Ben Künster | Company: Pottsalat https://pottsalat.de/
Entrepreneurial journey told by nine students
Story written by Alessandro Cabiati
“I was an entrepreneur at birth, but my most successful project didn’t take off until 2017; I know It’s a long wait. My story is a far cry from the conventional, and I’m proud of it. While my family prized stability, with my dad’s lifelong dedication to one company and my mom’s successful medical career, I was the odd one out. From a young age, I knew the corporate grind wasn’t for me; I had a different calling.
My journey kick-started during my university days when I organized parties. But that was just the beginning. After graduation, I took a detour into the corporate world, landing a marketing gig at a tech startup in Berlin. I was also one of the pioneers in Germany to dive into the world of Facebook ads; I know it sounds like I am bragging…
The restaurant industry beckoned, and I ventured into it with a burger restaurant, going all-in on social media marketing. It was a valuable experience, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I tasted failure, and it stung. We lost nearly half a million dollars when we rented out a festival location destroyed by the heaviest of rains. I couldn’t believe it, I was shocked! I swore off hospitality forever, but life had different plans.
My girlfriend’s culinary dreams rekindled my interest, now with a fresh perspective. This time, I knew how to properly leverage digital marketing; I’m talking about heavy artillery. I was done with taking risks by relying on traditional and low-growth business models, so I pivoted toward the online restaurant business model, meticulously studying the US market for some sweet inspiration. Sustainability became a core pillar of Pott Salat, riding the wave of growing environmental awareness. And we rode it good!
I always say that business ideas have to be played like a good hand of poker. You go all in if you have to! So, I put all our chips on building a robust website and solid-tasting healthy food.
In less than a year, we took the market by storm.
That’s all we needed. I didn’t wait for life to happen to me!
The heart of Pott Salat lies in our low environmental impact salad recipes, perfected over years of gatherings and parties. Drunk people don’t lie. The salads are fantastic.
A massive shoutout to my business partner, whose brilliant skills and dedication made us who we are today. Partnering with someone who balances your strengths is the secret sauce for success.
In the end, my entrepreneurial journey was far from ordinary, but it was uniquely mine. The rebel in me found his calling, and together with my incredible team, we’re making waves in the online restaurant industry.”
Story written by Florian Eckl
Am I an entrepreneur? Yes. Was I born to be an entrepreneur? I don’t think so. I think no one is truly born for something. Being an entrepreneur is a very individual journey made up of many failures and iterations. Nowadays, I run a successful business, Pott Salat, an ecommerce platform and brand for salad delivery in Germany. But how did I end up here? What was my journey like? Let me take you on a stroll down memory lane.
Ever since my university days I have been unsure about my future career path. I idolized the freedom entrepreneurs embody. It seemed to give the working life color. I could see endless possibilities.
As a student I very early on started to get a taste of the entrepreneurial spirit by organizing large scale parties in my hometown. I made use of my existing network and partnered with a friend. We’ve received smaller governmental contracts for events and scaled the business up. There were many ups and downs that I had to learn from. After having finished my business and economics degree I went into the world of digital marketing. I became a senior in the topic very rapidly and acquired a wide range of skills. Skills that are nowadays invaluable to me running my own business. However, the employment life became dull after some time. I was craving the entrepreneurial freedom again. Which is when I came up with my second entrepreneurial venture, a burger place. Once again, the business scaled up rather nicely, however, due to some issues with the other founder and financial management issues, we eventually had to close that chapter as well.
After having worked in digital marketing for another while and specialized even more in it, I was once again craving the freedom of being a business owner. Overcoming challenges was an integral part of my path. From enduring storms that disrupted festivals to grappling with unprofitable burger ventures, each obstacle became an opportunity for learning and growth. The genesis of Pott Salat emerged as a fusion of marketing expertise, culinary trends, and my partner’s dedication to a wholesome lifestyle. Nowadays, Pott Salat stands as a testament to innovation. Beyond salads, it embodies convenience and health, painting a holistic picture of a modern culinary experience.
