Interview: Setting up his own sailing school at the age of 24: “When I do something, I do it properly”

​Timm Kruse: Laura, when you were signing the contract to buy the sailing school, was there a moment when you thought, “What on earth am I doing here?”

Laura Pukropski: If anything, there was that moment: ‘Why now, of all times?’ I’d known for a very long time what I wanted to do. What surprised me wasn’t that I was doing it, but that it hadn’t been planned at all.

The timing was also linked to the fact that your competitive sporting career suddenly began to falter. How did that come about?

In competitive sport, the way it usually works is that you secure your place on the national team through competitions for the coming year. We had met the criteria and assumed that our funding for the next season was sorted. But then we were suddenly told that we would no longer receive any funding and that support from Sporthilfe would also be withdrawn. For my sailing partner and me, this was our livelihood. Without this funding and without sponsors, competitive sport at this level is hardly feasible.

Does that mean you’ve had enough of competitive sport?

You can’t quite call it a day straight away. But at the moment, it’s simply not realistic. If the money isn’t there, you can’t keep up at the very top for long. We’ve tried to find sponsors, but it’s been very difficult. For me, it was clear: if competitive sport is no longer an option, then a big dream has been shattered. But I’ve got a second dream, and I’ll do everything I can to make that come true: my own sailing school.

Even as a teenager, you said that you wanted this sailing school to be yours one day. Where did that desire come from?

That’s just the way I am: when I do something, I do it properly. My parents aren’t sailors; I don’t come from a sailing family at all. But I started out at this sailing school and saw how people lived and worked there. I saw just how many people sailing can make happy. That’s exactly what I wanted to do too.

So how did this dream turn into a concrete plan?

I’ve been working as a sailing instructor at this sailing school during the holidays since I was 13. The school has always been a very special place for me. When the owners had to hand over and sell the marina and the sailing school a few years ago due to their age, Oliver Wallmüller and Martin Doller took over. The condition was that the school had to continue. Neither of them, however, had the capacity to do so. I saw this as an opportunity at the time, so I sat down with them and said, “I can take this on.” That’s how I gradually took on a leadership role four years ago and have taken on increasing responsibility for the business. It was agreed right from the start that I could take over this part of the business once I stopped competing at a high level and the time was right.

Buying a sailing school at the age of 24 still sounds a bit of a risky move. How did you finance it?

With a loan in my own name. It’s important for me to say this, because people are quick to assume that my parents financed it. That’s not true. My parents didn’t pay a single euro towards the purchase. They help me enormously with day-to-day life, but the purchase itself is being financed through my own loan.

How much pressure is there when you have to pay off a loan, a lease and running costs at that age?

Of course, the pressure is there. Loans, insurance, rent, day-to-day expenses: all of that has to be paid every month. So you do think twice about whether to teach another class, even though you’re actually tired. But that’s just part and parcel of being self-employed. At the end of the day, the responsibility lies with me.

You want to show that sailing isn’t elitist. Why is that so important to you?

Because I am the living proof to the contrary. My parents don’t sail, I didn’t grow up on a boat, and we’re not rich either. Nevertheless, I’ve been able to sail for many years and travel far and wide. This notion that sailing is elitist and that you have to be born into a sailing family to do it simply isn’t true. I want to open up this very door for others.

How do you actually go about doing that?

I try to offer low-budget options, especially at the start. Take the taster sailing session, for example: 90 minutes for 25 euros per person, so people can just have a go. Or the cutter sailing, where I take people on board who have no previous experience... It’s all about breaking down barriers and making sailing more accessible.

Another major issue for you is inclusion. What do you have in mind in that regard?

That’s definitely a long-term goal. In the short term, of course, the priority is simply to get through those first few years as an entrepreneur. But I can see for myself what’s possible when it comes to inclusive sailing. There are initiatives here that take people from rehabilitation clinics out onto the water – in some cases, people in wheelchairs – using specially adapted boats and the appropriate equipment. What I find so wonderful about this is that people come back from sailing and realise: “Hey, I can still do this on my own, it works, and it’s something new.” I find that incredibly powerful.

What does it take for something like that to work?

