I'm sure many of you know this scenario all too well: On birthdays, some well-wishers, usually those who are considerably older, often feel compelled, unsolicited, to shower us with (of course, always well-intentioned) words of wisdom. And since I've already orbited the sun more than INCYLENCE, I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to offer up a cleverly uttered piece of wisdom for our fifth anniversary.
All joking aside: Of course, I wouldn't presume to call my literary musings "wise." But I would at least be pleased if the story I want to tell on the occasion of INCYLENCE's small anniversary could be of some help to someone. Perhaps especially if they feel that things have suddenly taken a completely different turn than originally planned. But where best to begin?
Every new beginning is a step into the unknown | Photo: Simon Gehr
We all reflect on ourselves and life from time to time. And most of the time it's helpful not to view our own unique life as a static object that is handed to us at the beginning like a beautifully wrapped gift box and then taken away from us sooner or later.
Instead, it leads to significantly less frustration to understand life, and everything connected with it, as a continuously dynamic process. As something we can actively shape and develop ourselves. Because we constantly have the opportunity to intervene, to start completely from scratch, or even to reinvent ourselves entirely. In short: Our lives are not a finished product. We can make something of them.
If one doesn't want to waste any time at this point and immediately build a bridge to the five-year-old If we were to celebrate INCYLENCE's anniversary, the segue would be perfectly timed. Because, of course, a brand can't be static and must constantly reinvent itself, staying relevant to keep its fanbase engaged. After five years, at least this much is clear: it's worked out perfectly – happy birthday, INCYLENCE.
A special sock for a special birthday | Photo: Enzo Besson
That would allow me to end the text.
I don't want to make it quite that simple, though. Because that wouldn't do justice to the much more inspiring story about the small anniversary of our first-choice sock dealer.
Because this story is about more than just a utilitarian object that has risen to become a stylish lifestyle product and is now finding its way to an ever-growing number of consumers. It's about the people behind a project they brought to life from scratch, and who ultimately grew, developed, and yes, even reinvented themselves through it.
Perhaps for many, "reinventing oneself" and "starting over" don't sound so positive in the context of their lives. And for me, too, it long had a rather unpleasant aftertaste of failure. Isn't a new beginning just a rosy way of saying goodbye to something old, something that has become a nuisance, leaving it unfinished because you've grown tired of it? Not at all.
"And every beginning holds a magic within it," as everyone has probably heard at some point. Perhaps even from that one type of birthday well-wisher I mentioned earlier. After all, it's a quote from a truly old, dusty classic, the poem "Stufen" (Steps) by Hermann Hesse.
During my time as a German studies student, I dissected it countless times in seminars, term papers, and lectures. And of course, the resulting association of the text with exam stress or that one annoying lecturer eventually makes you lose sight of the fact that the text, analyzed and interpreted so many times, actually contains a truly beautiful message: We are constantly moving on in life. We wander from one "space" to the next and are inevitably forced to say goodbye and begin something new on a regular basis.
Constantly in motion | Photo: Marcel Hilger
My career as a literary and linguistic scholar is currently on hold anyway. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere five years ago and missed the opportunity to do an internship that would have given me a foot in the door at a research institute or at least a doctoral position at a prestigious university.
Perhaps it would be less hypocritical, though, to be bluntly honest with myself and admit: German studies simply wasn't important enough to me anymore. I had other things to which I suddenly wanted to devote more time and attention. Suddenly there was no longer room for trips to South Tyrol, armed with a dictaphone, to record dialectological varieties among ninety-year-olds in German-speaking enclaves and then phonetically dissect the snippets down to the smallest detail.
My life suddenly revolved around when and where each European Athletics Championship, training camp, or sponsor event was taking place. I could barely keep up with getting my university professors to sign leave forms to avoid failing every other course because I had nothing to shine in anymore. Except for my absence.
The calm before the storm | Photo: Marcel Hilger
Whereas I, the former model student, would have squared the circle to avoid missing any lectures and would rather have split myself in two than postpone an exam for the third time to the next semester, I realized: In a strange way, I no longer cared that this was now suddenly more the rule than the exception.
Just so there's no misunderstanding: I was still very interested in my field of study. But my priorities had shifted. Sport had quietly and subtly taken center stage in my little world. Suddenly, I defined myself through running, not through a job I'd hoped to pursue after graduation. Despite this, I felt incredibly guilty whenever my university professors repeatedly and with increasing concern inquired about the progress of my master's thesis topic, before eventually giving up in resignation. I felt like I'd failed miserably in one of my two worlds.
If one were to use the imagery Hermann Hesse employs in his poem, nothing particularly dramatic actually happened back then. And looking back, I too can say: I didn't fail, but rather gave my life a new direction and moved from one space to the next. That's perfectly fine and can even be quite exciting, since such a new "living space" and what one finds within it holds a great deal of room for surprises.
Five years ago, would I have thought that I'd end up in triathlon instead of track and field? Would I have thought that I'd soon be moving, competing for a team in Mannheim, and launching an endurance sports magazine with friends? Probably not. Looking back, pride isn't really the right word; it's more like wonder and a certain amazement at what's come of it all.
Running as a central part of life | Photo: Marcel Hilger
And here we can finally make the much more interesting connection to the five-year anniversary of Beat INCYLENCE . Because who would have seriously thought five years ago that three guys – Max, Pavel, and Alex – with a vision that started as nothing more than an idea, without a business plan or meticulously calculated financing phases, would end up where they are today: Full-time employees in their own company. With staff. And a large, loyal fan base eagerly awaiting the next collaboration (and just as happily accepting a hat collection or a pair of compression socks instead). Surprise, surprise!
“In the beginning, some people laughed at us,” Alex recalls, “and of course, we downplayed our expectations at first. We believed in our idea, no question. But we always proceeded cautiously and didn't invest huge sums of money or quit our jobs right away.”
The founding team around Alex, Pavel and Max (from left to right) | Photo: Andrea Heinsohn
Looking back today, Alex knows that while it would have been possible, it was completely beyond his imagination at the time. "We didn't define this very strategic goal of where the company should be in five years. We simply started and let the process take its course. Today..." INCYLENCE was exactly five years old and I would have expected anything but how it ultimately turned out.”
Max was ultimately the first of the three founders to give up his job to dedicate himself one hundred percent to the company. to work at INCYLENCE . Pavel and Alex followed suit shortly afterward. Both, who had been freelancers until then, accepted fewer and fewer assignments in order to focus more on their own company. "That wasn't exactly the easiest decision," admits Alex, "I had been through INCYLENCE significantly less time for my previous job as a presenter, which I thoroughly enjoyed. At some point, I couldn't do both at the same time anymore. I still occasionally take on presenting jobs, but I quickly realize that I'm reaching my limits in terms of time and energy.
Life isn't about one single task, one single calling, or one single path that will make us happy. There are so many different spaces we can enter and leave again if we no longer like a place or simply want a change of scenery.
"HIGH FIVE" to the team! | Photo: Andrea Heinsohn
“We absolutely do not want to “Letting go of INCYLENCE ,” Alex affirms, looking to the future, “but perhaps our roles within the company will change from time to time. In a few years, for example, a sabbatical would be conceivable for me. But that will take a while.” Alex sighs, but then laughs loudly. And he has good reason to, after all, the magic that began with INCYLENCE still holds true. inCYLENCE , to this day. Happy Birthday, INCYLENCE ! Here's to the next five years, and congratulations to all those who are currently brave enough to reinvent themselves. I don't want to keep you any longer, so I'll just stop here.
