Please welcome our new Fuckup Nights Vienna team !

We're proud to introduce our latest addition to the Fuckuppers' global community: Salomé Wagner and Stephan Blahut, who will lead the Fuckup Nights Vienna community.

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Without further ado, here's our interview with both of them. We're sure you'll find their passion and knowledge is a powerful asset that will clear any doubts caused by copycats in the city of Vienna and other places around the globe.

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FuN: Stephan, how did you learn about Fuckup Nights? What was your initial reaction when you first heard the name and concept, and how did you decide to become an official organizer?

Stephan: I heard about FUN a long time ago, but I was really inspired by Salomé herself when she convinced me to sign the license, which I happily did. My first reaction to the name was “Oh, cool!”
When I learned about the concept, I was intrigued to learn more, as establishing a culture of failure is obviously key to future success.
It pretty much parallels what we’ve been doing at ÖGV, the Österreichischer Gewerbeverein (Austrian Association of Crafts and Trade), for quite some time—an association that was forged through some existential screw-ups throughout its history.

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FuN: Salomé, you were with us until 2017. Why did you step down as an organizer back then?

Salome: 

In 2016, I also started FUN Graz together with Lisa Steindl. She still runs this show with a great team of fabulous women after I left in 2019. 

After 3 years in Vienna, the moment in 2017 had come to decide, what to do with all these inspiring insights I got from the speakers. How can I bring this knowledge to the next level? 

As an independent management consultant, I accompany mostly IT entrepreneurs on their way to realize visions. They know - coming from IT - that technical or organizational hurdles are on their way, but still have no idea how to build resilience to deal with it from a personal and company perspective.
So transferring this "how-to" from the start-up scene to an established entrepreneurial environment took me those past years. Meanwhile, I see that learning from failure as company culture has found its box in the management model of the senior level.

FuN: Looking back on your first time as an organizer, can you recall any particularly memorable moments or impactful words that you or others said during the events?

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Salomé: Oh yes, it still amazes me. The president of the newly founded ÖGV Young Entrepreneurs Forum came up to me after the second “ FUN ” event at Vienna and said, “Ms. Wagner, you’re so crazy—I need you to help me build this new forum.” At ÖGV, I also met Peter Lieber. He is a passionate parallel entrepreneur, a dedicated mentor, and a three-time FUN speaker. He has always supported the FUN activities at Vienna and Graz from the very beginning. He is now the president of ÖGV, and I was elected vice president four years ago.

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FuN: Salomé, what made you come back as an organizer? Why is sharing business failures important to you, personally?

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Salomé: It’s verysimple: I’ve been asked by several people to come back, and I finally said yes. When discussing Failure Culture in public, it’s clear to me that it has to evolve within the global ecosystem of Fuckup Nights and the Failure Institute, together with my amazing Austrian colleagues Lisa Steindl from Graz, Aleksandra Nagele from Salzburg , and Bettina Wenko from Tirol. We’ll collaborate and also create synergies for our local fan base :-) 

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Personally, and first and foremost, I am terribly afraid of failing. But I have discovered that I am not the only one, and that there are things you can do about it. The goal of FUN —to share and learn from one another—has now reached a wider audience. And this is the plan moving forward.

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We at ÖGV are launching a mentorship program to support entrepreneurs who are about to take their companies to the next level. In this more defined, structured field of entrepreneurship, the “ FUN ” learning experience has its rightful place. I am also leading a campaign on Digital Humanism for Entrepreneurs. We at ÖGV are in the process of drafting our own manifesto: How should we deal with this epochal change we are facing? Vienna sees itself as the capital of Digital Humanism, and we always approach our work from an entrepreneurial perspective. 

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Secondly, I have nevertheless failed many times in my life: from my education (failing exams in college), to sports (being disqualified from my first middle-distance triathlon due to the cutoff time in T2), to some professional ventures in the startup world (the “time for shares” model as a business angel). I’ve come to terms with these “life events,” thanks in part to my personal FUN insights. It’s about resilience—how to stay focused even under the worst circumstances when everything seems lost. FUN s change the way we look at things; it allows for a multidimensional view of our ventures and their outcomes. So, thirdly: I am simply on a mission.

