Prozessschmiede

Steffen Hähner is the founder of Prozessschmiede, an engineering company for process and organizational development in Kreuztal. Together with his former colleague Svea Dreisbach, he founded the consulting company in 2015. In addition to the two studied industrial engineers, the team includes other business and mechanical engineers, two psychologists, a medical doctor, as well as a network of various freelancers and companies with expert knowledge. "This allows a suitable team to be put together for each project, which can flexibly adapt to the various application areas and requirements of the customers," explains Hähner. Co-founder Svea Dreisbach left the company in 2020. Since early 2019, Steffen Hähner has had Oleg Micheev, also an alumnus of the University of Siegen, as an experienced new partner and co-managing director by his side.

How did you come up with the idea for "Prozessschmiede"?

Professionally, I grew up in the companies of the SMS group. There I did my apprenticeship and later worked as a working student in the area of processes and optimization during my studies. During meetings with other large companies, there were often discussions about consulting, where I heard that many companies feared getting too much "stirred up" by external consultants without getting anything implemented. Often, companies have their own competent employees for their issues, who only need support from externals in the form of practical methodology and capacity. That's when I became attentive and took up the wish with Prozessschmiede. So, I like to refer to us as the extended workbench in the field of process and organizational development. So, I don't want to appear as a big consultant, but rather as a business developer and coach.

What appeals to you about being self-employed?

Responsibility, self-determination, and independence. I've always been fascinated by project business. Building a service company in this area has always appealed to me. You constantly have to adapt to new situations; at the beginning, everything is very unclear and uncertain. There are stressful peak periods, but then also quieter phases where there is time for strategic development, and that's what I enjoy about my job as a business developer and project manager.

When did you decide to start your own company?

My desire to become self-employed has always been there. Eventually, various factors came together that motivated me to start my own business. The combination of the industry experience I had gained at SMS, the idea in the field of industrial services and project work. Then the timing was just right.

What is behind the idea of "Prozessschmiede"?

When I forge, a lot of energy is applied over a short period, and with a clear procedure, something very fine and valuable is formed from raw steel. In Prozessschmiede, we do exactly that. Together with the companies, we focus energy on the organizations and processes to then shape and restructure the "structure" in order to develop more efficient and high-performance companies. What we do thematically in our consulting firm can be roughly divided into four areas. We deal with operational excellence and performance management, with the topic of education and change management, as well as smart consulting solutions.

What was the biggest challenge in starting up?

I found it difficult to manage this parallel world. We wanted to maintain good contact with our "old" work, so we did a good job there until the last day, but at the same time, give full throttle for our own company. Then there were personal developments like our new private building and the subsequent move, and then again offspring. So, the start-up phase was a very intense time.

How were you supported (financially as well)?

We participated in an IHK founder seminar and maintained close exchange with the IHK founding advisors until finalizing our business plan. In addition, through our work at SMS, we already had many good contacts and were able to win three projects directly at the beginning. This included, for example, our former employer SMS. Four weeks after I had cleared my desk there, I was back in my old office as an external consultant. That was a great start to self-employment. In addition, we sought a lot of advice and support in our network of entrepreneurs, tax advisors, and auditors. We received start-up capital for the foundation through a KfW start-up loan from Deutsche Bank.

What activities do you carry out in your company? What are your responsibilities at Prozessschmiede?

Formally, I am the managing director and shareholder, but in reality, everyone in our team has to be able to do everything. I always enjoy conducting projects myself, but you also have to find the right balance to develop the business further and not just get stuck in projects. Especially in the first few years, this is a fine line. Building up and developing Prozessschmiede is also a project for me overall. If everything goes well, I can gradually withdraw from operational project business and invest more time in networking, business development, sales, and marketing.

What connects you with the South Westphalia region, and what do you think are the special features of the industrial and economic location?

I find it very interesting which world-class companies exist here and what exciting stories are behind them. Some of these were built from the ruins of World War II or have existed for more than 500 years. It is the innovations and life stories of the founders, current owners, and management teams that fascinate me.

What drives you?

I want to move things forward and make progress. I am a driving force. Many always talk about their ideas and dreams but fail to implement them or even take the first steps. I enjoy being an initiator and engine that gets projects running, enables people, and brings them together.

This portrait is based on an interview with Steffen Hähner in August 2021 and was written by Janice Gust.

 

Here for the homepage of the start-up.