Cybergroup International

Now, you might think I’ve completely lost it… I got my very own action figure 🦸🏻♂️! [Not what you’re thinking, though…] This action figure was actually a thank-you gift. From who, you ask? → Our competitor! Wait, WHAT? 👇🏻 Here’s something I firmly believe: ✅ Your competitors aren’t your enemies! A great example: 🌟 Witty Products GmbH + Marc & Sonja! I met Marc years ago for the first time. Today, while we’re technically competitors, we help each other, collaborate on ideas, and have become friends! Here’s how I see it: ➪ If we work together, we can better understand our customers, create more innovative products, and learn from each other. ❌ OR… you could choose to battle it out. (I don’t recommend that!) That’s also why I’m part of organizations like the EAC l European Association Cooperation - to bring our industry together and grow together! Thanks Sonja and Marc for my very own action figure - love it! What do you think about this? Do you have competitor friends? 🤝

In my 30 years as CEO, I have hired 200+ people. Here 3 mistakes I’d urge applicants to STOP doing: 👇🏻 ❌ [Read this so you won’t make the same mistake!] ➊ 👎🏼 Being afraid to offer valid critique: If we reacted negatively to valid critique, we’d stagnate. We want to see that you’re curious and here to help us change and grow. ✅ Instead: Offer solutions or ideas: → Of course, don’t be rude! However, I want to see you think outside the box and prove your potential to be a “game-changer” for us. Maybe pitch a concept to improve an XYZ process ➋ 👎🏼 Believing in the “perfect” job interview: Every person is different. Every interview is different. Every hire is different. You can’t “train” to give a perfect job interview. I’ve hired people for many different reasons—an impressive resume, a great conversation, a stellar introduction—but there’s no one-size-fits-all recipe. ✅ Instead: Be yourself and focus on your strengths! → Most importantly, I need to get to know you in our conversation! If you put on an “act” and aren’t yourself, we will both lose in the long term. ➌ 👎🏼 Disregarding how the role fits within the company: Your future role and responsibilities are crucial. However, you need to know how the role fits within our larger mission and company. ✅ Instead: Educate yourself on the company’s WHY: → Do research, speak to employees (via LinkedIn), and ask the right questions about how and WHY we work, plus how your role fits in. And even though I’ve hired for 30 years… …I still learn with every hire and even make mistakes! To me, hiring is: 👉🏻 Lots of emotional intelligence! 👉🏻 A good gut feeling! And hiring is also FUN... …especially in our promotional products industry! Why? Because we get to reveal how innovative and exciting it is to work on ideas for some of the biggest brands in the world—every single day! ❤️ P.S. I’m hiring (x6)! Details in the comments 💡

No one can run 42 different companies... right? Wrong! Torsten can—I met him last week: 🔻 [This story shows: Networking is crucial!] Initially, I met Torsten in Stockholm at our EAC meeting! (Big thanks to Kjell Harbom!) Idea: Exchange entrepreneurial stories! But I immediately realized: He’s the real deal! 👀 → Across 42 brands, he knew everything! → All numbers, revenues, market shares at all locations! Then... he showed me around... ✅ Their House of Brands: Several rooms per brand! ✅ From workwear (JOBMAN & PROJOB) to fashion (James Harvest) to sportswear (Craft & Cutter & Buck) ✅ And from glass (KostaBoda) to promotional items (Toppoint) I knew: We have to get together! So, this week, we met in Mannheim with a huge group of people representing all kinds of brands! We’ve already worked with his products/brands... ...but only via our wholesalers! Let’s see what the future holds 😉... Thanks for visiting us! P.S. Some advice (for everyone): ❗ If I hadn’t taken the trip to Stockholm, this and many other connections would’ve never happened. That’s exactly why I travel many times a year and continuously try to network! I’d urge everyone to try to at least network once a week, meet new people, and expand your horizon.

No one can run 42 different companies... right? Wrong! Torsten can—I met him last week: 🔻 [This story shows: Networking is crucial!] Initially, I met Torsten in Stockholm at our EAC meeting! (Big thanks to Kjell Harbom!) Idea: Exchange entrepreneurial stories! But I immediately realized: He’s the real deal! 👀 → Across 42 brands, he knew everything! → All numbers, revenues, market shares at all locations! Then... he showed me around... ✅ Their House of Brands: Several rooms per brand! ✅ From workwear (JOBMAN & PROJOB) to fashion (James Harvest) to sportswear (Craft & Cutter & Buck) ✅ And from glass (KostaBoda) to promotional items (Toppoint) I knew: We have to get together! So, this week, we met in Mannheim with a huge group of people representing all kinds of brands! We’ve already worked with his products/brands... ...but only via our wholesalers! Let’s see what the future holds 😉... Thanks for visiting us! P.S. Some advice (for everyone): ❗ If I hadn’t taken the trip to Stockholm, this and many other connections would’ve never happened. That’s exactly why I travel many times a year and continuously try to network! I’d urge everyone to try to at least network once a week, meet new people, and expand your horizon.