Time, training and qualified staff. You can’t just do this on the side. I haven’t yet completed my training in this field myself, but the aim is clear: to break down barriers and make sailing accessible to people who might not even have imagined they could take part until now.

How What’s it like for you, as such a young woman, to suddenly find yourself in charge?

I’ve already noticed that I’m not always taken seriously straight away. I hadn’t expected it to be quite like this. In competitive sport, you do live in a bit of a bubble. When you’re self-employed, you quickly realise how people react when a 24-year-old is an entrepreneur. People do question whether you’re capable of it. And if someone fails an exam, it’s sometimes my competence that’s called into question rather than their own preparation.

How do you deal with that?

I’m still learning that. I still take a lot of things personally, and I think I need to let go of that bit by bit. You shouldn’t put up with everything, but you still have to remain professional. It’s a process.

What do you find most difficult in your new role?

Being consistent in my dealings with others. I’m quite good at making decisions that affect me personally. But as soon as other people are involved, I find it harder to stand my ground. That’s something I still need to learn, particularly in day-to-day business life.

To what extent is your family involved in this project?

Extremely. Before I took over the sailing school, I sat down with my family and spoke openly about what I could manage on my own and where I needed support. And they all said straight away: ‘We’re in.’ My parents live an hour and a half away, yet they still come round almost every weekend. My dad helps out with the courses and repairs the boats, my mum helps with the bookkeeping and organisation, my partner helps out too, and my siblings are there whenever needed. I’m very grateful for that.

What’s your daily routine like during the season?

It’s very intense. I usually get up around six o’clock and do the bookkeeping and invoices in the morning, as I often don’t have the energy for it in the evening. Then I prepare for the day at the sailing school. The courses run from morning until afternoon, for children or adults. After that, there are often taster sailing sessions or cutter sailing sessions. In the evening, I tidy up, reply to emails, and then the day eventually comes to an end. During the season, this basically goes on seven days a week.

And in winter?

I’d like to develop further areas of focus. On the one hand, I’m planning sailing trips in the Caribbean, during which participants can earn nautical miles towards the SKS. On the other hand, I work as a speaker on topics such as team spirit, coping with defeat and the lessons I’ve learnt from competitive sport.

What have you learnt about yourself during your first few months as an entrepreneur?

That I have to be very organised. I used to be more spontaneous, but that doesn’t work anymore. Now everything has to be planned, written down and prepared, partly so that others can get involved too. I also learn something new every day from dealing with people: when negotiating prices, when someone is unfriendly, or when you realise that you shouldn’t take every bit of criticism personally straight away.

Have there ever been times when you’ve thought: ‘I thought this would be easier’?

It might not be any easier, but I can certainly tell how demanding it is, both physically and in terms of organisation. Going self-employed happened sooner than planned. I didn’t have much time to prepare and set everything up properly: administrative matters, accounts, processes. It’s all happening now alongside day-to-day operations. My biggest lesson, therefore, is this: you need structures in place and people to support you. Otherwise, you’ll reach your limits.

If someone were to come along today and fund a new competitive sport campaign for you – would you make a comeback?

I wouldn’t say no straight away, but I wouldn’t jump for joy straight away either. I now know exactly what top-level sport entails: financially, physically, in terms of family life and socially. At the moment, I’d tend to put that on the back burner, because a great deal depends on this sailing school right now and a lot of people are counting on me.

Where do we want to be in the long term?

I don’t want to limit myself to a traditional sailing or boating school. My vision is an accessible water sports centre that brings together adult and youth education – with experiential learning, team-building activities, leadership training and spaces for people to come together on the water. It shouldn’t just be about qualifications, but about a place where people can come together, learn from one another and share experiences.

So, more than just a sailing school?

Yes, much more than that. Ideally, it won’t be limited to just one location, nor will it be confined to Germany alone. But one thing is really important to me: for me, sailing is about family, community and togetherness. Under no circumstances should it become purely commercial; it should remain a family affair.

​​The interview was conducted by Timm Kruse.

You can listen to YACHT’s sailing podcast with Laura Pukropski here

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More on this topic:

• ​Interview with a 21-year-old: Her own sailing school and the dream of the Olympics
• Podcast episode: How Laura Pukropski became the head of a sailing school at the age of 24