“If only there were a button for that!”
We’ve all had this thought before. We’ve all looked at a frustrating problem and wished it was just a click away. That’s really the basis behind most tech applications we use every day. But it gets more complicated when we look at global problems. When we are faced with large crises, we’re often held back by the feeling of our inadequacy or helplessness. We think taking action would be too difficult, too insurmountable.
It is often easier than it looks to do something. And, sometimes, there is a button for that.
Click A Tree started as a platform where you can create a positive impact when traveling by clicking a button to sponsor planting a tree while making your holiday booking. It has since then grown into a certified sustainability solution for companies.
Our journey with Click A Tree started before it was even called Click A Tree, when the founder – Chris Kaiser – took part in our International Mentoring Program in 2018, under the name “B’n’Tree”. There, he met his mentor, Paul Blazek, and started working on refining his business model. Fast-forward to 2024, Chris and Paul are now partners, working together regularly to develop the business into one that has active partnerships with global corporations. To date, Click A Tree has planted over 200,000 trees across 13 different countries, created many jobs worldwide, and developed diverse projects; from schools to ocean cleanups. They also partner with big hotels like Best Western and corporates such as Allianz and Mercedes Benz.
At the moment, Click A Tree’s projects serve all 17 SDGs, which led to them being B Corp-certified with global top scores.
We caught up with Paul and Chris over a cross-border virtual coffee; we’re tuned in from Berlin, Paul from Vienna, and Chris from Heidelberg.
How did you get the idea for Click A Tree?
Chris: From 2012 to 2017, I closely interacted with elephants in Thailand’s forest and jungle areas. I watched the green area around us decrease on a regular basis because of use, deforestation, and climate change, and I thought, “We need to start planting more trees, so these elephants can continue to have a home.” That’s how the idea started.
What drove you to join the International Mentoring Program?
Chris: I’ve never been in a formal program before and wasn’t even sure I would apply. But my friends convinced me to take the shot. We were on the road and pulled up at a gas station with Wi-Fi. I sat in the corner because a bit of light was shining from the gas station, and I was trying to finish my pitch and presentation. The Wi-Fi was not so good, so we sat there hoping the e-mail would go through and reach you on time before the deadline. It went through, and I got in. Suddenly, someone believed in my idea for the first time. And I thought, “They have experience, so my idea cannot be that bad after all.” That was my motivation and inspiration. We kicked off with a week in Bad Belzig (Germany). It was fascinating to meet all the intercontinental entrepreneurs. You meet someone from Kenya, and at first gaze, you think your experience is entirely different. But then you find out you both still need to do the same. You’re both looking for clients and looking to improve your product.
And you realize you can help each other out.
Chris: That’s the beauty of the enpact network. We have a massive WhatsApp group, and someone would post something, you get reminded of “Ah, yeah, true, the enpact crew is there, you know.” And then you continue to think about that. And then, of course, new things are constantly developing.
Recently, Paul had MediaMarkt as a client, meeting at the Co-innovation Factory (A space focused on empowering collaborative innovation). So when we were there, we pitched to them, why didn’t you plant one tree for every event participant? And they liked the idea. Now, we’re negotiating with MediaMarkt and trying to win them over as clients. Again, that all results from this network.
Mentoring is a time-consuming, pro-bono commitment. What inspires an experienced professional with an overloaded schedule to take something like that on?
Paul: This is an exceptional year for me because exactly 25 years ago, 1999, was my last fixed paycheck. I decided then to cut off the safety net and dive into the world of being an entrepreneur. You win, or you learn, so you can’t fail. I wanted to spend my only lifetime with people who are movers and shakers who try to create a legacy and make the world a better place. I had this privilege, and now I want to pay it forward and discover new things.
Curiosity is not just part of my DNA; it is something that drives me regularly. Success needs a certain kind of learning attitude. We’re surrounded by constant change and transformation, and everyone has to find their way on how to deal with these challenges and change patterns. This pragmatic approach of exchanging thoughts with people who try to be different and create an impact is always more attractive than reading a book. The mentoring program is my learning tool, just as it is for the mentees. It’s the essence behind the notion of sharing is caring. It’s based on trust and learning from both sides. I found that with Chris.
