"Perfection does not come from not adding anything, but from not leaving anything out" is a rather well-known saying. In this case, if we translate "perfection" to mean outstanding results, then it creates a powerful question for your leadership: "What can and should you leave out that gets in the way of your outstanding results rather than helps them?"

What stands in the way of perfection?

The principle behind this is that you can only use every minute of your life exactly once. You can use this minute for something useful or waste it. That in itself is very simple to understand, and yet hardly anyone manages to use their time more than 50 percent productively.

That's why a simple question to ask yourself regularly throughout the day helps: "Is this minute contributing to my top results or to other things?" Important: Top results also include private issues, such as increasing closeness with your children, improving your sleep or increasing your fitness.

Three tips for spring cleaning in leadership

Because the things that are not quite as important in comparison automatically grow like weeds or the stuff in your cubby or on your desk, I suggest a regular "spring cleaning" in your daily work. Here are three steps I recommend for your effective "decluttering":

1. Get clear once again about your really most important goals. What do you really want to achieve this year and in the next few years? What does this result in for your monthly and weekly goals? Attention: Never have more than three top goals! Throw the rest away or save them for later.
2. Make a list of all the responsibilities and activities that you really need to achieve your goals. And vice versa: what are you doing all day today that you can leave out? Otherwise, there is a danger that we will symbolically add storage space, when in reality throwing things away would make much more sense.
3. Start your "garage sale": Which activities and responsibilities do you give to others? Which do you remove because they have become unimportant (note: these are often our cherished toys)? Which do you cut back on a lot? Step 3 is definitely the most difficult. For this, you almost always need a partner or coach to support you and push you forward.

The good news is that after any decluttering, you feel better and full of energy. You'll feel the same way after this spring cleaning. Bonus tip: Do this exercise with your entire team.

To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch

Since the outbreak of the pandemic a year ago, the topic of home office has been on everyone's lips. In February 2021, 52 percent of the employed population in Switzerland worked wholly or partly from home. during the lockdown a year ago, it was 50 percent. For 36 percent, working from home is not possible in principle. This is the result of a representative survey conducted by the auditing and consulting firm Deloitte between February 12 and 23 among around 2,000 people of working age living in Switzerland.

Back to the office: Yes, but no longer every day

According to the Deloitte survey, a large majority (88%) of office workers no longer want to spend every working day in the office in the future (see chart 1). Almost two-thirds (62 %) of respondents want to work from home on certain days of the week even after the pandemic. Twenty-six percent even advocate staying in the home office entirely. As many as 12 percent want to return to the office entirely.

"The last twelve months have shown that remote working works very well for many people. The fact that so few want to return to the office completely after the pandemic clearly confirms this," says Reto Savoia, CEO of Deloitte Switzerland. "A clear majority wants a suitable mix of remote working and office presence for the work of the future and wants to take advantage of both work models. Companies cannot and should not close their minds to this need. The trend towards remote working is also bringing about major economic and social changes and will, for example, have an impact on public transport, the real estate market or the catering and retail trade. At the same time, flexible and attractive remote working models also open up new opportunities for companies and their workforce. Be it in an expansion of the recruitment radius or the establishment of new family models."

Differences between the generations

When it comes to individual preferences, there are also differences between the generations: Among those under 30, only 9 percent want to return to the office completely; among those over 50, 16 percent no longer want to work in a home office. On the other side of the spectrum, the picture is similar: 31 percent of young people want to work completely at home even after the pandemic, compared with only 22 percent of those over 50.

"The younger generations want more flexibility at work," explains Veronica Melian, Human Capital Leader at Deloitte Switzerland. "Attracting talented young recruits remains a major challenge for many companies. It is important that employers understand the preferences and work styles of their younger employees and incorporate them into their companies in a targeted and productive way. Companies need to target and communicate flexible workplace models to attract much-needed young talent from around the world who are geographically flexible and consciously seek a modern and forward-thinking work environment. This is a key strategic challenge for many companies in light of the worsening skills shortage."

More productive in the home office?

Nearly half of respondents (47%) feel they are more productive in the home office than they are with their colleagues in the office. Only 16 percent believe they are less productive working from home, while for 37 percent productivity has remained the same. Comparing these figures with the Deloitte survey conducted during last year's lockdown., it shows improved productivity (see chart 2).

