Trainer portraits

“Training companies have a good reputation”: trainer Sudhir Lund

Trendy fashion is Elara's business model. "Business with current fashion is fast. We have a time advantage over many large chain stores because we source a lot of our goods from Italy," says Managing Director Sudhir Lund, explaining the concept. His brother Krishan opened the first store in 2006; there are now nine Elara branches in Hamburg and one in Lübeck. However, the brothers aren't just focusing on presence in shopping centers and stores. "Online sales account for around 30 percent of our business," says Lund. Almost 40 full-time and part-time employees work at the individual locations, and around ten handle the online business.

The textile retailer has been a training company for ten years. More than 40 female apprentices have learned the fashion business at Elara. Most trained as sales assistants, some added a third year of training and completed the retail management exam. Lund: "I've trained about a dozen apprentices myself now. There are three other trainers in the company." He doesn't hide the fact that training young people is time-consuming: "You have to spend time with them, for example, taking care of their report books."

For the married father of a five-year-old child, training is also a question of image, as companies that provide training have a good reputation. "Above all, we need additional staff; we would like to recruit qualified people who will also work for us after their training," the entrepreneur explains his commitment. He has just convinced an employee who previously worked at a branch to begin an apprenticeship with him.

"Generally, I prefer someone who doesn't speak German as well, but is always punctual and genuinely committed to the training," says Lund, who enjoys sports in his free time. The contact with ASM came about because an employee of the KAUSA Service Center Hamburg project visited an Elara branch. "Mr. Wafa and Mr. Makas are very active on our behalf, helping with contractual matters and recommending young people for training," says Lund about the collaboration. At the company, he is responsible for purchasing and the online business, while his brother is responsible for finance and accounting.

After graduating from high school, Lund initially trained as a car mechanic and then trained as a driving instructor. He worked as a driving instructor for a year before his brother persuaded him to switch to a new industry. "I've never regretted it," the entrepreneur sums up.

“Young people liven up the company”: trainer Özlem Geyik

"The lights never go out here," says Özlem Geyik about the busy Star gas station on the border with Schenefeld. Completely modernized in 2019, the station is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Hasan Geyik, her husband, is the leaseholder of this and two other branches. He came to Germany from Turkey in 1998 as part of their marriage. The couple employs 40 full-time and part-time employees, aged between 17 and 67, at their locations. Among them are currently five apprentices. "Two apprentices are training to be retail merchants, three are salespeople," explains the trainer.

Geyik, who immigrated from Turkey with her parents at the age of five, began a dual training program in the senior administrative service of a professional association after completing her undergraduate law studies. After completing her training, she worked for a health insurance company for four years. Then she became pregnant with her daughter Aliya, and two years later, Ela was born. In 2003, while Geyik was on parental leave, the couple had the opportunity to become gas station leaseholders—a form of self-employment they were already familiar with through relatives. The Geyiks initially took over a gas station in Langenhorn. "One year after the takeover, we began training," recalls the co-manager.

Eighty to 90 percent of her young people come from difficult backgrounds. Some come from broken families, others are refugees. "We want to give them a chance too," says Geyik. And she cites another aspect of why she continues to pursue training despite some negative experiences: "Young people invigorate the business." When the experienced entrepreneur needs advice on training or communication with the Chamber of Commerce is slow, she turns to the staff at the KAUSA Training Service Center. They also provide her with suggestions for filling her training positions.

For a few years, the Geyiks also ran a restaurant. From that time, they maintained contacts with wine merchants from the Rhineland and coffee producers from Italy. This explains why their branches also offer particularly high-quality wine and coffee. The busy businesswoman, who keeps fit at the gym and by playing table tennis in her own home in Schenefeld, says that her family enjoys life despite their busy schedule. "When I finish work at lunchtime, I have time for my family; sometimes I drive to the gas station in the evening. I enjoy my work." Nevertheless, Geyik already has clear ideas about how she wants to live in retirement: "One day, I'll live in Turkey on a small farm by the sea and raise animals."

Trainer by conviction: franchisee Jeet Mehra

Jeet Mehra's workday begins at 5 a.m. A delicious aroma wafts through the Tibarg Center in Niendorf as the 37-year-old and his employees bake and top rolls. From 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., six days a week, the goods are sold over the counter or consumed immediately at one of the tables in the back of the store. Mehra's team includes six full-time and four part-time employees, as well as two retail apprentices. The tenant of two branches of the Knaack bakery chain was certified as a trainer in January 2020.

Previously, on his only day off, Sunday, he had attended a course to prepare for the trainer's aptitude test. The married father of a boy born in April explains why he subjected himself to this stress: "My goal was to retain staff long-term." Even now, before the start of the peak season during the colder months, he is again looking for employees. They must be able to handle stress, as the center branch is busy – 6,000 Berliners were sold here at the turn of the year 2019/2020 alone.

Mehra, who came to Hamburg at the age of 14, cites two further reasons why his branch should become a training company: "I went to school in Afghanistan and later in Germany, but didn't have the opportunity to get an apprenticeship. Now I want to give young people who did poorly in school but want to achieve something a chance." He also enjoys passing on his expertise.

Mehra originally assumed he wouldn't be able to train anyone. He then heard about the KAUSA service center in Hamburg, located at ASM, from another franchisee and contacted them. KAUSA service center employee Tamim Wafa, in collaboration with the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, advised Mehra on possible apprenticeships and contract opportunities. Mehra: "The support was and still is very helpful. If I have any questions, I call ASM."

The trainer had a bitter experience with his very first apprentice: "She dropped out in her first year." It wasn't until months later that she received a call from the vocational school informing her that she had been experiencing a rash of unexcused absences. Mehra has learned from this and now maintains contact with the vocational school. "I am now immediately informed of every absence," says the franchisee.

His path to owning his own branch was unusual. "I worked my way up step by step, helping out in sales and cleaning at my relatives' bakery." When they were ready to sell the business, the franchisor surprised him by asking if he would like to take over.

Mehra, who finds relaxation in his private life by working in his garden, didn't miss this opportunity. Except for three years, during which he ran two branches of the Schweinske restaurant chain with two friends, he remained loyal to the bakery business. "The working hours in the restaurant industry didn't suit me as an early riser," Mehra summarizes.