How can you sustain a mutually beneficial mentor/mentee relationship?
Paul: It’s like a partnership, you have to put in the work. It’s quite intensive, when we first put together the core set-up of the business, one of the challenges was that we are located in different places. When you’re together in the Berlin ecosystem, you can keep this much needed personal culture alive, on a much more frequent basis. You can spend time together, and have the freedom of informality because it plays an important role.
That is the magic of enpact, we had the freedom of time and thought during the camp and could really connect. You could really dive into the respective market and go to your mentee’s office on the ground, visit their country, to better understand the team dynamics, the pressure, the possibilities, the challenges.
The keyword behind it is respect. This is being done out of personal motivation and of free choice. It’s not about that we have to do it, or you have to listen to me, or that we have to keep doing meetings. It’s not an exam; it’s about openness and understanding what is needed.
Chris: I was initially matched with a different mentor but did not connect. She was experienced but not the right fit for my business. I met Paul during the other discussions, took part in his workshop, and chatted with him a few times during breaks. One evening when we travelled to Kenya, Paul shared with us his fuck-up story of a massive loss of an 8-figure company, and I was very impressed. I was like, yeah, that’s a great story to tell. I wanted to build a scalable business, and I could see that he had experience with what I’m trying to do.
What helps both sides is knowing what you want and being honest about your problems. Paul grasped that much better, and we were on the same wavelength. You can’t force it; it doesn’t make sense to keep doing it if it’s not working. No one is perfect, so just make sure to communicate openly. You can say, “I’ve never done that before; I can’t help you with that, I have A, and B experience but not C.” It saves everyone valuable time.
And you can learn from everyone involved at the camp, not just your mentor. Back in the day, Click A Tree was called B’n’Tree, which stands for Bed and Tree, because the idea was you book a bed on booking.com, and then we plant one tree, right? One of the mentors at the camp was like: “Oh, that’s so simple. I just click a tree, right?” And that somehow stuck, you know? So even the name was derived in the enpact camp.
Paul not only mentored but also invested in Click A Tree earlier on. But there was a pivotal moment behind this decision, which involved national live TV. What’s the story?
Following his time with the International Mentoring Program, Chris was invited to appear on Die Höhle der Löwen, the German version of the famous Shark Tank show. In the show, startup founders pitch their business ideas to an audience of five investors. Investors then give feedback and can choose to invest in the business.
Chris: When I got the call to join the show, I reached out to Paul. I asked: You have experience with investors. Can you teach me? And that’s when we started working closer together.
Paul: You get one “joker” phone call during the show to get support with your pitch. They told you when the call would take place; it was between eight and ten in the morning. I had a flight to Dubai that morning. I went to the airport early and and planned it to have enough time in the lounge to wait. I waited, then waited, and the call did not arrive. Chris told me that the recording was delayed. I only moved when I had to board, and my phone started ringing just as I was going through the security control.
I tried to explain that I needed to get the phone, that it was an important call. But it was an airport, we were in a long queue, and you know the drill, they can’t just stop it for me to get my phone. So I had to go through it, and my phone stopped ringing by the time I did. And you can’t call again on the show. And so, our destiny was the security belt that day [Paul laughs].
I got about 50 calls after that; why didn’t you pick up the phone? So Chris did it in a cool way, but there’s this very funny scene where they used it for the cameras. Like, okay, Chris tries to call Paul, and then Paul doesn’t take the phone.
No matter how well you plan something, these things happen. But Chris was super; he made it happen without the advice. It’s a wonderful metaphor for you to understand that Chris is not only the brain of Click A Tree; he’s the power behind it. Without Chris’s energy and drive to make it happen, we’d still be only discussing. I feel very privileged and happy to join forces.
Chris: In the end, 4 out of 5 investors were convinced of the merit of the idea, but ultimately, they did not invest. Paul said, “Okay, if they want to pass up on this opportunity, I won’t.” So he invested, got seven and a half percent from Click A Tree, and we basically co-founded the GmbH together.
