We hear it from all sides, and we know it’s true: These are difficult times. With this in mind, many people may well decide not to start their own business right now. But this realization can also be a good reason to—on the contrary—start a business right now. After all, especially when the future is uncertain, it’s wise to take matters into your own hands. That’s the only way to shape it in your own best interest.
As entrepreneurs, you know what it means to start or take over a business. It requires courage and a willingness to take risks. It requires a lot of work and patience. But it doesn’t just demand—it also gives back. And a great deal at that!
I speak from personal experience when I say: It’s a wonderful feeling to build something on your own. It’s a joy to train young people and equip them with the tools they need for their professional careers. It brings satisfaction to put your own ideas into practice. And how good does this phrase sound: “I’m my own boss.” That—and so much more—is the happiness that self-employment brings.
Given the demographic situation, now is actually an especially good time to take over a business in the skilled trades. In the next five years alone, around 125,000 business succession cases are expected in this sector. Anyone who takes over a business reinvents what has been tried and true. He or she preserves not only apprenticeship and job opportunities but also valuable expertise. And there’s more than enough to do: With all the future challenges in climate protection, the energy and mobility transitions, housing construction, and caring for an increasingly aging population, there will be no shortage of work in the skilled trades anytime soon.
After all, all these tasks require even more qualified craftspeople. To make the diverse career opportunities in the skilled trades better known and more attractive to young people, we therefore need early and comprehensive career guidance in all schools, especially high schools. This will allow us to spark an interest in a career in the skilled trades and the possibility of self-employment at an early stage, while also providing information about the numerous opportunities available in the skilled trades.
And fundamentally, we need a shift in education—that is, a much stronger focus on vocational training and practical work experience, accompanied by equal promotion and support for both vocational and academic education. We need more appreciation and recognition for what skilled tradespeople accomplish every day. After all, they keep our country running by baking bread, crafting eyeglasses and hearing aids, renovating bathrooms to be age-appropriate, building houses, and paving roads. And they are the ones shaping the future by building wind farms and installing solar panels, heat pumps, and charging stations for electric cars.
Taking over a craft business therefore offers numerous opportunities. More specifically: in the coming years, more than 125,000 opportunities for professional fulfillment and happiness. Because happiness favors the hardworking.