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FuN: Stephan, throughout your journey—both personally and professionally—what important lessons have you learned from facing failure and setbacks? Can you share any specific examples or moments that had a profound impact on your growth and development?

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Stephan: I'd say, the key is to as early as possible for you be open about it. Talk about it. My single advice is: look for someone who has sort of your experience and reach out. Of course there are times, when you do not want anyone to know, but please leave this behind and face yourself in the mirror as you are the one to see the very first signs of failure first.

One story I like to tell is about my grandfather, the proud owner of a paper mill. A few times he took me on a tour of the halls. He would greet each of his employees and talk to each one for a few minutes: what he was doing, how he was doing, including his health, how his wife and children were doing, how his parents were doing, what work was coming up.

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Since I was with him, I also had to tell each one about my "work" - my very difficult situation at the school at that time. Very embarrassing at first, but increasingly with a lot of good encouragement to do better.

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I really tried harder. I also realized that my grandfather's regular walkthroughs not only strengthened people's trust in him and the company but also kept him better informed than anyone else about potential challenges the company might face or ideas for improvement.

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He showed up and stood with his people. Maybe that's what led me to do what I like to do best and what I've been doing for longer than I've been in my job: listening, discussing, developing new ideas and projects together, initiating and supporting them... In this sense, I really look forward to every Fuckup Night: it just keeps getting better and better.

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FuN: Salomé, if there's one key lesson you've learned from your failures, what would it be?

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Salomé: Sound preparation for your ventures still remains key. And then expect the unexpected.

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FuN: If you could offer a piece of advice to people struggling with their failures, what would that advice be?

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Salomé: The nourishment you need for the journey ahead comes from within, not from outside. So allow yourself to be your own best friend—you deserve it. At any stage of the downward spiral, you have the option to stop and step back—even with outside help. So ask for it; there’s nothing wrong with that. I recommend reading the book “Aufwärtsspirale” (available only in German; one of the first German books on the culture of failure), written by Gerhard Scheucher, a multiple- FUN -speaker at Vienna and Graz. 

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FuN: A question for both of you :) If you had to describe an official Fuckup Nights event at Vienna using just one or two adjectives, what words would you choose to capture the essence of the event?

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Salome: Engaging!

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Stephan: Very inspiring!

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Thanks Salomé and Stephan for joining the Movement. We can't wait to see the videos and pictures of your first event!

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Salomé Wagner is an independent and certified management consultant with more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry. After spending 10 years in international marketing roles at large corporations, she now supports owner-led IT companies with their business development efforts. During her time as a business angel for early-stage startups, she initiated and established the international event series “Fuckup Nights ” at Vienna and Graz in Austria, hosting more than 50 events through 2019. Currently, she serves as Vice President of the Austrian Trade Organization, Österreichischer Gewerbeverein, and co-founded WomeninICT, a special interest group of VÖSI, the Austrian Organization of Software Innovations. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, biking, running (also known as triathlon), and seeks inspiration from art exhibitions and the opera. Learn more about Salomé here.

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Stephan Blahut is Secretary General of the Austrian Trade Organization, Österreichischer Gewerbeverein. He is a sort of “date doctor for entrepreneurs,” guiding them from their initial startup idea to a traditional business. He believes that curiosity, experience, mentoring, dynamism, opportunities, and “ fun ” are essential elements of a successful business relationship. Stephan is interested in discovering his clients’ “dew point.” He believes that the first dewdrop of a long-term (business) relationship emerging from the fog of the unknown is fascinating. His calling is to connect many such sparkling drops into new, powerful streams. If you’re an entrepreneur looking to discover your dew point, Stephan is the right person to help you. Learn more about Stephan here.

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