"For start-up founders, the belief that a single impressive feature can carry the entire venture may persist"
**Radkurier24 Founder's Daily Routine: Balancing Fairness, Sustainability, and Technology**
Martin Hawel, the founder of Radkurier24, a fair urban courier logistics provider based in Munich, has a daily routine that blends strategic leadership, hands-on engagement in daily operations, and a focus on community impact.
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**Morning (6:00 AM – 8:00 AM)**
*Personal preparation:* Exercise or meditation to maintain physical and mental health. *Market scan and news update:* Reviewing news related to urban logistics, sustainability, and local regulations. *Check key metrics and operations dashboard:* Look at real-time delivery stats, courier availability, customer feedback, and any critical alerts or issues.
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**Morning (8:00 AM – 11:00 AM)**
*Team stand-ups and coordination:* Virtual or in-person meetings with operations, fleet management, and technology teams to align on the day’s priorities. *Courier engagement:* Touch base with courier teams or representatives to discuss their needs, motivation, and any ongoing challenges. *Product/Service iteration:* Collaborate with tech/product teams to review app updates, route optimization algorithms, or new features that improve efficiency and fairness.
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**Midday (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM)**
*Customer and partner calls:* Connect with key clients, local businesses, or municipality representatives to maintain relationships and explore partnerships promoting urban sustainability. *Strategic planning:* Work on growth strategies, market expansion, or new service offerings that align with the company’s mission of fairness and urban impact. *Lunch (often with team or industry contacts) to foster relationships.*
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**Afternoon (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)**
*Problem-solving and escalation:* Address bottlenecks in deliveries, technology failures, or courier feedback. *Marketing and PR:* Oversee campaigns or outreach efforts promoting the company’s values: environmental benefits, fair treatment of couriers, and urban convenience. *Financial review:* Monitor cash flow, budgets, and funding needs to ensure sustainable growth.
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**Late Afternoon (4:00 PM – 6:00 PM)**
*Innovation and learning:* Dedicate time to exploring new sustainable logistics technologies (e.g., electric bike fleets, AI for route planning). *Team development:* Coaching and mentoring leadership team or key personnel to build a strong culture around fair work practices and urban mobility solutions. *Review of next day’s agenda and priorities.*
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**Evening (6:00 PM onward)**
*Networking events or community engagement:* Attend local urban mobility forums, sustainability meetups, or courier associations. *Personal downtime and reflection:* Rest and recharge for tomorrow.
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**Key Focus Areas for a Founder Like Martin Hawel**
*Fair treatment:* Ensuring couriers have transparent pay structures, good working conditions, and a voice in company policies. *Urban sustainability:* Leveraging environmentally friendly delivery modes (bikes, e-cargo bikes) and minimizing urban congestion. *Technology-driven efficiency:* Continuous improvement of delivery routes, order management systems, and customer experience. *Community and partnership building:* Engaging municipalities, clients, and local businesses in the mission. *Employee and courier well-being:* Leadership actively listens and adapts policies to maintain morale and fairness.
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Hawel learned that quality needs planning and now relies on automated tests, a clear CI/CD system, and agile sprints with clear goals. He hires people who can work independently, are curious, and fit the company culture, rather than focusing on careers or certificates. Hawel finds the best employees through recommendations from the developer community or directly from the courier industry.
Radkurier24's software is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Internal tech know-how is crucial to maintaining control over a startup's technology. Feedback from users is more valuable than business theory. Hawel tries to unwind in the evenings through sports or conversations unrelated to logistics or code.
The startup's software, developed in-house, is tailored to the courier's daily life, making it unique. Many market-standard solutions couldn't meet their requirements, so they developed their entire platform themselves. The biggest hurdle for Radkurier24 was making their system fully automated and reliable without constant intervention.
In critical moments, good preparation, clear processes, and trust in each other are essential. A severe error occurred during a big release in the Christmas season, but the team reacted immediately, fixed the bug, and prevented any downtime or customer loss.
Honesty, collaboration, humor, mutual respect, and a sense of doing something meaningful are key to maintaining a good team atmosphere. The software developed by Radkurier24 is fully automated, freeing the team to focus on strategic development and quality assurance.
1.Given Martin Hawel's focus on technology-driven efficiency and the integration of new sustainable logistics technologies, he considers innovation and learning about electric bike fleets, AI for route planning, and other advancements in the field during the late afternoon.
- To ensure financial sustainability and growth for Radkurier24, Hawel dedicates time in the afternoon to monitor cash flow, budgets, and funding needs, while also reviewing various financial reports and forecasts.
