Wie ein WELTMARKTFÜHRER seinen EXIT macht (Wibit Sports GmbH) | buypreneur Podcast

Why do many entrepreneurs find letting go harder than starting a business? In this buypreneur episode, I speak with Romann Rademacher, co-founder of Wibit Sports GmbH and one of the entrepreneurs who built a global market leader from a crazy idea. It all started in 1996 with a water trampoline from the USA. Today, Wibit is the market leader for floating water parks and is represented in over 100 countries. After almost 30 years, however, Romann and his co-founder decided to take perhaps the most difficult step of their entrepreneurial journey: letting go of their life's work. We talk about how a small import business grew into an entirely new industry, why a bold buy-up-agreed (BHAG) accelerated growth, what role frameworks like Scaling Up played, and why entrepreneurs need to learn to make themselves dispensable. 🎙️ In this buypreneur podcast, Romann and I talk about: 🛝 How a water trampoline became a global market leader 🌍 Why a large BHAG (Business Improvement Group) took the company to over 100 countries 📈 The growth strategy behind Wibit and almost 30 years of entrepreneurship ⚙️ How scaling up became the company's operating system 🤝 Why they deliberately chose a private equity partner 👥 How founders learn to make themselves redundant 🧠 Why coaching, mentoring, and entrepreneurial networks are real growth drivers 🚀 The biggest challenges of international scaling 💡 What Richard Branson and other entrepreneurs have taught Romann about leadership 🎯 Why letting go is often the greatest entrepreneurial achievement 🎯 Who is this episode for? ✔️ Founders and entrepreneurs in growth phases ✔️ Owners who want to develop their company for the long term ✔️ Entrepreneurs considering succession or exit strategies ✔️ CEOs who want to scale their business ✔️ Anyone who wants to understand how global market leaders emerge 🎧 buypreneur – the podcast about company acquisitions, succession planning & buy & build 👔 Connect with me on LinkedIn   / timmwienberg   🤝 Romann Rademacher on LinkedIn   / romann-rademacher   📲 Follow buypreneur on Spotify and Apple https://linktr.ee/buypreneur 🌍 More info https://www.timmwienberg.com/ ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Why letting go is harder than starting a business 01:32 – From the football pitch to global market leader 03:30 – Rapid Q&A 09:19 – The stolen water trampoline 18:45 – The journey to over 100 countries 23:57 – BHAG, purpose, and scaling up 37:01 – Private equity as a growth partner 46:26 – Why founders need to make themselves dispensable 54:06 – Entrepreneurial networks and Richard Branson 01:00:46 – Life after operations 01:04:14 – The future of Wibit #buypreneur #entrepreneurship #globalmarketleader #scalingup #leadership #businessgrowth #businesssuccession #privateequity #SMEs #entrepreneurship #founderstory #buyandbuild