“Europe doesn’t play to lose”: Mawave CEO Jason Modemann was in Singapore. Why he is now criticizing the mindset of German entrepreneurs.
Mawave / Logo: Founder scene
Business in Asia is about growth, speed and ambition. In Europe it’s often just about maintaining the status quo. Jason Modemann, CEO and founder of the Mawave agency, talks about a sentence in Singapore that particularly influenced him and his team.
This week Meta invited me to the office in Singapore. There I spoke to various companies, founders and decision-makers. From the discussions, one number in particular stuck with me: While the growth forecast in South Asia is around six percent plus, in Germany it is only zero to a maximum of one percent. A huge difference!
“Europe doesn’t play to lose”
Of course I was interested in what that could be. So I asked the CEO of a larger brand for his opinion. And he said a sentence that has stuck in my head ever since: “We play to win. Europe doesn’t play to lose.”
I think there’s quite a lot in that statement. Because if you look at the mindset in comparison, one difference is immediately noticeable: In Asia it’s about moving forward, growing faster, getting bigger, building things. In Europe it is often about maintaining what is there: we want to secure market share, minimize risks and just not lose anything.
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The problem: This attitude rarely results in anything really great. When was the last time a product came from Germany that really became internationally relevant? When was the last time we built something that sets global standards?
I also see this very specifically in our industry: in the agency world in Europe, a lot of things go through London – a market that is no longer even part of the EU. We are unable to set up comparable hubs in Germany or Europe.
Get out of your comfort zone
I think German companies are lacking a bit of hunger. Or the courage to move out of your comfort zone and focus on growth, innovation and new markets.
This was quite a reality check for me. That’s why I try to anchor the Asian mindset in our company – in the team that is already there as well as in new hires.
Ambition for more
I don’t want people who just fill a role, do the job exactly like their predecessor and try not to do anything wrong. I want people who move things forward and who have the desire to change something. A team that is hungry for more and not only focused on not losing anything – but on winning something.
In the end, this is probably exactly the question that all entrepreneurs should ask themselves: Are you playing not to lose? Or do you play to win?
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Jason Modemann is the founder and managing director of the social media agency Mawave Marketing. At 27, he manages around 150 employees. Mawave’s customers include Red Bull, Nike and Lidl. He is also the author of the book “Always hungry, never greedy.”
