A personal insight from the GLS Bank B2B Congress on regenerative entrepreneurship, new economic models and why love should not be a taboo in a B2B context.
In a business world still dominated by competition, efficiency and the lone hero mindset, this year’s B2B Congress hosted by GLS Bank offered a refreshing alternative. The focus was on cooperative entrepreneurship, on resilience, stability and yes, on love. Love for the world (or amore mundi, as Hannah Arendt described it), for the people we work with and for a way of doing business that puts human beings at the centre.
When capital does not have to be cold
Boris Voelkel, Head of Procurement at Voelkel, spoke powerfully about the opportunities of regenerative business. About collaboration not defined by price but by mutual respect. About supply chains that are more than logistics – they are relationships. And these relationships need care, with respect, transparency and accountability.
Cooperation is not a soft skill, it is a mindset
Silja Graupe from the Institute for Societal Design and Michael Schwienbacher from Symworking made it clear that future ready businesses need more than innovation cycles and profit targets. They require a willingness to see themselves as part of an entrepreneurial ecosystem – symbiotic rather than dominant.
Living cooperation across borders
These ideas are more than theory to us. They are lived experience. As part of the European Activation Agencies (EAA) we work with nine independent agencies across Europe. Our network proves every day that trust, openness and cooperative thinking are not barriers to professionalism but the basis of it.
Doing business with care is not a luxury, it is a necessity
The discussions at the GLS Congress confirmed it once again. Business needs new images, new language and new relationships. Cooperation is not about being nice. It is about entrepreneurial foresight. It makes businesses more resilient, more human and more successful, especially in uncertain times.