"The fact that employees' perceived productivity increased compared to the previous year could be due in part to the fact that schools remained open and many parents no longer had to worry about childcare themselves," explains Veronica Melian. "In addition, employees and companies alike were more technically prepared than during the first lockdown and more proficient in using digital tools."

The personal exchange is missing

However, the home office also has its pitfalls. In addition to space problems (20%) and a lack of infrastructure (22%), the lack of personal exchange is the biggest challenge for many of those surveyed (44%). "Conscious personal exchange continues to play an important role for many, also for the corporate culture," says Reto Savoia. "People come to the office to exchange ideas, to create ideas together - essential aspects of innovation require personal interaction and can best be realized on site. This is where companies have great opportunities to combine the need for personal contact with customers and colleagues, as well as the targeted use of digitization, into an attractive overall package that best meets the needs of employees."

"Companies need to set themselves up for post-lockdown, finding a good mix of remote working and office presence," Savoia continues. "On the one hand, I envision employees working at home in a deliberate and focused way. On the other hand, if it's about the collaborative and creative aspects of work, a modern office makes more sense. Companies need to create new spaces and 'collaboration spaces' accordingly that allow employees to be inspired, encourage the exchange of ideas and help develop new strategies."

Source: Deloitte

With another double-digit increase in sales, Abacus confirms its leading position as a manufacturer of business software for SMEs and public administration in 2020. The traditional licensing business, in which software is purchased, has remained at a consistently high level, with over 2,400 program modules sold and 460 companies choosing Abacus Business Software, according to the company. This compares to 2,200 program modules and 450 companies in 2019. Subscriptions for use from the cloud have met with great demand thanks to innovative developments. This solution, with 3,100 subscriptions added by the end of the year, already counted more than 13,800 users who use 24,000 program subscriptions for various application areas.

Self-service functions meet with acceptance

Self-service functions were also very well received, with an additional 60,000 subscriptions, an increase of fifty percent. They are tailored to the needs of company employees and allow them to adjust master data such as address and bank details themselves, view pay slips or record expense receipts, working hours, absences and benefits from any location using smartphones, tablets and computers. As of the end of 2020, 180,000 users were using these functions of the Abacus software.

Increase in sales enables voluntary repayment of short-time working compensation

Claudio Hintermann, CEO of Abacus, is therefore more than satisfied with last year's business performance: "Contrary to expectations, we ended the year extremely successfully despite the difficult economic environment due to the rampant pandemic. As a result, we decided to voluntarily refund to the state all short-time working compensation of over 1.3 million Swiss francs received. Also, no salary reductions were made due to the interrupted working hours. The short-time work at Abacus lasted from May to August and applied to practically all employees with only a few exceptions. A big thank you goes to our distribution partners, who had a significant impact on the very good result despite the difficult Corona period."

Successful sales partners

Abacus' largest distribution partner in 2020 in terms of total sales was, as in 2019, the Axept Business Softwarefollowed by BDO and OBT. The most successful provider of software subscriptions for the mobile use of Abacus software and the use of the ERP software together with employee self-service subscriptions proved to be the partner OBT, which was awarded the innovation prize for this. In addition, the number of Abacus employees increased by 37 to 439 last year. The entire group, including the subsidiaries in Biel, Thalwil and Germany, employed 556 people at the end of the year.

Source and further information: Abacus Research AG

"Back to home office" is the order of the day. The pandemic continues to define our reality. In terms of clothing, we are drawing on the wealth of experience from the first wave. We already have a certain routine in switching from the office to the home office.
Work mode.

You can't see a shoe on the screen?

A professional outfit is part of a professional appearance, even from home. Only the matter of the shoes has not yet been completely clarified for many. After all, many think, you can't see them on the screen. Are you sure? What very few people realize is that the outfit also has an effect on the inside.

The shoe creates personality and charisma. Even in times of zoom and Webex. Because if you have a good standing, you create a good standing for yourself. The choice of shoes has an influence on leadership, the quality of work and productivity. Therefore: Always consider - even in the home office - the importance of business shoes.

The white sneaker: The bag knife under the shoes

Business shoes - this definitely includes the sneaker, and white minimal sneaker. Every man must own a pair of white sneakers! The white sneaker emphasizes the relaxed look. And always fits. It is already a classic. The white sneaker was a must-have in the fall of 2020 and remains so: because it is the sac knife among men's shoes. This shoe is a true all-rounder. It can be worn with a shirt at a video conference, looks perfect with a classic, dark suit at a customer meeting with a protective mask and with jeans on the way to daycare with the kids, it is casual for shopping, sporty for a ride on the bike, in short: a perfect everyday piece.

