BuddyStar is Innovation Champion: The Sales Trailer Pioneer

Companies that adapt to the constant changes in the dynamic world and offer innovative products provide enormous added value for customers. In this context, the startup BuddyStar has proven to be a true frontrunner and has been named Innovation Champion by FOCUS-Business.

Innovation Champion BuddyStar

In 2017, BuddyStar started with only two employees and the motto “We get your business rolling”. The vision was to develop sales trailers and food trailers that meet everyone’s needs: solid basic equipment, an attractive appearance, an attractive price and excellent quality. In the meantime, the company has grown strongly into a large and Europe-wide team. As one of the leading suppliers of sales trailers and food trailers made in Germany, the Freiburg-based company is therefore particularly proud to bear the “Innovation Champion” seal.

As part of the award, BuddyStar was interviewed by FOCUS as an innovation champion. To give you a deeper insight into BuddyStar, we have summarised the FOCUS Business interview with BuddyStar’s marketing director, Benjamin Winterhalter:

What particularly distinguishes BuddyStar and its products and services in terms of innovation?

Our company is first and foremost characterised by its relentless dedication to innovation. This spirit of innovation permeates all aspects of our corporate culture, from our highly innovative products to our efficient organisational structure and focused approach to marketing and sales. We see innovation as a critical pillar of our corporate DNA and vision. We continuously challenge our own processes and look for improvements to ensure we keep our finger on the pulse.

How do employees live innovation in their own professional lives at BuddyStar?

Innovation is not only a corporate philosophy, but also a lived reality in our team. Our employees bear a great deal of responsibility and enjoy our unlimited trust, which creates the ideal basis for the emergence of new ideas and innovations. Thanks to flat hierarchies, we can make decisions quickly and apply the “try & error” principle, which is particularly important in our trend-oriented market environment. Regular interdisciplinary exchange is also an essential part of our innovation culture. In addition, we have found that the best ideas often come from outside the workplace. Many of our team members have a proactive 360-degree view and bring in fresh trends and ideas from other industries and walks of life. We also rely on clever systems and automation to make our employees’ daily work life easier.

What were the biggest challenges BuddyStar faced when entering the market?

This has undoubtedly been an instructive period for our company, showing us how important it is to be resilient and adaptable in times of unpredictable circumstances.

What is BuddyStar’s vision for the next 5 years?

Our goal for the next five years is to become the leading provider of sales trailers throughout Europe. We have already established a strong presence in German-speaking countries and successfully acquired over 1500 customers. We aim to build on this over the next few years and enter new markets in Europe, while expanding our product offering and further optimising our customer service. We are firmly convinced that our innovative strength and commitment will enable us to achieve this goal and consolidate our position as market leader.

Background to the survey: What is a FOCUS Innovation Champion?

Every year, FOCUS-Business presents companies with outstanding innovative capacity as part of the FOCUS Innovation Champions survey. These companies are characterised by their ability to turn new ideas into products and services. The FOCUS-Business award therefore shows which companies are particularly innovative and adapt to changing needs, which is an important decision factor for customers.

How does a company become a FOCUS Innovation Champion?

Every company based in Germany with at least 5 employees and a focus on innovation can become an Innovation Champion. The evaluation is based on semantic web analysis, online surveys, publicly available information on innovation and an elaborate analysis process. The following five dimensions are evaluated as part of the award:

1. Strategy and innovation culture
2. Products and services
3. Processes
4. Business model
5. Organisation

This comprehensive view of the company results in a holistic assessment of its innovative strength.

The result

For a company to become an Innovation Champion, it must have at least 5 out of 15 achievable points across all five dimensions. The scores are added up for each company. This year, 232 companies from 18 different industries are Innovation Champions, considered to be particularly innovative and progressive. BuddyStar is proud to be one of them.

“Innovation and creativity are the driving forces behind BuddyStar. With us, every idea is valued and encouraged, because we firmly believe that innovation is the key to excellence. Our team is made up of passionate and talented people – this is how we manage together to provide our clients with the best solutions in a dynamic world. Out of this drive, we are particularly proud to officially call ourselves Innovation Champions,” Managing Director Wolfgang Walk.