From Hookah Dealer to Billion-Dollar Exit: The Journey of About You Founder and CEO Tarek Müller – 8 Years Before the Zalando Sale

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About this episode

In 2017, Tarek Müller, co-founder and CEO of About You, was already a guest on the Unicorn Bakery Podcast. Eight years later, following the spectacular sale of About You to Zalando, it's worth revisiting that episode – it impressively demonstrates how a visionary idea can evolve into a billion-dollar company.

The Unconventional Start of an Entrepreneur

Tarek's path to becoming a successful founder was anything but straightforward. Before About You became Germany's largest fashion platform, he gained his first entrepreneurial experience in hookah trading. What might seem like an odd career start to outsiders was actually valuable training for Tarek: here he learned the fundamentals of doing business, dealing with customers, and the importance of persistence.

"Mom and Dad, I'm Dropping Out of School!"

A pivotal moment in Tarek's career was his decision to abandon the traditional educational path. Instead of following the safe route, he consciously chose the risk of entrepreneurship. This decision required not only courage but also the ability to convince his family of his plans.

This episode shows that successful founders are often willing to leave conventional paths and forge their own way – even if it means breaking established expectations.

Steps to Success: Tarek's Key Learnings

In the 2017 conversation, Tarek already shared his most important insights on the path to success:

• –Practical experience beats theory: His early business experiences, including in hookah trading, were more valuable than any theoretical education
• –Timing and market understanding: The e-commerce boom came at the right time, but About You understood how to differentiate itself from the competition
• –Team building: Success doesn't happen solo, but through having the right people at the right time

Online Marketing Insights: How About You Took Off

Already in 2017, Tarek spoke about the importance of online marketing for About You. The company focused early on:

• –Influencer marketing before it became standard
• –Personalization of the customer experience
• –Social media as the primary channel for customer acquisition
• –Data-driven decisions instead of gut feeling

These strategies weren't yet commonplace in 2017, but already showed the team's instinct for future trends.

Components for Rapid Growth

Tarek had already identified the crucial factors for About You's rapid growth:

Technology as Foundation: While other fashion retailers still relied on traditional approaches, About You built on a strong tech infrastructure from the start.

Customer Centricity: Instead of selling products, About You wanted to convey lifestyle and inspiration.

Scalable Processes: From the beginning, care was taken to ensure all operations were designed for rapid growth.

Success Routines of a Billion-Dollar Exit

Even in 2017, Tarek had already developed clear routines that contributed to his later success. These included both personal habits and business practices that enabled consistency and focus.

The Power of Simply Asking

An interesting aspect of the episode was the story of how the interview came about in the first place. Tarek encouraged simply asking and seizing opportunities – a principle that also shaped his entrepreneurial career.

Looking Back with Foresight

Eight years after this episode, the sale to Zalando represents the preliminary climax of an impressive success story. The insights from 2017 show that Tarek's success was no accident, but the result of consistent work, bold decisions, and the ability to recognize trends early.

For today's founders, this episode offers valuable lessons: success doesn't happen overnight, but with the right vision, the right team, and the willingness to take unconventional paths, even seemingly impossible goals are achievable.