What’s the moral of the story? If I can be an entrepreneur, so can you, just dare it!
Story written by Ishu Goyal
I wanted to be an entrepreneur, and that dream came true when I started Pottsalat. My goal was to change how food delivery works. But this journey taught me about teamwork, staying strong when things get tough, and how to market well.
My partner was a big part of Pottsalat right from the beginning. She loved healthy food, which fit perfectly with what we wanted to do. People were already interested in our special recipes, and we knew we had something good. But there was a challenge – standing out in a crowded market. I learned from past mistakes that working together was really important. Even though it was hard mixing our personal lives with business, our different skills helped us succeed.
Marketing became my creative outlet. I used social media as a tool to paint pictures with words. I figured out that it’s not just about satisfying hunger – it’s about making people crave our food through pictures and personal messages. I remember when we began Pottsalat, and our salads were not just food; they were like art that called out to customers. It was a mix of having great content and showing ads to the right people. It was not just about food; it became a place that brought soccer fans together.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. We faced challenges, like when a storm ruined our festival event. From those tough times, I learned that even failures have something to teach us. Failing didn’t mean it was over; it taught me to be persistent.
Looking back, I’m amazed at how innovation works. Personal recipes turning into a big thing, mixing art and food through smart marketing, forming teams that balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses – all of these things define my journey.
Creating Pottsalat and Mr. Burger showed me that being an entrepreneur isn’t just about what we sell; it’s about the stories we share. It’s about following dreams, facing challenges, and growing through every step. Failures taught me to stay humble, successes taught me to be thankful, and this whole journey turned me into an entrepreneur I’m proud to be.
As I think about the path I have taken as an entrepreneur, I don’t just see myself as the founder of two businesses. I see myself as a storyteller, a dreamer, and someone who never stops chasing opportunities.
Story written by Erik Hoffmann
I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. In 2017, I founded my company Pottsalat and embarked on an exciting journey full of challenges, setbacks, and triumphs. Today, I’d like to share my story, my passion for innovation, and the principles that have
guided me on this entrepreneurial adventure. We’re not just about healthy salads, we’re
about sustainability. From day one, we’ve committed to using only renewable energy sources for our delivery and store operations. Now with 7 company-owned stores and several franchise locations, we are the first digital restaurant chain focused on sustainability in Germany. By 2023, we have grown to over 200 employees and serve 24 cities across the country.
My journey into entrepreneurship began with a drive for independence. My family had little entrepreneurial influence, but I had a burning desire to build something of my own. I wanted to be in control of my own destiny, and this urge became the cornerstone of my entrepreneurial ambitions.
For me, starting a business was like solving a complex puzzle. I combined proven concepts, a high-quality product and effective marketing strategies to create a winning formula. I was very innovative, constantly looking for new opportunities and learning from both successes and failures.
Failures were not setbacks, but steppingstones. It was important to learn from mistakes and get to the root causes instead of staying on the surface. After a failed burger restaurant, I didn’t hange industries, but learned valuable lessons that I was able to implement.
Pottsalat started with brainstorming, analyzing customer needs, and creating something truly sustainable. I knew our product was exceptional, but marketing it effectively was the challenge.
Our focus on a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and ability to work with minimal resources were a big reason to our success. We tested and adapted as our motto was – “Done is better than perfect!”
Unique characteristics, a thirst for innovation, a willingness to research and understanding the market and a willingness to learn from mistakes have led to Pottsalat’s success. Our commitment to sustainability and a deep understanding of the marketplace have helped us thrive in a competitive industry. To all budding entrepreneurs, remember that a smart approach, adaptability, and a passion for innovation are the keys to success.
My story can hopefully inspire you on your own entrepreneurial journey.
