way to tackle this challenge efficiently and get the best results? In this special episode recorded for the International Association of Business Communicators, Oliver is joined by fellow personal branding expert Fady Ramzy and communications professional Monique Zytnik. Drawing on a combined 30+ years of communications experience, they discuss: ●  Why visibility is the key to uncovering opportunity ●  The myth of social media being a ‘free’ tool ●  How to know whether your personal brand is actually working Forget theoretical discussion. This episode is jam packed with tactical and strategic advice and insights which will benefit both seasoned professionals and personal branding newcomers. ---------- Build your personal brand and boost your business in 30-days by getting UNIGNORABLE, Olivers new book including 4 free-bonuses for the special price of 4,99€ today: https://www.oliveraust.com/unignorable