E86 | What Australia could learn from the Mittelstand (Summer Series)

The Evolution Partners · Jan 25, 2026 · 41m

Germany’s Mittelstand is the quiet engine of its economy, and Australian mid-market leaders can learn a lot from it. In this last of the summer series Andres Zylberberg, Richard Peake and I examine how these often family-owned firms dominate narrow global niches by focusing on being the best in the world at one thing. They think in decades, not quarters, and build deep capability through apprenticeships and long-term people development. They also grow patiently, prioritising financial discipline over fast expansion and debt-driven scale. Many well-known German brands (like Miele, Stihl…