Story written by Jacqueline Krommes
I had always dreamed of having entrepreneurial freedom and making an impact with my actions. However, without an entrepreneurial family background and two failed ventures, the question was mostly: How? Fortunately, sometimes all it really takes is two people, with the right skills at the right time. When my girlfriend came up with the idea of delivering salads, the food industry was undergoing a major disruption as it moved from offline to online channels. As my girlfriend is famous among our group of friends for making the best salads and I have always been the marketing geek with in-depth knowledge about online businesses, we figured out that our combined skills were ideal for making the first move into the now-digital food industry. This way, she and I found a way to combine our strengths and expertise to set up our own business. Together with another friend, this is how we started our company “Pottsalat” in 2017. The initial idea was simple: With more and more people ordering food online, we thought that there must also be a need for healthy food and sustainable delivery. Were we the only ones thinking about healthy food delivery? Absolutely not! But rather than being intimidated, we were motivated by the competition. Our competition showed us that there must be a demand for our idea and if our competitors could do it, we could do it even better. We just had to be quicker before others would capture the market before us. Therefore, we made it our mission to deliver healthy but affordable food in a sustainable way. And our idea worked out! When we sold out on the first day of business, we knew we had created something that would not only give us the entrepreneurial freedom we had been looking for, but would also deliver value to our customers while making a sustainable impact. Our delivery drivers only use e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-trucks to keep the carbon footprint as small as possible. And as more and more people discovered their love for our products, we grew across Germany. Today, we are counting more than 200 employees in 7 locations where Pottsalat is available. Did we now make you hungry or even interested in joining our company as a franchise partner? Come and check out our website for the latest opportunities and join us on a greener mission https://pottsalat.de/.
Story written by Viktoria Limmer
An idea without action will forever just be an idea. This phrase let me never hesitate to take action. I have always been dedicated to follow the entrepreneurial path. What kind of business venture it would be – I did not know. However, my vision and determination prevailed. This ambition made me the family rebel having grown up in an environment that did not inherently foster an entrepreneurial spirit. Armed with a degree in Business Administration, he plunged into the world of online marketing. It was at a time when this sector was still in its infancy, making me one of the early experts in the German market. I was hungry to learn and worked my way from an intern up to head of marketing within just 9 months. However, it was not the corporate structure or a higher salary as a driver, but my underlying motivation to learn and eventually use it for my own purposes. The end goal was always to achieve the freedom, independence and creativity of an entrepreneur.
The seed for my entrepreneurial aspiration sprouted when I partnered up with a friend during our studies for an event agency. The event agency was my stepping stone into the entrepreneurial world. Years later, I was also given the opportunity for entrepreneurship parallel to my conventional occupation, I opened a burger restaurant together with friends as we observed a massive trend coming to Germany. While this venture ended because of missing profitability it taught me valuable lessons and made me resilient to failure. Setbacks are part of the journey, not deterrents. Eventually, as my girlfriend was eager to follow her passion, all my expertise, observations and previous experiences came together like a puzzle. The trend of online food delivery services, her aspiration for a salad bar, my experience in restaurant management, combined with my expertise for online marketing formed the perfect match for the business model of Pottsalat. And here we are – 7 years later with 9 locations and rapid expansion nationwide, being proud to call ourselves the first climate-neutral food delivery service in Germany.
Story written by Akshat Mehta
My name is Ben Küstner and I’m from Germany. I am the CEO of Pottsalat, a chain of online restaurants that delivers salads. Poker players and Entrepreneurs have a lot in common. Both require you to make decisions according to the situation. The best poker players are the ones who don’t play their cards most of the time. But they wait for the perfect opportunity and once that opportunity comes they seize it. My journey is also very similar to that poker player.
I personally was always inspired by an entrepreneur’s life and the freedom they have to get things done their way. My entrepreneurial journey started at the university itself when I used to run party events as a side business. After that, I also started a burger restaurant with one of my friends. Even though our restaurant was booked all the time we struggled to make profits. So the burger restaurant didn’t work out quite well. But ups and downs are a part of life and where one journey ends another begins.
