From Mercedes-Benz to Padel Entrepreneur — Jan Behrens on Leaving Corporate Life

Jan Behrens spent a decade building a career at Mercedes-Benz. He went through the company's highly selective management trainee program, earned promotions, and had a clear path ahead of him. At the end of 2025, he walked away. Today, Jan is building Padel Dudes — a new padel brand in Germany — and working towards opening his first court. Chapters: 00:00 From Corporate Success to Entrepreneurship 04:58 The Decision to Leave Mercedes 09:17 Facing Doubts and Risks 13:54 The Transition to Startup Life 19:19 Building Padel Dudes: The Business Idea 23:36 Market Dynamics and Future Plans 27:57 Challenges Ahead and Strategic Focus 30:16 Personal Growth and Reflections 33:47 Looking Ahead: Five-Year Vision In this conversation, we talk about: What it actually felt like to leave a stable, well-paying career behind The moment he knew the decision was made What corporate life at Mercedes taught him that now gives him an edge as a founder The real challenges of building a business from scratch with two people How he and his co-founder are thinking about expansion in the German padel market What success looks like for him five years from now This is not a highlight reel. It's an honest conversation about the early stage of building something — the uncertainty, the learning curve, and the optimism that keeps you going anyway. 🎙️ Guest: Jan Behrens — Co-founder, Padel Dudes 🔗 Follow Jan on LinkedIn:   / jan-behrens-a16597124   🔗 Padel Dudes: https://padeldudes.de/ European Business Stories is a long-form interview series with founders and operators across Europe — focused on the decisions, bottlenecks, and lessons behind real businesses. 🔔 Subscribe if you want more conversations like this.