Jacqueline & Monique Schmid, Managing Director & Sales Director of Jaxmotech
Jaxmotech GmbH is the successor company of Schmid Electronics Germany (SEG) and has been established by the daughters of SEG’s company founder Rolf Schmid.
Jacqueline and Monique, both born and raised in Australia, come from an entrepreneurial family. Since childhood they received much insight into the international business world which influenced their today’s management skills and strategies. Their previous careers led them to major metropolis in the world like Melbourne, Belin, Amsterdam, Baku, Cape Town, New York and Hong Kong where they had worked and lived. All these career stages were formative times for both Managing Directors. Jackie is based in Germany, Monique in The Netherlands and both have children.
Jaxmotech with offices in Saarlouis/Germany, Berlin and Castricum near Amsterdam is a reliable and progressive trading partner, importing, distributing and servicing consumer goods from China to Europe, USA and Australia.
The company is regarded as a specialist for China products. Since the beginning, the core of the business has always been trading with White Goods, Electrical Household Appliances, Consumer Electronics, other technical Consumer Products and technical Fashion Accessories. The company develops also in collaboration with reliable manufacturers smart and innovative products that arouse consumer desires. The focus is always on appealing and stylish designs in combination with flawless product quality.
“…aim high – I always said, one day I want us to be on the cover of Time Magazine as the “Schmid Sisters…”
Monique
How did you divide the responsibilities within the company?
JS – I am Managing Director, basically a role where you are responsible for everything from trouble shooter to finance and sales director. But with my sister I also take care of purchasing, project management and everything to do with innovation and new ideas.
MS – I work more project-related and am mainly responsible for purchasing, sales and idea generation. Above all, I also take care of networking, which is very important in our business. But generally, Jackie and I run the business together.
When you remember the beginning of your professional life, did you have a fixed career goal in mind at that time?
MS – since my childhood I wanted to become a flight attendant for Lufthansa! That was more a dream than maybe a professional goal. I wanted to travel, get to know exotic countries. Flight attendants were like princesses for me! I fulfilled my dream and actually flew for 2 years.
JS – I remember that you fell through the exams there the first time… which was quite a drawback at first (laughs) but you made it. We grew up in Australia and I always wanted to work in the tourism industry, but if someone had told me that I would end up in the hotel business, I wouldn’t have thought of it. I worked in sales leadership roles in the hotel industry for many years. But originally, I was thinking more of airline or tour operator.
Have you always wanted to be in a leadership position?
MS – I did not want to have a career. I had a „feeling of freedom“ and I somehow believed that if I did have a career, I wouldn’t have the time and most of all the freedom. However, during the first few years of my professional life this changed. And I have to say that I am more of a person who wanted to work according to the principle: „learning by doing“; I don’t learn from books, and again I thought that you have to study to make a career. But I just wanted to work, to do something and I wanted to experience directly that if you do A, B happens. After the first 2 years in the job, however, I realized that for me that I wanted professional growth after all. I didn’t want to just serve, but to sit in the chair where people receive the service.
JS – yes, I always wanted to be in a leading role. Always. I had the drive to lead and I will never forget the first time I received the „Manager“ title. It was the greatest thing for me back then. But it was the role as a leader, not the money, that motivated me.
Were there any milestones or turning points in your professional life that have had a lasting effect on your path?
JS – in my early years I worked under a strict leader personality with a rather prescriptive leadership style. When I held my first position as department head, I was able to live out my own leadership style for the first time. I was solely responsible, had staff and budget responsibilities. I had the freedom to lead as I saw fit. My style was less prescriptive than I had experienced myself. But I was also unsure if this was the right way. Nevertheless, my management style is different, I was able to apply what I had learned. The 2nd milestone for me was to change the industry. I changed from the hotel business to the family business, a company that our father founded and managed for 40 years. That was not easy, and I had to learn a lot of things I had never done before.
