🛵 Scaling to $50M in revenue over 18 years with Timo Buetefisch (Cooltra)
Hi there,
I’m excited to share the latest episode of "The Only Thing That Matters", where I dive deep with Timo Buetefisch, co-founder and CEO of Cooltra.
Timo has been leading Cooltra for 18 years, growing it from a handful of mopeds in a garage to a powerhouse with over 28,000 electric scooters, 550 employees, and operations in 9 countries.
Cooltra generated over €60M in revenue last year and is now the largest electric moped-sharing company in Europe.
In this episode, we cover everything from the challenges of scaling an international business to the personal sacrifices involved in the entrepreneurial journey.
You’ll hear first-hand insights about navigating cash flow, managing investors, and the importance of building complementary teams.
👉 Listen to the full episode here.
In case you’re curious, here are some key insights from my conversation with Timo:
1. On building complementary teams:
"What you're not good at, find complementary people. If you're not so good with numbers, get someone who is. If you're less creative, find someone who is. You can't do it all yourself, so surround yourself with people who compensate for your weaknesses."
2. On managing cash flow:
"The most important thing is that you don’t run out of cash because people don’t run out of business because they do losses, it’s more because they run out of cash. Managing cash is so key."
3. On personal sacrifices:
"I went through a divorce, and it was a hard price to pay. It wasn’t the only reason, but I was working like hell. It’s important to keep other pillars alive—health, relationships, and personal well-being—because the business will always demand more."
4. On forecasting and the danger of trusting spreadsheets:
"You overestimate the revenue potential because you take it more like an Excel exercise at the beginning. You build your forecast, but reality doesn’t go that way, and costs usually end up higher. It’s easy to think you have 18 months of runway when it's actually only 11."
Whether you're building your own startup or simply curious about the story behind Europe's largest electric moped fleet, this episode is packed with insights and hard-won lessons.
👉 Listen to the full episode here.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode and what resonated with you. Feel free to reply to this email or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Cheers,
Ariel