Business start-up counselling at the HFR

Being a self-employed entrepreneur means realising yourself professionally, being independent, being innovative and creative and earning a higher income than in "dependent employment".

However, self-employment often has less romantic and more pragmatic reasons: In times of economic change, it is often the most lucrative option in terms of income, but sometimes also the only option for employment. This is increasingly the case for people starting out in their careers but also for experienced professionals in the context of a career reorientation.

In addition, there are individual professional and family situations that offer self-employment as an alternative, such as the issue of business succession/takeovers, especially in the agricultural and forestry sectors, or sideline activities of full-time employees that serve not only to earn money but also for professional development. Last but not least, especially in the university sector, there are always opportunities to bring research results to the open market through spin-offs. The business start-up counselling service at the HFR is therefore aimed at anyone who wants to set up their own business: 

  • Students and graduates with business ideas for setting up a company or for taking up expert and consultancy work
  • Students and graduates who are about to make a decision about taking over or succeeding a business
  • Members of the university who are also (part-time) self-employed or want to take the plunge into self-employment
  • Members/research groups at the university who want to transfer research results and utilise them commercially

The start-up network Pioneer Garden moreless

In April 2020, we launched a joint project with the team from the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Reutlingen University on the topic of start-ups, the "Pioneer Garden". In addition to Prof. Dr. Steffen Abele as project manager, we are Katharina Díaz Méndez, Sandra Geiger-Hertkorn and Lorena Jockenhöfer.

The aim of the Pioneer Garden is to expand a regional start-up network and, in particular, to strengthen start-ups from the two participating universities. We expressly emphasise the importance of promoting sustainability in all start-up projects.

Our wide range of advice and information services can be found on the specially designed website: www.pioniergarten.de. Among other things, interested founders can access a sustainability compass for start-up and business ideas, a start-up compass and an expert arena with portraits of successful start-ups.

Members of the university (students/university staff), but also external parties with a specialist connection to the subject areas of the School of Applied Sciences Rottenburg, in their start-up project, have the opportunity to receive a start-up grant from the EXIST funding programme via the Pioneer Garden. This can be used to make investments or cover running costs over a certain period of time. 
Further information can be found here.

As part of the Pioneer Garden, we offer personalised, individual start-up advice on various topics. Whether you are just about to find out whether starting up is something for you at all, or how you can organise your business model sustainably. Feel free to contact us!

Our services are aimed at students, employees of the university and external interested parties. The contact person for start-up advice is Prof. Dr. Steffen Abele.

There is also the opportunity to take part in the Pioniergarten coaching and mentoring programme for founders.

Further information can be found at https://pioniergarten.de/de/service/beratungsangebote.
We also organise ongoing workshops on the topics of sustainable start-ups and social and green entrepreneurship with a networking character.

You are also welcome to contact us with suggestions for topics for events.
Further information on the pioneer garden can be found in the IAF project profiles:

The EXIST Start-up Grant from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) is the main funding scheme for start-ups and founders, administered by Pioniergarten.

The grant is designed to help founders in the early stages cover their necessary fixed costs (e.g. salaries, rent, etc.) or their living expenses, and to make the odd major investment.

What needs to be done?

  1. The founder submits their business idea in the form of a concept paper to the relevant university, which then submits the application.
  2. The university will then appoint a supervisor or mentor to support the founder (of course, start-up teams may also apply).
  3. Subsequently, proof must be provided that a consultation with the start-up initiative at the relevant university has taken place.
  4. Finally, the application for the start-up grant must be completed and submitted.

Good to know

  • Applications can be submitted at any time – there are no deadlines.
  • Applications can only be submitted by universities and other research institutions.
  • At least one member of the start-up team, or the founder themselves, must have graduated from university no more than 5 years ago.
  • A start-up team may comprise a maximum of three people and must not consist predominantly of students.
  • The maximum funding period is one year.

Further information

www.exist.de 

Start-up partner of Rottenburg University of Applied Sciences moreless

The IHK on Campus

In partnership with the Rottenburg University of Applied Sciences the Reutlingen Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) offers you, as entrepreneurs, specialist support in addition to the ‘Pioniergarten’ start-up network. Whether you have questions about business models, legal structures, start-up formalities, business plans or funding opportunities, the Reutlingen IHK is on hand to offer advice and practical support to students and members of the university.