Unser eigenes Museum of Promotional Articles, MoPA, ist wieder on tour 🇳🇱🎉! Erst Bonn, jetzt Houten, bald Paris! Wieso das Ganze? → Weil wir stolz auf die Werbeartikelindustrie sind! ← Denn: ✅ Werbeartikel haben eine lange Historie! → Erster Werbeartikel: 1789, George Washington-Pin! ✅ Werbeartikel sind global! → 200 Hersteller aus 12 Ländern sind in Houten! ✅ Werbeartikel sind effektiv! → 83 % der Empfänger erinnern sich an die Marke für mindestens ein Jahr. In unserem Museum zeigen wir genau dies! UND... 👇🏻 ...es wird einen Katalog geben, der alle Exponate darstellt. Außerdem kann man das Museum mit der App Musivus sogar online „betreten“! Danke an die alle Marken, die uns ihre archivierten Werbeartikel für unsere Ausstellung zur Verfügung gestellt haben. Großen Dank auch an die Expo Houten sowie unser Team vor Ort: Michael, Sarah, Steven und Hajo! P.S. Ihr habt es nicht nach 🇳🇱 geschafft...? Am 25.03.25 - 27.03.25 sind wir in Paris! 🇫🇷 P.P.S. Wir stellen ein (x6)! (Infos → Kommentare 🔻)

🎉 1 Jahr bei Cybergroup International ! 🎉 Unglaublich, wie schnell die Zeit vergeht! Vor genau einem Jahr habe ich bei Cybergroup International angefangen, und was soll ich sagen – es fühlt sich an, als wäre ich schon viel länger Teil dieser großartigen Familie. 🚀 Ein riesiges Dankeschön an dieser Stelle an meine tollen Kollegen Roman Weiss, Florian Stindl und Milena Lüttich– durch euch wurde der Einstieg super einfach, und ich habe mich von Anfang an wohl und gut aufgehoben gefühlt. 🙌 Die Einarbeitung war top, und ich konnte direkt an spannenden Aufgaben und Projekten mitarbeiten. 💪 Wir haben bereits viele interessante Projekte umgesetzt – sowohl intern als auch extern. Jedes Projekt hatte seine eigenen Herausforderungen, aber durch die tolle Teamarbeit konnten wir alles immer erfolgreich abschließen. 🏆 Auf weitere Jahre erfolgreicher Zusammenarbeit ! 🤝

30 years ago: We dreamed of big-name clients! Today: New client alert (✅ Shop online!) 👇🏻 We developed, designed, and launched... ...the Volkswagen Lifestyle Collection Shop! Moments like these still feel like a dream to me. At just 17 years old... Roman and I started our firm from our bedrooms. Sleeping little, working hard, believing in ourselves. Today we know: It was worth it! 😊 What did we do for VW within 10 weeks only? → ✅ Developed a complete new shop design → ✅ Optimized their SEO for traffic → ✅ Programmed backend & frontend → ✅ Implemented their great products Thanks to Roman and Florian, who managed this project, as well as to the team of Christine Kuhlmeyer at VW! Next Steps: The new California Lifestyle Collection (launched Friday last week)! 🎉 P.S. VW is currently at the “Caravan Salon” in Düsseldorf! It’s a great event to check out their newest projects!

Weihnachten ist noch 117 Tage entfernt! ABER... 👇🏻 ...Melina arbeitet schon im Sommer festlich 🎄! Wieso? Weihnachten = Werbeartikel-Hochsaison! Und diese braucht Vorbereitung... ❌ Nicht nur von Melina! ✅ Sondern von unserem ganzen Team (x81)! START? → Direkt nach Ostern 🐰 WIESO? → Fast jeder Kunde hat Weihnachtsaufträge mit uns. WARUM WIR UNS FREUEN? → Dies zeigt unsere Stärken... 👇🏻 Wir suchen das ganze Jahr online und offline nach Ideen. Denn jeder Auftrag und Kunde ist einzigartig. Fokus: kreativer Twist + Personalisierung. Und den Kunden, denen wir nicht für Weihnachten helfen, unterstützen wir an Black Friday oder zum Jahresende! Wir sind stolz auf unser Team! Danke an alle unsere Partner (intern & extern)! 🎅🏻 P.S. Ab wann hört ihr Weihnachtsmusik?!

11 years ago, I created my LinkedIn profile. 4 months ago, I started posting weekly. The result surprised me... 👇🏻 At first, I thought... promotional products on LinkedIn? Will people care? And let me tell you... It’s a perfect fit! (4,000 of you agree! 🎉) We got... ✅ ~210,000 impressions! ✅ ~1,400 new people who follow us! And not just numbers... also “real” successes: ✅ Every meeting I’m in, people mention our LinkedIn activity positively (We’re visible!) ✅ I connected with new potential partners like LEICA. ✅ Many applicants applied after seeing our content. That’s why 👇 I’ll continue sharing my insights weekly: How it looks behind the scenes of my daily work + our team's work at Cybergroup. My goals on LinkedIn remain the same: 🤝🏻 To meet new and exciting friends! 🚀 Get inspired by people & companies on here! 📸 Speak about the “behind the scenes” of Cybergroup! Thanks to everyone who has supported me so far! And if you don’t want to miss my insights... → Follow me here: Steven Baumgaertner P.S. The best day to start was yesterday! The second best is today!

Nach dem letzten Aufruf zur Anmeldung zum Cybergroup International BeachCup 2025 🏐 🏖 🏆 kann ich mich heute nur bei Euch allen bedanken. Wir haben das komplette Starterfeld innerhalb weniger Wochen wieder gefüllt und sind mit 32 Teams komplett ausgebucht. Wie immer haben wir unsere besten und liebsten Lieferanten bzw. Partner am Start; konnten aber auch für das kommende Jahr einige neue Teams "anlocken". Ebenso haben wir auch neue Sponsoren an Bord; auch hierzu schon vorab vielen Dank. Sollte es zu weiteren Anmeldungen noch kommen, nehmen wir selbstverständlich jedes Team auf die Warteliste und melden uns dann in 2025 wieder bei Euch für die finale Planung. Nochmals ein dickes DANKESCHÖN an alle und einen schönen Spät-Sommer. Euer Simon P.S. Wer wird der BeachCup-Sieger 2025? #CybergroupBeachCup #Beachvolleyball #Event #Ketsch #Heidelberg #Countdown #Teamwork #Sommer #FunInTheSun