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Building a Business in Berlin: A growth mindset and pragmatism
What really struck me in my conversation with Rachel is that she exemplifies the importance of experimentation and a positive, ‘can-do’ mindset when taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. I also appreciated her pragmatism. When she hit a stumbling block in her solo business journey, she didn’t give up; she returned to a day-job while she recalibrated and reassessed her next move. There’s no shame in this. It’s easy to get caught up in stories (which we only hear about as a result of survival bias) where a small business owner went from zero to a thousand in one, perfect straight line.
Meet Rachel 👨💻
Rachel Wright is an Event Designer and Coordinator based in Berlin. In a world that’s increasingly digital and distributed, she believes in-person events hold unique power: to connect, to inspire, and to shape culture in ways that truly last. Her approach centers around designing purposeful experiences – anchored in clear goals, informed by deep discovery, and crafted to reflect her clients’ unique values and vibe. Guided by Design Thinking and driven by curiosity, she blends her background in communications and HR with creative inspiration from art, cities, and human connection. Every detail is thoughtfully chosen to spark meaning and momentum.
Originally from Connecticut, Rachel came to Berlin in 2008 as a university student planning to spend just one semester abroad. Twenty-plus years later, she’s still here, having navigated everything from visa renewals to pivoting her business model during a pandemic.
Rachel’s Germany Immigration Story: Persistence Over Seamlessness
Rachel’s path to permanent residency wasn’t the smooth student-to-employee transition you might expect. After her exchange semester ended, she was determined to stay and pieced together a series of English teaching contracts to maintain her visa status. The competition was fierce in Berlin even back in 2008, so she strategically moved to Hamburg where Airbus provided steady teaching opportunities during the financial crisis.
Her visa journey involved a series of three-month renewals and constant uncertainty. But persistence paid off when a friendly immigration officer with a smiley face in her name gave Rachel an unlimited working visa before she’d even finished her master’s degree – a stroke of luck that opened the door to corporate opportunities.
From Corporate to Entrepreneur: The Design Thinking Approach
After years in HR and people operations, Rachel used her unemployment benefits as funding to launch her business. But she didn’t just wing it. Armed with design thinking methodology from her time at Zalando, she systematically mapped out potential customer segments, conducted street interviews about celebration habits, and tested multiple value propositions.
Her approach was methodical: she’d identify a customer problem, create a minimum viable solution, test it in the market, and iterate based on learnings. This led her through several pivots – from cake delivery service to celebration boxes to a platform concept – before landing on her first successful offering.
The Evolution from Picnic in the Park to Corporate Events
Rachel’s breakthrough came with “Picnic in the Park” during COVID – elevated outdoor dining experiences she set up using painted pallets as tables, complete with table runners, proper cutlery, and velveteen cushions. The logistics were intense, involving multiple trips with hired drivers from eBay Kleinanzeigen to transport equipment around Berlin’s parks.
“Operationally, it was a mess, but it did work,” Rachel admits about those early days of hauling pallets around the city.
While the picnic service was seasonal, it helped her understand the B2B potential. Corporate clients were willing to pay premium prices for unique team experiences, leading to her pivot toward serving international tech companies exclusively.
Building a Business in Berlin: Corporate Client Base Through Network Effects
Rachel’s transition to B2B wasn’t accidental – it leveraged her existing network from Zalando. Former colleagues had moved into senior people and culture roles at other companies, creating a natural client base who already trusted her capabilities.
The key insight was understanding that her buyers weren’t just HR professionals, but increasingly “workplace experience” specialists at larger companies – a role that didn’t exist when she first started her career. This shift in corporate structure created new opportunities for event services.
The Business Model Pivot: From Agency Risk to Collaborative Partnerships
After a stressful year running a traditional event agency model – where she managed entire budgets of 50-80,000 euros with only 10-15% margins – Rachel made a crucial business model change. She dissolved her UG (German limited liability company) and repositioned herself as an individual service provider.
Now she bills clients directly for her design and coordination services while connecting them directly with venues, caterers, and other suppliers. This eliminates the cash flow stress of managing large vendor payments while allowing her to focus on what she does best: creating memorable experiences.
Experience Design: Games, Psychology, and Intentional Connection
Rachel’s current approach goes beyond traditional event planning to incorporate elements from game design, industrial design, and behavioral psychology. She views events as complete experiences that begin with the invitation and continue through post-event connection measurement.
“I’m thinking of an event as more of an experience that really starts from the time that an invitation goes out for an event to how you communicate it in the lead up.”
For corporate clients dealing with distributed teams, she designs intentional touchpoints that help colleagues connect in meaningful ways, supporting both engagement and retention goals.
The Power of Strategic Content Marketing
One of Rachel’s most effective marketing tools is a freely accessible database of Berlin event locations on her website. Originally gated as a lead magnet, she made it public after realizing its value as a “door opener” for outbound sales conversations.
The resource demonstrates her expertise while driving traffic to her website, where potential clients can learn more about her services and see case studies. It’s become a cornerstone of her LinkedIn outreach strategy and showcases deep local knowledge without explicitly selling.
Language and Market Dynamics in Berlin’s International Scene
Operating in Berlin’s international business environment, Rachel works primarily in English but maintains fluency in German for local clients. She estimates about 60% of workplace experience professionals are international, while the split is closer to 40% German in traditional HR roles.
Her bilingual capabilities aren’t strictly necessary for her current client base, but they provide additional value and make collaboration smoother with German-speaking teams.
Mindset Matters: Reframing Challenges as Processes
When I asked about Berlin’s notorious apartment hunting and general economic sentiment, Rachel shared her philosophy about reframing challenges. Rather than calling apartment hunting “hard,” she treats it as a process requiring specific inputs and systematic effort.
“I really just try to break down the steps and see it as a numbers game and like nothing personal.”
This same analytical approach that helped her navigate visa renewals and apartment hunting also guides her business development strategy.
Advice for Aspiring Expat Entrepreneurs in Germany
Rachel’s advice for other foreigners looking to start businesses in Germany is rooted in self-determination: “If you’ve made the decision to leave your country and come to Germany, you’re already pretty self-determined. You’ve got a picture for your life and you’re gonna make it happen.”
Her key recommendations: have a clear vision, ignore people who say it can’t be done, put on blinders, and keep taking steps forward even when progress feels slow.
Key Takeaways
🎯 Design thinking methodology can transform how you approach business development – systematic customer research and iterative testing beats guessing
📈 Network effects compound over time – Rachel’s corporate connections became her client base years later when colleagues moved to senior roles
💡 Business model pivots can solve operational headaches – switching from agency risk to direct billing eliminated cash flow stress
🎪 Experience design goes beyond event planning – incorporating game design and psychology creates more meaningful corporate connections
📱 Free resources can be powerful marketing tools – Rachel’s Berlin venue database drives traffic and demonstrates expertise
🔄 Persistence pays off in German bureaucracy – multiple visa renewals and systematic effort eventually lead to breakthroughs
🌐 Berlin’s international business scene offers opportunities for English-speakers – but German fluency adds value and flexibility
🧠 Mindset shapes outcomes – reframing challenges as processes rather than obstacles enables systematic problem-solving
💼 B2B pivots can unlock better economics – corporate clients often have larger budgets and clearer ROI expectations than consumers
🚀 Self-determination is the key entrepreneurial trait – if you can navigate international relocation and visa processes, you can build a business
Connect with Rachel
💼 LinkedIn: Rachel Wright
🌐 Website: thewright.site
📷 Instagram: @rchlawrght