+2
A door leads into a backyard in the south of Stuttgart. Gravel crunches under your shoes. Large, green trees provide shade next to a playground. Next to it is a small building that resembles a greenhouse. From above, the sun shines through the glass roof onto screens, keyboards and desks - right into the heart of the internet agency d-mind. It is at home in this idyllic little house and from here it creates websites for its customers and the wide internet world.
Every page is unique
Over the years, d-mind employees have programmed many websites. "I estimate that we have around 500 websites," smiles managing director Michael Weiß. He founded the Stuttgart company in 1999 with Jens Fuchs. In 2012, Jens Strobel joined the management team. Creating websites has not become boring since then. This is also because websites are difficult to standardize. "Every website is unique because we are always dealing with different requests and challenges," says Jens Fuchs. It takes around three months for a website to go online.
Nice appearance and easy to use
That's how long it takes the d-mind team to design, program and fill the website with content together with the customer. In the end, d-mind creates a website that not only looks good, but is also easy to use and barrier-free. "A good website is good when it can be used intuitively - without having to think too much," says Michael Weiß. d-mind's customers include the ADAC, the Baden-Württemberg Court of Auditors, the Baden-Württemberg Youth Foundation and the Heilbronn Cooperative State University. Many customers have been at d-mind's side for years.
Expert for three editorial programs
The internet agency specializes in three editorial programs when creating websites: WordPress, Typo 3 and Redaxo. They are also called content management systems and are a kind of blueprint for a website. For example, they specify how texts or images are created on a website and later put online. The employees at d-mind decide which of the programs best suits the customer based on the properties that a website should have. As the market leader, WordPress is currently very popular with many companies because updates can be implemented quickly and inexpensively. In addition, extensions enable the diverse use of artificial intelligence.
Founded in a shared apartment
Artificial intelligence and its possibilities were not yet in the cards when Jens Fuchs and Michael Weiß met in the 5th grade. The two later lived together as students in a shared apartment in the east of Stuttgart. Jens Fuchs was studying geography at the time, Michael Weiß was studying communication design. After their first smaller projects during their studies, both quickly became enthusiastic about creating websites and the first orders started pouring in. This year, d-mind is celebrating its 25th birthday.
From Stuttgart to Tenerife
Then the 14 employees of d-mind all celebrate together. The core of the team works in Stuttgart. The rest are working from home in Leipzig, Hamm, Aachen and Tenerife, among others. "During the pandemic, we realized that being present in the office is no longer important for us. This allowed us to expand the search for employees to the whole of Germany," says Jens Fuchs. The employees are mainly programmers, but also people who take care of marketing, design and search engine optimization. The team is a colorful mix, from young to old - and not without reason: "Our younger employees pick up on the latest technical developments and bring them into the team. We older ones bring valuable experience. This is how we keep up with the fast-moving business," says Jens Fuchs.
Work less and be more motivated
And this despite the fact that d-mind is now working shorter hours. The company has changed a 40-hour week to a 36-hour week - with full pay. This should give employees more free time to find new hobbies and look after their health. "We also want to increase motivation and become visible to skilled workers," says Jens Fuchs. The Stuttgart region is important for d-mind as a location because many customers come from the surrounding area. At the same time, competition in the region is also tough because many IT students set up their own businesses here.
Slow but steady growth
That is why those in charge at d-mind place value not only on the well-being of their employees but also on healthy growth. "We have seen many fail, so we tend to be more down-to-earth," says Jens Fuchs. It is also important to the managing directors that the websites they create are as environmentally friendly as possible, ie that they use as little energy as possible when opened. In the coming weeks, months and years, many more websites will find their way into the wide world of the Internet - designed and programmed from an idyllic little house in the south of Stuttgart.
Transparency note: WRS has also been working with d-mind GmbH for years.
Author: Jannik Hausmann
