3 Learnings as WERA Capital CEO out of our Analysis 2026
After the 2025/26 financial year, WERA Capital founder Stefan Neuss shares three lessons: media first, a new role for managing directors and global setups.
"Go big or go broke." That is how Stefan Neuss, founder of WERA Capital Partners, sums up his review of the firm's financial year, which ended on 31 May 2026. He draws three lessons for business owners.
Lesson one: every business becomes a media company
Until recently, companies created products and services and then sold them. In 2026, Neuss says, successful businesses are built as media companies that also sell products and services. Media comes first, sales follow. Owners who do not engage with online marketing, either themselves or through specialists, risk losing their business sooner or later.
Lesson two: the managing director's role has changed
The first priority of a managing director today is marketing and sales. The second is building structures and AI automations and supervising them. The owner should be the face of the brand, especially in high-value sales, because clients want to deal with real people, not AI-generated images or videos. Delegating all of this entirely to a marketing department, Neuss warns, is a serious mistake.
Lesson three: from local to global
The third lesson concerns politics, which Neuss sees as increasingly unpredictable in many countries. For owners worth seven, eight or nine figures, he recommends an independent setup on every continent: residence permits, property, companies with bank accounts and separate websites. "Local setups are for six-figure businesses," he says. "Global setups are for seven, eight and nine-figure businesses."
The conclusion
Build media, lead marketing and sales personally, automate, and think globally. WERA Capital Partners helps owners put these lessons into practice.