The sneaker is the congenial fashion partner of digitalization and home office, because as a casual business outfit it perfectly combines comfortable clothing and professional work. The sneaker offers comfort and style. Casual and high-quality. It conveys personality and status. And makes a statement: I have self-discipline and self-management, I am self-confident and
motivated. And dynamic!

Proper care and accessories

Besides the basic color white, the design and quality of the sneaker must be right. It must be of high quality and impeccable workmanship. And importantly, the white sneaker must always be kept clean - clean it every now and then with a toothbrush and some soap. Over time, it will lose its pristine white color. That's okay too, it's allowed to look a bit like well-kept rock'n'roll. But too much patina is an unmistakable sign that the next white sneaker must come!

When choosing socks in a business context, continue to fall back on the proven models in black or dark blue, assorted with the suit or chinos, knee-high. Sporty wear the white sneaker with white sports socks or even without. Do not under any circumstances try to set an accent with contrasting colors or even funny socks! This devalues the white sneaker - and thus also its wearer.

About the author
Dominik Risch, together with his wife, founded Risch Shoes, based in Zurich, and launched the world's unique custom shoe concept with Foot-DNA. Risch Shoes has locations in Zurich, Bern, Frankfurt, Mannheim and Lech. www.risch-shoes.com

The Chinese telecommunications company Huawei is relying on double female power: On the one hand, Lisa Stinner has been appointed Account Manager for the manufacturing, retail and transport sectors in German-speaking Switzerland. Secondly, the company appoints Laurence Pasquier Dessingy as Territory Manager in Suisse Romande for the manufacturing, financial services and higher education sectors. Both ladies are tasked with developing Huawei's business in the enterprise sector in their respective regions, maintaining and expanding relationships with existing and new customers, and advancing Huawei's partner ecosystem in Switzerland, according to a corresponding media release.vIn particular in French-speaking Switzerland, Huawei aims to increase its market share with large customers. Across Switzerland, Huawei's technology is expected to create added value for Swiss companies, increase the level of digitalization, and thus help Switzerland remain highly competitive in the aforementioned focus industries.

Women with top qualifications

Lisa Stinner and Laurence Pasquier Dessingy both bring many years of professional experience in well-known IT companies and expertise in consulting and project management as well as sales & key account management. After completing a bachelor's degree at the University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld with a thesis on competitive positioning in the cloud environment, Lisa Stinner completed a CAS Customer Management at HWZ Zurich. She joined T-Systems and stayed with the ICT service provider for over 8 years in different countries and various customer-facing roles, most recently in a new business sales role for medium-sized customers in Switzerland.

Laurence Pasquier Dessingy's career history reads like a "Who's Who" of the ICT industry, with names such as Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Avanade and SAGlobal Switzerland. A graduate of the University of Geneva with a degree in Biology and a Master in Business & Administration, she has a total of more than 15 years of experience in sales management, account management and business development. She has a deep understanding of the manufacturing and retail industries in particular and is adept at developing partnerships and joint go-to-market initiatives for new business.

Huawei with ambitious business targets

Roland von Arx, Vice President Enterprise Business Group Switzerland, welcomes the two new additions: "We have very ambitious business goals in Switzerland, where we want to grow successfully year after year with our Enterprise Business Group and further accelerate this growth. Our two new colleagues have proven in their careers that they can inspire customers, engage and proactively drive new business. In addition to our reliable, robust and functionally excellent solutions and our services, which are highly valued in the market, it is above all our employees and their customer focus that make our success possible. I am very pleased that we are able to further expand our diversity, which is already successfully practiced and highly appreciated by customers."

Source and further information

General technology problems, a poor Internet connection and delayed meetings due to technology problems cause the most displeasure among communications professionals when it comes to online meetings. This is the result of a recent survey by news aktuell and Faktenkontor. More than 120 professionals and executives from companies, organizations and PR agencies took part in the survey.