MS -My milestones came about rather slowly. I started working for during school holidays as an office assistant from time to time. At that time the company only dealt with „brown goods“ (note: consumer electronics). Then I was assigned to develop a completely new area, the „white goods“ (note: large household electrical appliances). We started with refrigerators. I had, to say the least, no idea and had to learn everything. I visited factories to learn how refrigerators were made. And the response at that time was always just, „Monique, go for it“. Looking back, I would say that I only managed all this because I kept asking for everything I didn’t know. Always asking, never assuming. And this is what I teach my employees (and children) today – always ask and write everything down. That’s how I learned so much and became so self-confident and know today that anything is possible. We have actually managed to become at that time the number one in the market with a new product line, the White Goods. To this day I admire people who have the strength to even ask „simple“ questions. Questions where others think „you should know that“.
Did you ever experience any obstacles in your career?
MS – most recently of course Covid-19, the effects of the pandemic.
JS – generally an obstacle for me was to free myself from our father. He founded the company and I said „yes and amen“ to everything when I joined despite my rich professional experience. Looking back, I would act differently. But I first had to emancipate myself.
MS – maybe because it is the family business. You are differently emotionally bound; you want to be successful in the family.
JS – Maybe another obstacle is that we don’t know „what is said behind our back“, but sometimes we get the feeling that women are not taken quite so seriously in the industry. We get this feeling in meetings, even from large, established clients. Men clearly dominate the industry here and we had to earn our spurs first. Our competitors are almost exclusively men.
MS – This sometimes means that if you want to assert yourself as a woman in a male domain, the first thing you have to do is overcome an inhibition threshold. With women I would tend to be more relaxed and informal.
How do you earn your spurs?
JS & MS – Never give up! Even if you are rejected. Even if yesterday it was a „no“. There is no „no“.
JS – And many customers ask us: „Why should we work with you? To which we answer: „Because we can do it“. That means we are a reliable partner with a 40-year company history.
MS – You just have to be saddle-fast and know that what you have to offer really works.
Did you have role models?
MS – for me, our father
JS – for me too. We always had so much respect for our competitors. I have always admired our father for the way he handled it.
MS – Maybe this is „typical woman“ – they have more respect. The man sells himself as a „doer“, perhaps women are more reserved or modest in the way the present themselves and show up.
Why was your father the role model?
MS – Because of the calmness he has. He is always calm, creates facts and analyzes everything calmly. And that showed me that actually everything can be solved.
JS – He always thinks abstractly. And what I also admire is how he combines work and pleasure.
And what about female role models? Did you have any?
JS – yes, my former boss. She was a visionary in the hotel industry in her field. She had immense assertiveness. And my sister is also my role model, she was always very persistent.
MS – We are totally different and that is the strength of our company.
What are the qualities of a good leader in your opinion?
JS – a person who can create trust, gives employees freedom, has the ability to delegate and seek the opinions of others.
MS – I agree with that. To complement this, there is perhaps a need to create and live flat hierarchies. It seems to me that men are often more hierarchically oriented than women.
Compatibility of family and career – what are your experiences and thoughts on this
MS – can’t sugarcoat that this is easy. Any woman who describes it differently does not describe reality. It is very exhausting, and you often have a guilty conscience. Everything is possible, but you have to be extremely well organized. When you have children as a woman, you always remain the mother, no matter what else you do. Especially as a single mother.
JS – That is all true. In spite of the organization, the bad conscience remains. It is exhausting if you want to spend quality time with the children after work or just help with homework. Often it is then 10 o’clock in the evening. On the other hand, I have an understanding husband who is even better organized. I can fully rely on him; he always manages to be at home when I am in Hong Kong.
Could you imagine not working?
JS – No way!
MS – Then I would be a worse mother. I want to be an example to my children.
If women today, who are at the beginning of their career, ask you for advice, what would you tell her?
JS – Be yourself and Go for It!
MS – Be patient and don’t give up. There are setbacks, more than one, that’s part of it. And if there are problems, sleep on it for a night
Do you still have other thoughts or inspirations on the topic you want to share?
JS – Never compare yourself with competitors. How often do you hear or think „the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence“? I have often and much occupied myself with „what or how do the others do it“. In the meantime, I have put that aside, with my life experience. Others do not do it better either
MS – That really fits. Not looking at the others. Stay with yourself, set yourself a goal, your goal.
Thank you so much, Monique and Jackie for sharing your encouraging career stories!