You’re still based in different places; how does your dynamic work?
Chris: He has always had experience scaling multiple companies. So he’s still on the strategic side of things, and I’m on the operational side. And every once in a while, either we have calls together, or sometimes he’s here, or I’m in Vienna.
Paul: In modern technology, this physical space gets hybrid anyway. But it was important to me, as the team grows, that we can always meet with the team. It’s essential to have a digital connection with people and know it’s not just a digital figure somewhere. You eat together, you drink together, you laugh together. It increases team bonding, they identify more with the company, stay longer, and with retention.
It’s not always about functions and operations; it’s also very emotional. The core people in your team should have an excellent emotional match. Talent is not enough when the going gets tough, because social skills are also necessary. It’s an ongoing journey.
I regret that I’m not closer to this team environment. There’s the magic of physical encounters. I try to visit; sometimes, Click A Tree comes here, and we work together from Vienna. It’s about balance. You can plan to have more intensive in-person sessions here and there, but then you might have some distance. What’s important is that you continue to believe in the same thing and stay connected in your mind and your thoughts.
We looked at these people who will join the team and are closer to being able to bring them to the office regularly (twice a week). We have a cool space in Heidelberg where people come to identify themselves with this wonderful company’s journey.
There are no blueprints that you can just take and adapt. There are so many different components. Every entrepreneurial journey is an adventure; what I see as a core benefit [of this dynamic] is that you’re not alone when destiny strikes and challenges arise.
It takes all of us to create a sustainable future, and we don’t have to start from scratch. It’s essential to learn from experiences. We asked Chris and Paul to share what they learned from their experience with building a business.
Paul: The essence of a successful business is not efficiency, optimization, an excellent sales brochure, etc. It is much more about the customer value proposition. Ask yourself: What am I bringing to the table? Try to go out there find out from the clients what they really need. It’s not about creating the perfect USP, it’s the perfect CVP: customer value proposition.
Chris: Being flexible. We meet with potential partners or clients, and they say: I like what you do, but I don’t care much about trees. I ask, okay, what do you want to do? How can I get your money? [Chris laughs] And as straightforward as that. And suddenly, they say, “Well, you know, if you were to support young people because we love the social side of sustainability, then probably you could get my money.” I asked, “How about we build a school for you?” And you ask your network, and in that instant, Clemont, another connection from enpact and participant in the camp, had experience and wanted to collaborate.
Others say, “Our beaches are always dirty. We want to do something about ocean trash.” We had a team growing mangrove trees along the coastline, and we talked, and now they were ready to take part in ocean cleanup, too. And they were prepared to do it. As long as they are on board with your mission to make a difference, and you have fair compensation and the right conditions, everyone is happy to have a good job and be part of something bigger than them. By being flexible, we can create more impact and win more clients. But that only happens if you suggest something to the client and are willing to listen, learn, and expand your outlook.
What are your recommendations for young founders starting a socially-driven business? How do you stay committed to a cause while trying to keep a business running?
Chris:
- Do something you’re personally really passionate about. You wouldn’t stop practicing your hobby just because others aren’t interested in it or joining in at first, and that’s how you should approach your business.
- Celebrate the small wins. I still remember the feeling when I got accepted into the program, the first e-mail subscriber, the first customer, and the first job application that I received. Along the same lines, set small milestones. Go step-by-step. And you will see progress.
- Find mentors (plural!). Talk with people from different backgrounds. I can’t decide what I need as a first-time founder. You have to explore, be open to new ideas, and find a sparring partner. It makes a massive difference.
Start doing. We didn’t overthink. I knew I wanted to help, I built a website to have something to talk to people with, and started doing just that. No business plan ever survives the first contact with a customer. See what people say, iterate, improve and build. We had partnerships, we already had clients, and revenue, before having a formal business plan, and we could show traction from the get-go.
If you’re looking to make your work more sustainable, or you want to contribute to the Click A Tree mission, check out the Click A Tree website and get in touch with Chris and the team!
