»Silence is the best compliment I could archieve«

Mr. Lahmer, what made you become an entrepreneur?

I've wanted to become an entrepreneur since I was 16. It was probably a desire for money and significance. However, the real turning point for me was a night in September 2010. UPS Flight 6, a Boeing 747 freighter, caught fire en route from Dubai. Lithium batteries in the cargo hold played a central role. First Officer Matthew Bell continued to fly through thick smoke, barely able to see his instruments, and steered the burning aircraft away from populated areas. He and his captain, Doug Lampe, died that night. We now know that this disaster could have been prevented if the rules had been followed.

That story has stayed with me. I realised that every regulation has a reason behind it, and that this reason is often a tragedy. In 2020, I founded IAGO because I wanted to ensure that companies never become part of a similar story.

Compliance doesn't exactly sound like an entrepreneur's dream. Why did you choose this field of expertise?

Most people see compliance as nothing but paperwork that slows business down. I see it as the foundation on which every successful company is built. One wrong classification, one problematic legal document or one untrained employee can cost a company millions, its reputation, or even human lives in the worst-case scenario. Managers can also be held liable personally. I protect entrepreneurs, managers and staff from exactly that: risks they didn't even know existed, allowing them to focus on their business purpose.

What do business owners underestimate most?

The fact that responsibility can't be delegated. Many managers believe that compliance is someone else's responsibility: the warehouse, the freight forwarder, or an employee who once attended a course. But when something goes wrong, it's not the warehouse that gets investigated. The investigation leads straight to the CEO's door. My job is to ensure that the knock never comes, and that my clients' risks are handled before they become a threat. I don’t see my company as a law firm. We are an alternative legal service provider. A lawyer usually arrives after the damage has been done. We come before it happens. We don't produce reports that end up gathering dust in a drawer.

You wrote more than ten books before your 30th birthday. Are you a workaholic?

I'm someone who can't stand still. As well as writing books in my area of expertise, I have also written books about entrepreneurship and finance, because I want to share the expertise and experience I have gained over the years. Writing forces you to understand a subject completely. If I can help someone to understand a topic that used to frighten them, it makes all the effort worthwhile.

What motivates you on the days when things get tough?

The knowledge that my work goes unnoticed when it succeeds. When compliance works, nothing happens. There's no fire, no recall, no headline. That silence is the best compliment I could receive.

What advice would you give to other founders?

Don't be an idiot! Don't bend the law, but don't treat the rules as your enemy. Every annoying regulation exists because someone, somewhere, paid the price for ignoring it. Be honest with yourself. If someone can do things better than you, hire them. Don't try to look competent in every field and don't be afraid to ask for help. Lastly, never underestimate the power of luck. If you work hard, luck may come your way, but never take it for granted. It can leave you as quickly as it hit you.