Technology problems annoy tremendously

According to the survey, most respondents are annoyed when the technology goes wrong again, for example because no image or no sound is transmitted or the microphone doesn't work (56 percent). Every second communications manager is most likely to be upset because there is not enough bandwidth, resulting in delays or breakdowns during online meetings (51 percent). The fact that digital meetings are delayed due to technical problems stresses 37 percent.

A good one in four communications professionals is annoyed when participants in online meetings have their cameras turned off (27 percent). In addition, virtual meetings - due to the Corona situation - have generally increased considerably, which is what causes the greatest displeasure among 26 percent of the survey participants. Just as many respondents are upset when participants use the "mute/loud" function incorrectly, i.e., do not notice that they are switched to loud or still on mute and thus hinder the process and communication (26 percent).

Less disturbing: Children playing in the background

One in four communication professionals is annoyed when participants are late (25 percent). One in five respondents, on the other hand, is most annoyed by a lack of knowledge of the online tool, for example, when users send private chat messages to all participants, or when spaz filters are used in inappropriate situations (21 percent). Having to constantly see oneself in online meetings annoys one in seven (15 percent).

By contrast, the respondents take little offense at pets, partners or children jumping through the picture during an online meeting. Only seven percent find this annoying. Embarrassing or unwanted content is also not an issue: A meager two percent of the survey participants are bothered when others accidentally provide insights into family photos or shopping websites via screensharing, for example.

The 10 most annoying things about online meetings

1. General technology spins 56%
2. Poor internet connection 51%
3. Meetings delayed due to technology problems 37%
4. Participants have turned off camera 27%
5. Increased number of meetings 26%
6. Incorrect use of the "Mute/Loud" function 26%
7. Participants* late 25%
8. Lack of tool know-how of stakeholders 21%
9. Phrases like "Can you hear me?", "Sorry, got kicked out" 19%
10. Having to see yourself all the time 15%

The other places are occupied by the following "annoyances": 

• Inappropriate virtual backgrounds 15%
• Participants* eat during the meeting 12%
• Speaker late 9%
• Pets, partner or children jumping through the picture 7%
• Participants chat during the conference and thus distract from the topic 5%
• Participants jump up, e.g. because the parcel carrier rings 4%
• The 'split screen' function accidentally allows you to see embarrassing or unwanted content 2%

Source: Online survey in February 2021 by news up to date and Faktenkontor, 121 communications professionals from companies, organizations and PR agencies, multiple answers possible.

The "flat rate strategy" adopted by care4IT.ch a few years ago also bore its full fruit in 2020. Thus, despite the Corona pandemic, the company was able to record another financial year with an increase in sales of over 30 percent. This was achieved not least because the two owners Philipp Hollerer and Matthias Naber focused more attention on employee branding in addition to customer business, thereby increasing care4IT.ch's Kununu rating to a value of 4.9, which is also well above average in IT. In this way, the rapid new customer and project growth could be reconciled with the recruiting of new IT professionals.

Managed services and flat-rate IT are booming

The successful change in care4IT.ch's business model from a rather reactive project service provider to a proactive full-service provider is particularly evident in the rapid growth of recurring revenues. While management services have been growing at a constant rate of between 25 and 30 percent for several years now, income from flat-rate IT is currently virtually exploding. After around three years of introduction, the company now has a whole range of customers who have their IT comprehensively managed by means of a simple and transparent flat rate.

Sales will triple

In 2021, Philipp Hollerer expects flat rate revenues to at least triple. "It took us the last three years to understand the logic and risks of a flat rate business model in our industry so well that we could also work with it economically. Before that, we were often worried that at the end of the day we would sell our services too cheaply and therefore unprofitably" Philipp Hollerer explains the progress of the business development. "Flat rate has to be learned," he concludes his remarks.

Flat-rate IT: still a little-known model in Switzerland

"In Germany, flat-rate IT is now part of the basic offering at the vast majority of IT system houses. On the one hand, this may be due to a pronounced all-inclusive culture and the higher price pressure in Germany, but on the other hand, it has immense advantages for both customers and us as an IT service provider," explains Matthias Naber. "It helps customers to manage their IT costs transparently and predictably, and it helps us to build up a high-quality managed IT infrastructure, including specialist staff, and position it on the market," concludes Matthias Naber.

