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tally this was the week with the most or
der intake. We should not take ourselves
too seriously! Perhaps we both should go
more often…
Both of you started the business in
1995 –was this a classic garage
start-up?
HK:
It was not a garage, but a storage
room. We met each other at the Wifi (an
education and training facility of the
Austrian Chamber of Commerce). I wor
ked as coach for Windows applications
there …
AA:
... and there I was an IT supervisor
implementing the internet. It was our
plan to open an internet café. But then the
official regulations of the Austrian food
and beverage authorities were too much
You are prompting your customers
to “RELAX, WE CARE”. Do they stick
to it?
Hermann Koller:
I think so – perhaps
not from day one, but once they got to
know our company and then they rea
lized that they could rely on us . ..
Alexander Albler:
At least they ap
pear to be relaxed most of the time.
What about yourself?When last did
you relax?
AA:
Recently I went on vacation to
Asia – thiswas genuine holiday.
HK:
Well, the timing for this question
is maybe a bit awkward – I just returned
from the US, where we will soon open
our next regional office. But for me it is
enough to switch off for a couple of days.
I don’t have to disappear for threeweeks.
Who takes over the “CARING” when
you are gone?
HK:
Our employees. They have every
thing under control and are able tomana
gewithout our input.
AA:
And how! Last year we both went
on vacation at the same time. Coinciden
and too expensive. That’s why we swit
ched to network technology
Just yesterday, someone was looking
desperately in a facebook group for
an internet café in Graz…
AA:
I don’t even dare to thinkwherewe
would be today if we had followed this
path.
HK:
There is apparentlynoneed for this
any more in times of the mobile broad
band… But we did not contemplate this.
We wanted to start without huge invest
ments. Therefore, we simply sold our
know-howas a service provider
Sounds pretty easy…
AA:
Yes, it was somehow like that. Of
course,weworkeda lot, but todaythe start-
up would not be as simple as it was back
then.Todayonehas to invest a great deal of
money to set up such a business. In those
days,we didn’t even have a business plan!
HK:
And no existential fears, too. They
only came in 1998 when we employed the
first full-time employee. Then, did I only
realize, how much responsibility for this
personyouwere taking on.
interview
YES, WE CARE!
» Those who know
NTS also know
that they
can rely on us. «
Hermann Koller
Why NTS Board members Hermann
Koller and Alexander Albler would have
failed with their original business idea –
and why they should go vacation
more often at the same time.
Words by:
Michael Samec
Photos by:
NTS
/photoworkers.atName:
Hermann Koller
BIRTH DATE:
4 September 1965
DOMICILE:
Vienna
Position:
Founder and
Boardmember NTS
EDUCATION:
Dipl.-Ing. Technical
Physics at Graz Technical University,
MBA Controlling and Finance at the
Vienna University of Economics
Name:
Alexander Albler
BIRTH DATE:
8 February 1976
DOMICILE:
Graz
Position:
Founder and Board
member NTS
EDUCATION:
Executive MBA
General Management at the
University of St. Gallen, Cisco
certified internetworking expert
CCIE #11113 Emeritus, several
other CISCO certifications
„From the begin-
ning we sold
our know-how –
without a
business plan“
„NTS did not
start in a garage.
It was a storage
room.”
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