Interview with Alexander Schönburg-Hartenstein

We sat down with Alexander Schönburg-Hartenstein to learn about his company HALALI & CO., an online specialty store for hunting supplies and accessories. We got to know more about the hunting industry in Germany in addition to a few lessons from a first time entrepreneur.

Tells us about yourself, what made you start working on HALALI & CO.?

I studied Economics in Vienna, Austria and moved to Munich after my studies to work in Product Management at Siemens. Since I was always keen on the countryside and hunting, I was always looking for hunting accessories which were not really available in Germany and mainly online in England. And so, given there are over 400,000 people holding a hunting license in Germany, I wanted to make it easier for them to find supplies. And that is why in 2010 I started HALALI & CO.!

Any tips for other budding entrepreneurs that you have learned along the way.

Two things come to mind that have stood out along the way:

• Find the right partners and/or the right people to outsource work to
• Select the right tasks to work on, there is so much to do and so it is important to prioritize as you can’t be the master of EVERY TASK! You have to give up that idea.

Why did you choose Berlin?

Berlin wasn’t necessarily a conscious choice. I had a friend who lived and worked in Berlin and told me about it and eventually convinced me to come. Berlin has a great ecosystem to meet people and network but I also imagine it would be harder to find employees in Berlin due to the competitive landscape.

How did office sharing become an option for you?

Office sharing is a great economic opportunity, to share costs. We are also a small team and so it’s good to get out of a home office and into a new environment where you interact with others. It also facilitates a greater exchange of ideas. I really enjoy removing myself from my projects and collaborating and digging into a completely new industry, it’s a great chance to leave your universe!

Interested in the Hunting Industry, check out HALALI & CO. for the right accessories.