){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
29 Apr 2026
Keep it simple to sustain profitable growth Flaconi insists
Profitable growth depends on keeping things simple and maintaining a winning mindset, Flaconi Chief Executive Bastian Siebers told delegates at the World Retail Congress in Berlin on Wednesday.
Speaking during a panel on how chief executives and founders can scale businesses successfully, Siebers said growth should be focused on profitability rather than expansion at any cost.
“Growth means for us earning more money and having the cash to do the right things in a bigger way,” he said. “We are looking for profitable growth.”
Siebers revealed that the German online beauty retailer is preparing to expand into seven new markets this year, including the UK, Ireland, Norway and Spain, as it looks to accelerate its international growth strategy.
“Our main target is to be profitable in six months in every country - this is our playbook,” he said.
Founded in 2011, Flaconi has grown into one of Germany’s largest online beauty retailers, selling skincare, fragrance and cosmetics products across Europe. Siebers said avoiding unnecessary complexity is central to the strategy.
“We are coming with a winning mentality,” he said. “It’s about having the right team and right mindset. Be as simple as possible. We say ‘simple and scale or fancy and fail.’”
The panel, moderated by Angela Farrugia, founder and chief executive of Brand x Society, also explored the role of instinct in entrepreneurship.
“Most founders are optimistically delusional,” said Nadine Merabi, Founder and Creative Director of Nadine Merabi. “But you have to have that," she said. "As a founder you can go a bit rogue sometimes. I built the business on my instinct and on my gut.”
The speakers also discussed the challenges of scaling sustainably, with Merabi saying founders must learn when to step back.
“It’s really important that you’re able to release control and you can hire people better than you,” she said.
Speaking during a panel on how chief executives and founders can scale businesses successfully, Siebers said growth should be focused on profitability rather than expansion at any cost.
“Growth means for us earning more money and having the cash to do the right things in a bigger way,” he said. “We are looking for profitable growth.”
Siebers revealed that the German online beauty retailer is preparing to expand into seven new markets this year, including the UK, Ireland, Norway and Spain, as it looks to accelerate its international growth strategy.
“Our main target is to be profitable in six months in every country - this is our playbook,” he said.
Founded in 2011, Flaconi has grown into one of Germany’s largest online beauty retailers, selling skincare, fragrance and cosmetics products across Europe. Siebers said avoiding unnecessary complexity is central to the strategy.
“We are coming with a winning mentality,” he said. “It’s about having the right team and right mindset. Be as simple as possible. We say ‘simple and scale or fancy and fail.’”
The panel, moderated by Angela Farrugia, founder and chief executive of Brand x Society, also explored the role of instinct in entrepreneurship.
“Most founders are optimistically delusional,” said Nadine Merabi, Founder and Creative Director of Nadine Merabi. “But you have to have that," she said. "As a founder you can go a bit rogue sometimes. I built the business on my instinct and on my gut.”
The speakers also discussed the challenges of scaling sustainably, with Merabi saying founders must learn when to step back.
“It’s really important that you’re able to release control and you can hire people better than you,” she said.