More information: care4IT.ch GmbH

There is a lot of construction activity in Switzerland. The demand for software solutions for the execution and maintenance of projects and real estate is high. "In terms of digitalization, the construction industry is a diamond in the rough, especially in the areas of collaboration and quality management," explains Axept CEO Raphael Kohler. For the Swiss software company, these considerations were decisive for its participation in the innovative platform smino as a digital tool for the planning and realization of construction projects.

Business software meets collaboration platform

Axept is the first software company to join smino. "The investment in smino demonstrates our ambition to establish Axept as a leading provider in the construction industry. smino is the ideal addition to our existing portfolio. In the future, we will be able to offer customers an end-to-end and integrated solution for handling construction projects," says Raphael Kohler. The company's declared goal is to jointly drive forward the digitization of the construction industry with innovative solutions. The investment in smino was therefore not only made for strategic reasons, but also for logical ones. It means a supplement to the PROVIS software and the AXbau solution.

Digitization of the construction industry: Many words, few deeds

"The terms digitalization and innovation are everywhere in the construction industry. However, there are only a few companies that actually live these terms and are willing to enable and drive progress," admits smino Co-CEO Sandor Balogh. "It is all the more gratifying that we have such an innovative partner at our side in Axept. Together, we will be even better able to successfully accompany our customers on their way into the future," Sandor Balogh is certain.

New perspectives for customers

The joint development work will start in April 2021. In a first step, the PROVIS software from Axept and smino will be linked to ensure end-to-end construction processes. Both companies will continue to operate independently, but there will be close cooperation in software development and operations. Existing customers will be offered new prospects as a result of the cooperation. Initial talks with larger companies have met with a positive response.

Source and further information: Axept / smino

Commerce has always been trimmed for flexibility. That's one of the reasons why Swiss retail industries have put up a brave fight overall in 2020, says Kaspar Engeli, director of Handel Schweiz, the umbrella organization for the retail industry: "Even outside of Corona, retail companies are faced with constant changes - from changing consumer behavior to problems in supply chains, price increases for raw materials or suppliers, and customs regulations that are suddenly adjusted."

Challenging year for all retail sectors

Nevertheless, 2020 was also an exceptionally challenging year for most retail sectors. However, individual areas achieved significant increases. These include toy retail, which grew by 13% in general and now sells almost 40% via online retail, which is on a par with our neighboring countries. Switzerland has thus caught up massively in just two years. Consumers are not only playing and doing more puzzles. They have also changed other preferences. Coffee cream, for example, is now mainly bought in larger bottles rather than in small portions. Mr. and Mrs. Swiss prefer to enjoy local wine, which has increased by 10%. They also used the time to plan and commission their wooden deck. As a result, sales in the trade in wood materials for wood construction increased by 20%. The drive technology of the new car was also a topic in Swiss families. In 2020, 30% more new cars with alternative drives such as electric were sold, in 2021 already 36% more. Home office and online meetings boosted sales of high-quality cameras. Textile trade was pleased with the good trend of workwear. Trade in machinery for the packaging industry also recorded an increase. In medical technology, the "Emergency" and "Anesthesia" segments were able to compensate somewhat for the slump in sales in other segments.

The assessments of the retail sectors in detail

For the Toysindustry, 2020 was a very good year with 13% higher sales. Delivery issues were a challenge. The shift from bricks-and-mortar retail to the Internet was enormous. Meanwhile, Switzerland has almost caught up with other Western European countries in this area. In 2021, this trend will continue and online trade will account for a good 40% of sales of toys.

Food the Swiss consumed largely unchanged overall in 2020. The temporary interruption in shopping tourism proved to be an advantage for local retailers. Some retail companies recorded a slight increase. The industry is looking ahead to 2021 with cautious optimism.

In the corona year 2020 was pleased the Wine trade about a good quality harvest and was able to fill the warehouses well. However, as is well known, wine is not consumed in closed restaurants. Therefore, the wine trade had to accept a decline in sales of up to 45% in the restaurant trade. Sales in the specialized trade also slumped by 45%, while the retail trade was able to increase. In January 2021, consumer sentiment was at a low point. However, there were signs of a slight recovery in February.

The Retail trade is very heterogeneously affected by the pandemic. The closure of thousands of stores over a period of weeks caused great difficulties for many retailers. In 2021, however, the retail trade as a whole is confident. A sigh of relief can be felt in the industry. One current challenge is overseas shipments, which are fraught with uncertainty, which can lead to merchandise shortages.

