Sweeping Halls in Student Internships and Consulting: The Path to Becoming a Successor Entrepreneur

viaductus Podcast Starting as a Successor after Consulting

Alexander’s Path to Becoming a Successor Entrepreneur

In this podcast episode, Alexander Rast shares how two completely different worlds shaped him:
Sweeping the factory floor during a student internship in the family business – and later restructuring consulting at large corporations. Today, he is searching for a company in the technical sector to take over as a successor himself. And he is doing so deliberately without a Search Fund to maintain maximum entrepreneurial freedom.

🧹 A Defining Experience: Responsibility Starts on the Factory Floor

Alexander completed an internship at a relative’s company while still in school.
One scene remains vividly etched in his memory:

I had to sweep the factory floor – and that’s when I understood: as an owner, you are responsible for everything. Every task counts.

This understanding of operational responsibility has stayed with him ever since. For aspiring successors, it is a valuable reminder: entrepreneurship doesn’t start in the boardroom but often on the shop floor.

💼 From Consultant to Entrepreneur: Restructuring as a School of Thought

After his studies, Alexander entered management consulting with a focus on restructuring.
There he learned to:

quickly analyze business models
identify operational weaknesses
make tough decisions
facilitate change processes

These are essential skills for future successors – especially in technical fields where optimization and digitalization potential is often significant.

If you want to dive deeper into business analysis, check out these resources:

🛠️ Goal: Taking Over a Technical Company

Today, Alexander is looking for a company in a technical segment. He brings:

hands-on operational experience
consulting and restructuring expertise
clear ideas about his role as an entrepreneur

He wants to take on responsibility there in a long-term, pragmatic, and hands-on manner.

If you are considering taking over a technical company yourself, this article might be helpful:

🧭 Why Alexander Is Deliberately Searching Without a Search Fund

Some first-time buyers use a Search Fund – often with investors who provide capital and support.
Alexander consciously rejects this approach:

100% entrepreneurial freedom
No pressure from external investors
Decisions made in the company’s best interest, not just for returns
Long-term orientation instead of exit-focused thinking

If you are facing this decision yourself, also read:

🔍 Key Learnings from Alexander’s Story

Real responsibility isn’t learned at university.
An internship in an SME can be formative – even for life.
Consulting is a powerful accelerator for successors.
Those who have learned to analyze and optimize processes bring valuable know-how.
Succession requires personality, not just capital.
A technical company offers great potential, especially for someone combining hands-on experience with analytical skills.
The path without a Search Fund is more demanding, but it also offers the greatest freedom.

🎧 Listen Now

📌 Additional Resources for Aspiring Successors

🧩 Conclusion

Alexander combines two worlds that at first glance seem incompatible:
Factory floor and polished consulting.

But it is precisely this combination that makes him an ideal future successor entrepreneur:

grounded
analytically strong
execution-oriented
independent thinker

His journey shows: the most successful successors are often those who learned early on that responsibility starts with the small tasks – and later shapes the big decisions.