I was born in 1970 in Heidelberg, Germany. I’ve lived most of my life in Schriesheim, a little wine-town close to Heidelberg, with a population of about eleven thousand souls (is your left clicking finger already getting nervous to leave this page?).
I was just two years old when my mom had a horrible car accident. Although she eventually made a full recovery, the rehabilitation was very intensive and took most of her time. So I was raised by my wonderful grandmother, from whom I received all the love and care I needed. During this phase my family proved how functional and strong it is by holding together even at the most difficult of times.
Apart from my mother I think the strongest of us all at that time was my father who almost overnight found himself without his wife and his love, a little kid (me), and a new baby to care for (my brother, who was born while my mom was in coma). Add to this the responsibilities of his own business, a butcher shop, which he had taken over from his parents just prior to this unfortunate event. As I get older, my respect for his ability to survive this phase of his life with both his sanity and his family intact continues to grow. Through it all, he remained a strong head of the family, guiding us through the difficulties in a very sovereign way.
Racing
I spent all my youth on motor racing tracks with go-karts. I soon came to compete on a high level throughout Germany and all over Europe. After a few years of practice, I started racing Karts when I was thirteen, and quickly made my way up to the top ranks of the German ADAC Youth Kart Racing League. Following that, I competed on an even more professional level in Karting against guys like Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger before I moved up again for a two year adventure into single seater car racing (the guys with the open top and open wheels).
Racing made a huge difference in my life and thought me many hard learned lessons. Ultimately, it was (and to an extent, still is) a great passion to share with some very special friends. I think I truly can say that racing was my first love.
(By the way, I really wonder why your nervous finger hasn't clicked the back button yet.)
Professionally
It so happened that my racing career ended almost at the same time as I finished school. The reason it ended was mainly the massive amount of money you need to support a motor racing career which I simply had not available at the time. Neither did I have any contacts to people who might have had that money and been willing to sponsor me. I always wanted to do my own thing and was sick of being dependent on other people, such as generous sponsors. So, I boldly (and very naively) started my own business.
I started off in 1991 with a friend from the days of racing, assembling and selling computers. At the time, the computer retailing landscape wasn't the same as it is today. With almost no clue at the beginning, I figured out quickly that neither the business model nor my friend had the potential to grow into a really successful operation. So I decided to buy out the friend and to change the business model to a more service-oriented approach which, along with several adventures into the world of print and point of sale marketing prior to this initiative, eventually ended in the foundation of X-VISION, a technical marketing services company. With the rise of the internet on a broad basis, this company focused more and more on online based business -models and -processes. For marketing reasons, and due to naming conflicts in international business activities, xvision.net finally became Plainpeak in 2001. So far we’ve done exciting projects such as the development of a three-dimensional eye surgery visualisation software, corporate websites for large corporations like DaimlerChrysler, online business platforms for several other large scale companies, but also a complete online business systems for the home order restaurant around the corner.
The most important outcome out of all these activities was the tremendous insight I had from all those client operations: learning what works in the reality of marketing, business development and process design and what doesn't, and how our practices applied to different markets and corporate cultures. The driving force has always been (and still is) to be able to refine my own skills and intuitive approaches to keep pace with the rapidly-changing business world, to the advantage of my clients, my friends, and myself.
But there are other important things in my life other than my profession. Although my recent efforts in personal development make me believe that people should be defined by who they truly are, and not only by what they do, I want to tell you a little more of what interests me.
Personal Interests
I like to play Squash, and have been involved in this sport on and off since I was eleven. To me, squash is an exciting sport which combines a high demand for tactical skills, overview, coordination, endurance, flexibility, strength and speed. I personally like the old anonymous quote that says 'Squash is like playing chess at the speed of 100 miles an hour'. Sadly, fewer and fewer people want to go through the effort and agony to learn this sport properly, and opt for an easier to learn - trend sport - activity. Guys, Squash is such a wonderful game! Come on give it a try and give it some time to grow on you.
I also like to mountain- and road-cycle. I started biking in my early twenties and have done some nice tours since then, crossing the European Alps several times and doing trips over 1000 kilometers (xxx miles) in four days. I just love the combination of a perfect cycling technique together with the application of physical fitness, modern bicycle technology, and last but not least the mental stimulation I get from a long and demanding tour.
Personal Fitness
For a while, though, physical activity became less of a priority for me. Soon enough, the ramifications of aging sneaked in on different parts of my body. It became clear to me that at certain point in life almost anybody is faced with this ultimate question: Fitness or Fatness? My answer to this question has recently led me back to biking, squash and a more balanced lifestyle.
More Recent
During winter I love to snowboard - after 10 years of (relatively bad) skiing I decided to take on the challenge of learning how to snowboard. I did 5 trips that season compared to only one ski trip the previous year, and never got back on skis again. I also learned how to deep powder snowboard. A friend dragged me to go heli-skiing /- boarding in Canada the following season with only 16 days of practice instead of the recommended 200. Heli-skiing / -boarding is the ultimate alpine skiing / boarding experience although It is a bit pricy, for me it was worth it every single dollar. My first trip to Canada coincidently also changed my life in other areas, which I'll share with you in a future personal "life between the worlds" story.
My enthusiasm for snowboarding drives me to occasionally teach other people how to snowboard. I usually have them snowboarding properly in three days - almost everybody can do it with enough dedication and endurance. The only hard part is to get through those first three days...
My recent exciting business ventures happen to take place in North America, and include quite a bit of traveling.
Relax & Succeed,
Peter
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