The trade with Photo and video cameras recorded an overall decline in sales for the year 2020. At the same time, there was a technology shift from SLR cameras to mirrorless devices. During the lockdown and in the home office, many professionals stocked up on high-quality cameras for video sessions. Now, this type of communication is widely accepted, which will lead to further user needs. For 2021, the trends are slightly negative, but the year is developing better than 2020.

The Textile trade was at a normal level in 2020; sales of textiles to retailers were stable. Trade in workwear continued to follow a positive trend. However, following the Corona restrictions in the fall, the winter collection is still in stores and warehouses and almost impossible to sell. Problems are also caused by the lack of containers for transport from the Far East and the massively increasing freight costs.

At Leather trade the development varied greatly depending on the region and customer groups. While some leather retailers saw no losses, others lost up to 40% in sales.

In specialized trade Cigars and luxury food sales declined by 20% in 2020, while Wholesale was able to maintain its volume. With 90% decrease, duty free underwent a dramatic development. Of concern is the potentially sustained decline in business travel. While sales in Asia are up slightly and the market in the U.S. is stable, business volume in Europe is down. Pricing and freight reliability are current challenges. Overall, the outlook for 2021 is nevertheless cautiously positive.

In the Medical Technology the areas developed very differently. While "Emergency" and "Anesthesia" recorded a plus in 2020, there were declines of up to 40% in surgery. As postponed operations are now being made up, the outlook for medical technology trading is normalizing in this respect. A major concern is the expiry of the Mutual Recognition Agreements MRA agreement with the EU. The EU has made it clear that it will not renew the MRA without the Institutional Framework Agreement.

Also the Trade with machines and automation for printing and Packing had to demonstrate great flexibility. While the packaging sector showed an above-average positive development, the printing press trade recorded a decline of 20%. For the current year, it is expected that the printing press trade will at least be able to maintain the current low level.

At Car trade the pandemic is causing rapid changes in the market. New car sales in 2020 slumped by 24% compared to 2019 - the worst performance since 1975, but the bright spot was provided by a 30% increase in sales of new cars with alternative powertrains. In January and February 2021, new car sales fell by 18%, with the share of new vehicles with alternative powertrains increasing further to 36%.

Also throughout the Building area the individual sectors developed very differently, affecting several trade sectors. While civil engineering continues at a high level, building construction is declining. Not only the Steel trade suffered in 2020 from delayed building permits, which were processed more slowly due to the home office of the building authorities. This fact slows down the overall development in the market. As construction is one of the drivers of the economy, the impact of this permit policy is felt in many other industries, including retail. This has also led to a difficult start in the current year.

The Interior design and event constructionwhich is suffering from the cancelled trade fairs, recorded a slump of around 10%. Uncertainties are also caused by the threatened postponement of public sector projects such as the SBB. Challenges lie in the price increases for steel, wood and plastics and the - hopefully only temporary - suspension of public sector projects. It is foreseeable that investments in the tourism sector will be restrained in the coming years.

However, despite these negative conditions, trading in particular with Wood materials satisfactory. Sales in the Wood construction increased by up to 20%. The pandemic provided a powerful boost to digitization in operational work. The outlook for 2021 is very good. Wood continues to be in vogue. The challenges lie more in material availability, price increases and high capacity utilization among producers.

Overall, the Metals trade 2020 a decline of up to 1.5%. Above all, demand from industry slumped. There was already a price increase last year, which continued in the first two months of 2021.

In trade with Construction machinery volumes declined by 6% last year. In 2021, the industry expects stable demand and a plus of 1.5%. Current challenges are the increased prices by up to 7%, longer delivery times and the EU tariffs for products from the USA.

In trade with Building materials business volumes remained stable, with regional differences such as in the Geneva region, where 15% fewer building materials were sold. In French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, construction site closures caused problems, while on the other hand year-round factory closures led to delivery delays. In 2021, the building materials trade expects stagnation or a slight decline.

The Electrical Wholesale was able to stabilize sales in the construction industry by the end of 2020 following temporary sharp declines. In industry, on the other hand, it was not possible to make up for the initial drop in sales over the course of the year. At the beginning of 2021, sales are down by 5%, mainly due to the weather. Overall, sales in 2021 are expected to be similarly restrained to those in 2020.

