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Early on:
entrepreneur
Patrick Scherzinger
Photo:
Julian Prause
He used to come home from school at 3 p.m.
A short "hello" to the parents - then up the stairs to his room.
Boot up the computer, log in - and gamble online with friends.
He enjoyed it, day after day.
But eventually he got bored.
"The virtual world was no longer enough for me - I wanted to win in real life, learn something new," says
Patrick Scherzinger
(17) today.
At that time, at the age of 13, he felt underchallenged.
The subject matter at school wasn't enough for him, he got very good grades anyway.
He decided to give his life a 180 degree turn.
He still spent his afternoons in front of the computer.
But no longer to play computer games - but to further educate yourself.
He learned how to build and design websites by watching YouTube videos.
This laid the foundation for an extraordinary career.
It's the story of a young high-flyer who, instead of playing with friends, chose to become an entrepreneur.
Today he owns several GmbHs, although he is still not of legal age.
What drives someone like that?
And what does it mean to live the life of an adult every day?
It's been four years since Patrick Scherzinger got his first order, at the age of 13. Friends of his parents had bought a winery and wanted to market the bottles via an online shop.
Shortly thereafter, he began working part-time jobs for a now-defunct media agency, doing Instagram advertising and designing the company's website.
"That motivated me - I wanted to be an entrepreneur myself," says the teenager.
His parents were initially skeptical.
You know all too well the challenges that self-employment entails: mother
Marion Scherzinger
is a self-employed credit analyst, father
Frank Scherzinger
(58) a management consultant.
On the condition that his school grades did not deteriorate, they gave him the consent form that their son needed before the family court.
A minor can only set up a company in Germany with a special permit.
After three months of court proceedings, the then 15-year-old was allowed to get started.
One company after another
At the end of 2020, Patrick Scherzinger founded the media agency Media42 to continue what he had previously learned: programming websites.
But even that wasn't enough for him.
So a year later he set up Scherzinger Holding GmbH.
It should hold shares in other companies and invest in shares.
"Like a little piggy bank," he says.
According to his own statements, he took the 25,000 euros that he needed to found the GmbH from the profits from the sole proprietorship.
He went to court again to set up the GmbH.
In order to be a shareholder, a further authorization is required for minors.
Patrick Scherzinger is officially not allowed to be the managing director.
His father takes over the position – without receiving any money for it.
"Operationally, however, he has little to do with the GmbH," says Scherzinger junior.
The father does not take on more than taxes, bookkeeping and the like.
He himself has "completely free hand".
And profits solely from the income.
In March of this year, Scherzinger Consulting GmbH was added, which absorbed the business of his media agency Media42.
With this company, the teenager continues to create websites and advise other companies.
Of course he could have handled everything through one company, but he didn't want to.
"By setting up different limited liability companies, I can spread the liability risks – and I always need new challenges," he says.
Said and done.
In April he founded All Electric GmbH, which sells e-scooters, e-bikes and accessories.
He had already helped market accessories for a company called CzokIndustries UG, gained initial experience and earned a commission.
So why not jump in yourself?
Converting an idea into a business – Scherzinger feels that it has arrived in the midst of entrepreneurship.
He has proven that minors are also capable of founding a company.
"I can be a little proud of myself," he says.
But he hasn't reached his goal yet: he wants to expand further, have more customers, sell more products - and more companies.
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Benefit from the hype
: Better GmbH markets picture frames
His most recent foundation followed in May together with his former classmate
Max Kutschera
(20).
With Better GmbH, you market physical picture frames for NFTs, i.e. for blockchain-based digital crypto art.
In a first round of funding, your business was valued at EUR 500,000 and received an investment of EUR 50,000.
One minor, five foundations.
is that alright
Well, he couldn't keep the promise he made to his parents about his consistently good school grades for long.
His grade point average dropped significantly.
"I should have set clear working hours," he says today.
According to his own statements, he already checked his e-mails before school, at school his thoughts were on his company and after school there was no time to study.
He only cared about his business.
His parents took his computer away from him several times so that he could study again.
"That was important," admits the minor.
And it helped: the grades got better.
At the age of 16 he graduated from high school with a very good result.
Scherzinger also had to make many compromises in other respects.
Unlike other young people, he hardly has any free time.
"Especially in the start-up phase, social contacts have to be shut down," he says.
Although he has contact with many other entrepreneurs, apart from his 20-year-old business partner Kutschera, most of them are twice his age and older.
Sometimes he feels overwhelmed, says Scherzinger.
He sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night because he can think of tasks that he still has to take care of.
And he often lacks patience.
"Sometimes things don't go fast enough for me," he says.
Then the parents pull the handbrake.
His biggest concern is that he will be ridiculed in the business world because of his age.
Although he won the special permit for his GmbH in court, he is not even allowed to market his products on Ebay.
Although he sent the sales portal the judicial approval, he was blocked anyway.
"That was my most desperate moment - I was just not taken seriously."
Nevertheless, Patrick Scherzinger does not want to lead another life.
It makes him proud to achieve something.
Against all odds.
And so far all companies are profitable.
He'll be 18 in November - then he'll finally have all the freedom to do more.
In addition, he is now studying Business Administration on the side – of course as the youngest student at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.