Whoever says in the job or the company's own signature on the wall, will not be able to do so. At the FuckUpNights, you can make a show out of your own headphones - with a Lerneffekt for others.

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Scheitern als Chance - a romantic slogan that Patrick Wagner doesn't want to hear. Er schreibt gerade an einem Buch mit dem Arbeitstitel "Scheitern als Scheitern". "Damit will ich dem Scheitern das zurückgeben, was ihm Veranstaltungen wie diese hier genommen haben", sagt er. Denn scheitern darf man auch mal so, ohne erbaulichen Zugewinn.

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In the early nineties Wagner was a member of the Berlin Indie label Kitty-Yo and head of the band Surrogat. Today he is at the third FuckUp Night in Düsseldorf and writes his emotional story in a microphone. So it's clear that the tone is still being overshadowed.

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The concept of FuckUp Night comes from Mexico. A couple of friends told each other one afternoon about their business experiences - especially about the fehler. They were able to see how valuable and sustainable this approach was. This led to the development of the administrative area, which has reached 33 cities and ten countries.

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Photo: Corbis

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Krefelder Ben Teeuwsen brachte die Idee von einer Mexikoreise mit nach Deutschland und veranstaltete mit Yvonne Firdaus, Geschäftsführerin des Coworking-Space GarageBilk, und Business-Coach Oliver Wüntsch im April 2014 die erste FuckUp Night Deutschlands.

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Employees report on their own mistakes and misunderstandings. The motto: "If you lose, never lose the action."

In Düsseldorf, there are also free drinks for a couple of euros in addition to FuckUp vorträgen. In the first phase, the small cooker is located at the end of the room. Today, the water comes with the stove of the kitchen. More than a hundred people have heard of Wagner.

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Millionen in den Wind gehauen

"Mein Geschäftspartner und ich hatten damals in den Neunzigern keinen Businessplan, keine Anwälte, keine Verträge", erzählt er. A few years later, Kitty-Yo had 18 years of experience and a worldwide reputation. The label was a million-dollar mistake. "Aus dem Nichts", sagt der 44-Jährige, ballt die Faust und brüllt: "Geil! Die ganze Welt wollte uns." Doch die beiden wurden sich nicht einig. Wagner wanted to expand, his Geschäftspartner did not. "Ein schlauer Mensch hätte seine Anteile verkauft", meint er. Wagner ging - von seinem einstigen Erfolg blieb ihm nichts.

Later he founded with his wife the label "Louisville Records". 2010 was Schluss, the label insolvent. Four weeks later, Wagners Ehe was also at the end. Today, the Berliner is working as a musician, singer and football trainer for children.

Despite his loyal criticism, he enjoys the show. He finds the FuckUp Night "super", he says, and does not think it's for his own benefit. He formulates the core of his story as follows: "Everyone wants to see each other's faces. It's a big world. If you fail to get on the plane, it will be as quick as possible to get back on. That is the elementary basis of life. Schaut nicht zurück!"

This is exactly what the FuckUp-Conzept is all about. In addition to Wagner, the Düsseldorfer Christian Paul Stobbe also goes back to Wagner. Sein Vortragstitel: "Wir zielen nur, das Schicksal steuert." In 2006, he wanted to develop a transfer market and a social network for German amateur football fans with his friends. The name: trafema. The idea was born: "In the near future we had several players from North Rhine-Westphalia in our data bank. Sogar eine Fernsehsendung haben wir gemacht. The production costs per shipment were 150 Euro". The successes were there, and an investor was also involved. Stobbe: "Wir waren euphorisiert und nahmen den Erstbesten."

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Feiere deine FuckUps!

Dann kam die Lehman-Brothers-Pleite. "That has put us under the spotlight. Ultimately, our investor was able to put the financing in place. After we were just about half a year old, we had a healthy insolvency." Today, he is working in a senior management position at a German commercial agency. He is helping him today with what he has already learned. Sein FuckUp-Fazit: "Leere Taschen haben noch nie jemanden aufgehalten, nur leere Köpfe und leere Herzen können das."

Michael Gärtner is a craftsman in his time. After just two years, he has been a professional sex worker. 14 years later, he is a businessman. And he brings his advertisement to the table: "We are still working on the big FuckUp, but our small FuckUps are still working, too". Sein Unternehmen heißt Blitzbude und vermietet selbstgebaute, mobile Fotoautomaten. The Prototyp bastelte Gärtner in its own shop.

Inzwischen sind er und sein Team damit auf Messen wie der Gamescom oder Firmenfeiern vertreten. Not always without problems. A long-lasting entrepreneurial spirit, a falsely built machine and an investment in the future, which is often seen as a fragile source in the future - start-up companies, which are their companies in the market, but do not need to be stopped in the long run.

"Scheißt auf euer Ego," ruft er und wird am Ende pathetisch: "Wir sollten jeden Morgen so offen angehen, dass wir am Ende des Tages eine neue Person sind."

To see the full article, visit Spiegel.de