The trade with Floor coverings recorded a decline of around 8% in 2020. A negative factor was that the usual renovations in the tourist regions were not possible in the spring or were postponed until the fall. In 2021, sales developed stably in the first two months. Irrespective of Corona, the trend continues that pure flooring suppliers will disappear more and more. Mergers with painting companies, for example, mean that in the future builders will be able to hire "small" general contractors for the interior, who will handle wall, floor and ceiling work from a single source.

Working platforms are used in construction, industry, cleaning and at trade fairs and events. Overall, most suppliers of work platforms or aerial lifts lost 12% in sales in 2020 compared to the previous year. The industry is feeling the impact of Corona, particularly through canceled events. In addition, unsettled customers are investing less, which has a negative impact on the sale of access platforms.

Source: Trade Switzerland

Women who become self-employed with a digital business model do not do so primarily to be able to work flexibly in terms of time and location. But they use and appreciate these advantages enormously, because the variety of opportunities and the high degree of self-determination allow female entrepreneurs to creatively reconcile their ambitions with their personal life plans.

Women entrepreneurs want to do something meaningful

Many women cite the freedom and sense of purpose they associate with their own business as a reason to become self-employed. And that also motivate them to stick with it when the challenges become greater. All the women interviewed agreed
agree: the step into self-employment has been worthwhile. This is the result of the study "Digital Female Founders", which was conducted by an interdisciplinary research team from the Departments of Economics, Social Work and Engineering & Architecture at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The researchers investigated the motivations, characteristics and competencies of digital female founders and the path their company has taken from the idea to the foundation to the present. In addition, they wanted to know what challenges they had encountered, what funding and support they had used, and what additional support they would have liked to have received.

Financing always remains an issue

The question of financing occupied the founders continuously, but to varying degrees. Even though some prefer self-financing, they also approach debt financing proactively when necessary. The combination of cautious, risk-conscious action with the necessary courage at the right moment proved to be sustainable and successful in the startups studied.

In addition to these positive findings, however, the research project also sheds light on critical aspects of financing and investment issues: Women are still frequently confronted with gender stereotypes and structural inequalities. As a result, they are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to accessing investment capital, as international research also clearly shows. With another project "Funding Female Founders", the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts is therefore developing measures to facilitate access to investment capital for female founders. For their qualitative study, the researchers interviewed ten female founders and analyzed the interviews against the background of the international research literature. The selection focused on the goal of representing a broad spectrum of digital female founders in Switzerland. Thus, individual entrepreneurs were represented as well as founders of high-tech startups with more than ten employees and of globally active companies; very young companies as well as those that have already been on the market for more than twelve years.

Monthly event series

The survey showed that the Digital Female Founders would appreciate an exchange of experiences with women who have similar projects and would also like inspiring role models to become visible. Thus, the research project resulted in a monthly series of events starting on March 25, the Female Founders Luncheons.

The Digital Female Founders project was funded by the interdisciplinary thematic cluster "Digital Transformation of the Working World" at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and Smart-Up, the university's own support program for start-ups.

Source: Lucerne University. More information: www.fundingfemalefounders.ch. In the print issue 3/2021 of ORGANISATOR, the topic "Female Founders" is examined in detail in a specialist article. The issue is available here. 

Beat Bühlmann will become the new CEO of Graphax AG as of June 1, 2021. He thus replaces the mandate of Ernst Flückiger. In his last position as Head of SME Sales at Swisscom, Beat Bühlmann dealt with IT, Internet and telephony as modular overall solutions. Previous positions were with HP, Dell, Google and Evernote. With his dual educational background (IT and business administration) and 20 years of practical experience, Beat Bühlmann brings with him the necessary tools to appropriately steer and further intensify the already successful digitization course of the Swiss company. Beat Bühlmann says of his future new role: "I am very pleased to be able to contribute my many years of experience in the ICT environment to one of the renowned Swiss market leaders in the DMS and ECM industry.

Graphax AG, headquartered in Dietikon near Zurich and with eight branches in German- and French-speaking Switzerland, employs around 190 people. Among other things, the company is the Swiss general distributor of Konica Minolta's print solutions. Thanks to its broad range of services, the company claims to be one of the leading providers of innovative technologies in the fields of enterprise content management, IT services, printer park management and complete solutions. Just recently Graphax AG has appointed Prof. Dr. René Hüsler as a new member of the Board of Directors.

Source: Graphax AG