Probably one of the most interesting and inspiring characters in the German business arena is Wolfgang Grupp. Apart from is entrepreneurial talent to turn-around textile manufacturing company Trigema, which he took over highly indebted he is also one of the most prominent and extravagant business owners. Grupp not only makes the news regularly because of horribly done commercials involving talking chimpanzees selling the brand but also because he deeply belives in the mantra only to produce in Germany. While other companies are busy finding the next best (cheaper) country to produce their goods, Grupp rather worries about the jobs of his 1200-something employees. Why is this so interesting? I had the pleasure recently to be directed towards a documentary about Grupp that ran on German television station SWR (Südwest Rundfunk) in early 2008. The video is available on YouTube and a must watch for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and an acceptable ability to understand the German language. One thing that is commonly, publicly criticized about Grupp is his way of presenting himself. As it becomes evident in the documentary there are certain qualities of his personality that - in my opinion - make him a successful business person and a peculiar individual; which might easily mislead people what he is about. Yes, Grupp takes the milk for his lunch-muesli from a golden "gral", and yes, he likes to take his helicopter to inspect his stores, and again - yes - his mansion is conveniently located across from his manufacturing site. The documentary is titled "Der König von Burladingen" (German for "The King of Burladingen" - Burladingen of course being the city of his production facilities), which makes it quite apparent what position he has in that area. Undoubtedly, there is not a living soul in this region that does not know and respect him. The title, although seeming ironic, is quite well deserved as Grupp achieved something unparalleled in Germany. According to news reports he never had to let people go because of economic reasons and in addition to that he guarantees a job or traineeship for the children of his employees. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGZ968iuGFY&feature=PlayList&p=88869804F4621AE2&index=0] But what is it that makes him so successful? In the film Grupp mentions one core principle of his management style. He declares that the most important thing is to the decide. He says: "You always have to make decisions, if you do not make decisions that is the worst decision of all". I could not agree more. Having started two businesses one lesson I had to learn "the hard way" is that you have to keep on keeping on. Once you stop deciding or to initiating activities - may they be operational or strategic - the business stops as well. As we all know what does not grow, dies. This is also true for a business. Looking at the Trigema track record there are no signs of demise. The other side of the decision medal is most certainly character and integrity. Grupp obviously is a very self-confident and powerful authority figure. Since I do not know him personally I can only guess that this is not something he was from birth on but that he had to work hard for. Not in the sense that he is limited in his capacity but more in the sense that once you take that role you will most certainly also experience some fair amount of head-wind. People that make decisions quick and "decisively" will often also make themselves target of other people's displeasure. I named this post "Idol Entrepreneur: Wolfgang Grupp" because his ability to really lead his business this way can be a great example for any kind of entrepreneur or business person. Obviously there is more to Wolfgang Grupp than just this quality. Perhaps one is that Trigema since years has no debt and is 100& self-financed...