Then, like a twist of fate, my girlfriend’s passion for health and fitness collided with her knack for crafting amazing salads. At that time the idea of opening an online salad delivery company came to my mind. During 2015-16 I also saw a trend of food startups emerging and I had a feeling that online delivery of salads could be huge in the coming years. I was also one of the few in Germany who had expertise in e-commerce. Due to the Burger Restaurant not working out very well, I thought I would never go into the food industry again. But all the factors were in my favor and I felt that it was time to play my poker cards. Our salads were also tried and tested over many years and people loved the taste. In the beginning, we conducted 6 months of research and started with a limited budget constraint. On our first day itself, all our orders were sold out and after that, there was no turning back. Right now we have 9 different chains of Pottsalat across Germany. I timed my poker hand just right and hit the jackpot.
Story written by Marie Wiegelmann
Riding my bike home from work on a casual day summer day in Germany, I reflect on the journey that has brought me to where I am today – a journey that led me to create something special.
Hi! I’m Ben Küstner and I’m delighted to share with you how I transformed my aspirations into a reality with Pottsalat!
When I was younger, I didn’t have a clear career path in mind. I wanted to do something that I’m passionate about. I wanted to change something in the world and create something new instead of doing a job that has been done before. I knew that I must create my own working environment and be an entrepreneur. During my business studies, I had already started a side business, planning student parties in my hometown with a friend of mine. We had an amazing time and were quite successful, but I couldn’t finance my life with this venture. So, I started working at an online marketing start-up and, in fact, that job intrigued me. At that time, I had no clue how deeply it would shape my path. Online marketing was a fresh frontier back then, and I found my stride in it. However, I always yearned for my own business, but also the burger restaurant that I opened with a colleague failed. I knew that I never wanted to open a restaurant again and I became more interested in online businesses.
Suddenly, when I noticed the trend of food delivery companies booming in the US and also starting in Germany, paired with my girlfriend’s passion for healthy food and her delectable salad recipes, we saw our chance. It felt like putting a puzzle together and our business idea was born. With my girlfriend Pia and my other business partner Alex, we founded Pottsalat! A German salad delivery company. We started our venture with a very limited budget, in a lean way with lots of testing and iterations. And guess what? People loved the idea of ordering salads online! We made some minor adjustments, and before I knew it, Pottsalat had expanded from a single place to already nine locations! And many more to come…
My experience has shown me that entrepreneurship goes beyond balance sheets and profits. It’s about passion, resilience, and believing in oneself. Pottsalat is more than just a business venture – it’s a dream transformed into reality! I see opportunity, growth, and the possibility to encourage others on their own paths as I look into the future.
Story written by Mona Willamowski
My entrepreneurial journey is not linear or textbook, but my business is my passion and exactly what I want to do. I co-founded Pottsalat, a sustainable online delivery salad bar, in 2016, but my entrepreneurial journey began much earlier.
I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset, which led me to founding an event agency alongside my studies in Germany. Organizing events and parties was what drove me back then but now has shifted to a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Independence and the ability to innovate have driven me through my entrepreneurial journey. I like to describe myself as an entrepreneurial rebel, with a passion for online marketing, who had no desire to follow a traditional career path. Having this entrepreneurial spirit and recognizing opportunities is what makes me an entrepreneur – and anyone can follow my journey!
Pottsalat provides healthy food options through online delivery – improving the fast food industry in a sustainable way. Customers can choose from a variety of bowls and salads or create their own menu which is delivered in sustainable packaging and with zero CO2 emissions. Our mission is to enable people to eat nutritious and sustainable meals in a fast and convenient way. From the beginning, we knew that whatever business we pursue, we had to make it sustainable because there is no Planet B.
We came up with the idea of Pottsalat by seeing the emerging market demand for healthy food combined with the trend towards a more online lifestyle. That’s when we assessed our skills and resources, and started our venture. Our key success factor is our online marketing, which created the desire for our products and made us reach our customers. The online business allows us to track the most profitable marketing channels and enables a cost-efficient management. When we started our business, we adopted the lean approach of Ries (2011), which allowed us to get off the ground faster and be successful. We started with a small menu in one city, using our private bicycles for delivery. We only invested what we could afford to lose. This enabled us to analyse the market demand and quickly adapt to our customer’s preferences. What started with a minimal website and one small restaurant is now a successful franchise company with nine stores across Germany.