Michael Bogner, Perspective | Next-Generation Founders

About this episode

Michael Bogner is a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Austria who discovered his passion for entrepreneurship at a very young age. His story impressively demonstrates how early business ideas and bold decisions can evolve into a successful software company.

Early Entrepreneurial Spirit: From Magic Tricks to Vending Machines

As a teenager, Michael already showed exceptional business acumen. With creative ideas like stapled books about magic tricks and freshly painted chewing gum vending machines, he gained his first experience as an entrepreneur. These early projects brought him considerable success: at just 18 years old, he had already saved €100,000 in his account.

The Bold Leap to Berlin – and the First Major Setback

With his saved money, Michael took the big step to Berlin together with his friend Marco. There, they founded their first startup. However, the venture initially ended with a harsh setback: they lost all their savings.

Many would have given up at this point. Not Michael and Marco. Instead, they leveraged the valuable network they had built in Berlin for a fresh start.

Perspective Digital: From Startup to Successful Agency

From the experiences of their first failed startup, the two founded the agency Perspective Digital. What started small quickly developed into an impressive success. The agency won renowned major clients including:

• –Coca Cola
• –Google
• –Mercedes Benz
• –BVG (Berlin Public Transport)

The agency flourished and could well have functioned as a long-term business model. But Michael had other plans.

The Conscious Exit: From Service to Software Product

Despite the success with prominent clients like Google, Coca Cola, and Mercedes Benz, Michael made an unusual decision: he consciously terminated all agency clients. The reason was a clear vision – the knowledge gathered from agency work should be made accessible to a broader target group through a software product.

At the beginning of 2019, the time had come: after all agency clients were informed that Perspective would no longer offer services, the team could focus entirely on software development.

Perspective Funnels: Vision Becomes Reality

From the agency experience emerged Perspective Funnels – a software solution that bundles the accumulated know-how into one product. Since then, Michael and his team have been working with full commitment to develop the best funnel software on the market.

Learnings from a Young Entrepreneur

Michael's story offers valuable insights into various aspects of entrepreneurship:

• –Dealing with Failure: The first failed startup wasn't an endpoint, but an important learning step
• –Conscious Social Media Management: As a young entrepreneur, Michael has developed a thoughtful strategy for his online presence
• –Bold Decisions: Exiting a profitable agency business in favor of a software vision requires courage and conviction
• –Network Building: The network established in Berlin was crucial for later success

Michael's journey from his first business ideas as a teenager through the failed first startup, building a successful agency, to the conscious focus on a software product shows how diverse and challenging an entrepreneur's path can be. His story demonstrates that setbacks are part of entrepreneurship and often lay the foundation for later success.