As a start-up adviser for the Reutlingen Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), Victor Pauls is your dedicated point of contact on campus and will be happy to support you on your journey to self-employment. He also shares his expertise as part of the university course ‘Fundamentals for Starting Your Own Business’, where you can develop your own business ideas in groups and learn everything you need to know about setting up a business (Details of the course can be found via ILIAS).

If you are interested in a consultation, you can contact Mr Pauls either via the Start-up Coordinator, Prof. Dr Abele, or directly using the contact details below to arrange an appointment. These consultations are currently held exclusively by telephone or via video call using the online service provider Zoom.

Further information on starting a business, such as fact sheets, sector-specific formalities and the like, can also be found on the Reutlingen Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) website. Additional inspiration for your start-up project can be found in the stories of entrepreneurs from our Neckar-Alb region, who, as part of our video series “Mission Self-Employment”, shed light on various aspects of starting a business and share their insider tips. 

IHK contact: 

Industrie- und Handelskammer Reutlingen 
Victor Pauls 
Berater Gründung & Start-ups 
Hindenburgstr. 54 
72762 Reutlingen 
Telefon: 07121 201-204
E-Mail: pauls@dont-want-spam.reutlingen.ihk.de
Internet: http://www.reutlingen.ihk.de

External platforms and links moreless

At both federal and state level, there are a number of networks, platforms and organisations that offer support for starting a business. These provide a wide range of services, such as information, advisory services, business planning tools and events, as well as funding opportunities, particularly through public support programmes.

Portals in Baden-Württemberg

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance maintains the portal for the ‘Initiative for Business Start-ups and Business Succession’, which features links to other portals, basic information, an overview of support and funding programmes, and planning tools (www.gruendung-bw.de).

At the ESB Business School in Reutlingen, there is the ESB Student Consulting association, founded and run by students, which supports start-ups with free advice. www.esbstudentconsulting.de.

The “Startup Neckar-Alb” group is a network of young entrepreneurs from Rottenburg which primarily offers start-ups from the higher education sector a platform for finding business partners and start-up advice. In addition, there are regular events – including, and specifically, for university graduates – on start-up topics.

Nationwide Portals

At national level, the BMWi Start-up Portal (www.existenzgruender.de) is particularly worth highlighting. The BMWi also operates other portals, such as EXIST for start-ups originating from the academic sector (www.exist.de), and the business exchange portal nexxt-change (www.nexxt-change.org).

The Federal Employment Agency offers start-up programmes and further training initiatives nationwide. Of particular note here is the document ‘Durchstarten’ (Getting Started), which provides tips on designing and planning a start-up (www.arbeitsagentur.de).

The Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) also offers grants for business start-ups (www.kfw.de/inlandsfoerderung/Unternehmen/Gründen-Nachfolgen).

According to the motto: Sustainable. Cosy. Studiable, we would like to enable students to live in affordable and natural accommodation adapted to their stage of life by building a "Stubenhäusle" housing estate in the immediate vicinity of the Rottenburg University of Applied Forest Sciences. Our project focuses on the construction of small, mobile and self-sufficient "Stubenhäusle" (Tiny-House-like). These will be planned and erected by us and rented out to students at the university. Our aim is to create affordable, alternative and sustainable living spaces for students in a resource-saving design.

The construction of the Stubenhäusle housing estate is a holistic, sustainable concept, also with regard to the building philosophy. In addition to the basic principles of building biology through the use of ecological building and insulation materials, the aim is therefore also to design energy and water cycles to be as decentralised and closed as possible.

In addition, we are not only planning a place to work, but also a place to live. The estate will consist of 4 to 10 "Stubenhäusle", and a garden based on permaculture principles will be created around it. This will provide a balance for students with an interest in horticulture and holistic systems.

In addition to the current search for a plot of land, for which we are working closely with the city of Rottenburg, the cost calculation, construction plans, and finally the question of financing will also have to be finalised over the next few months.

We are a group of students and alumni of the Rottenburg University of Applied Sciences with an interdisciplinary team from the Sustainable Regional Management, Water Resource Management and Timber Management degree programmes. We are always happy to hear from interested parties who can identify with our idea and would like to talk to us. But students or non-students who would like to work with us are also always welcome to join us for a coffee. We also welcome those who would like to contribute their own ideas and/or expertise to help us get this project off the ground.