Innovation management
Assess new ideas, technologies and business models for value, effort and economic viability. We choose a manageable experiment and use its results to decide what comes next.
CONSULTING · FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
Artur HammerschmidtBusiness owner · M.Sc. in industrial engineeringInnovation management & systems development
Make clearer decisions.
Build your independence.
Assess new ideas, develop suitable systems and improve processes: I support you from your first question through to implementation. We use AI where it helps with your task. You learn how to check results and keep developing your solution yourself.
Up to 30 minutes. We discuss your needs and a useful next step.
CONSULTING · FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
Your task sets
the direction.
We look at goals, processes and collaboration. The result is useful next steps that fit your business and your team.
Systems development
Connect people, knowledge, processes and technology. We clarify requirements, interfaces and responsibilities, build a suitable solution and test it in everyday work.
Processes & organisation
Improve handovers, recurring tasks and collaboration. We consider time, costs and your team’s work. AI and automation can help where useful.
AI & AUTOMATION
Less routine.
More time for what matters.
We start with the work that takes up your time. AI, existing software and clear processes can work together to help.
Simplify recurring work
Answer calls, prepare emails, plan appointments and shifts or reconcile figures. We choose a concrete task and assess its value, the work involved and its limits.
Put your knowledge to work
Your processes, rules and language are documented clearly. An assistant works with maintained knowledge, and your team learns how to keep it up to date.
Keep responsibility clear
You decide which data are accessible, which steps run independently and when a person makes the decision. We test everyday and exceptional cases.
WEB DESIGN · IMPLEMENTATION WITHIN CONSULTING
A website that fits
your business.
What should your customers understand and do next? We clarify your offer, content and ways to get in touch. This becomes a fast, mobile-friendly website for your business.
Make your offer clear
Your services, audience and enquiry journey guide the design. We agree on the wording and structure together.
Build a suitable, clear website
The technology follows the agreed needs. Clear navigation, usability on phones and technical foundations for search engines are part of the implementation.
Continue on your own domain
The site is set up on your domain. Agreed old addresses are redirected. You receive the website, account access and a clear handover.
A website project with a clear scope
Before work begins, you receive a fixed price for the agreed scope. This includes the website, setup on your domain, agreed redirects and wording changes up to acceptance. Domain, hosting and any other external costs are discussed upfront. Additional pages, a different concept, shops or booking systems are agreed separately. Ongoing maintenance requires a separate engagement.
Your content. Your access. Your decision.
You keep control of your domain and content. We clarify how future changes will be maintained and what skills or support this requires. AI can support implementation; I remain responsible for the content, design and handover.
Examples from my own business
Our location websites show different offers in practice. Your site is developed for your own industry and customers.
WORKING TOGETHER
Build together.
Keep going independently.
We mainly work online through screen sharing, in German and English. In the first call, we discuss goals, scope and budget. You receive a proposal before any paid work begins.
Free introductory call
Up to 30 minutes by video call. I first show you my own systems and their limits. Then we look at your business and discuss what kind of support would help.
AI assessment with written recommendations
We look at your processes, data and software. You receive priorities and next steps that you can use independently of me. The price and scope are agreed beforehand.
Personal support
My main service: we work together on your task, such as an assistant, a knowledge base or a connection to your software. You learn how to check results and adapt the solution yourself.
The AI assessment is credited in full
If you continue with personal support after a paid AI assessment, its cost is credited in full. The terms are set out in your proposal.
Individual sessions and team training
A specific question, working sessions, recurring office hours or online training for your team. We agree on an approach that fits your task.
Software, licences, possible hardware and other costs are discussed upfront. Ongoing operations and on-call support are separate services. If your project needs different expertise or a larger implementation team, I recommend suitable specialists.
MY OWN BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
Used in my
own business.
Escape Universe is my own business, with three locations. It is where I test how people, knowledge and technology work together. This experience informs my consulting for businesses across different industries.
Phone and visitor communication
A phone assistant answers standard questions from approved knowledge. Special requests and unclear cases have defined handovers. Call logs show where knowledge and rules need improving.
Drafts and decisions
Assistants prepare emails and information. A person checks visitor emails before sending them. Data access and approvals are agreed for each task.
Planning and reconciliation
Recurring work around bookings, shift planning and figures is connected. Results and exceptions are checked so the team can rely on the processes in daily work.
These are examples from my business. We develop your solution around your own processes, data and responsibilities.
EXPERIENCE FROM WORKING TOGETHER
Keep moving forward yourself.
I'm not an IT person at all. Before our second session I had already connected our CRM on my own. After three sessions I have an assistant that knows our business, a page with our numbers, and I dictate instead of typing. The next systems I'm connecting myself. I'm at least twice as fast now, but the most valuable thing is that I can concentrate on more strategic tasks rather than routine.
CONTROL & CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT
Your systems.
Your knowledge. Your decision.
You should be able to keep working independently after our time together. That takes suitable technology, clear rules and the ability to keep learning.
Your own accounts and clear permissions
Accounts are in your name. We clarify data flows, access rights, ongoing costs and the necessary data protection agreements. Cloud services or your own hardware are chosen according to usefulness, confidentiality and the work involved.
Know how to check, change and pause
We document the processes and practise with your team how to assess results, update knowledge and intervene when something goes wrong. Responsibilities and checks are part of the implementation.
Respond to new possibilities
We discuss remaining dependencies and possible provider changes. You learn how to assess new tools against your task and develop your solution when useful.
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Assess ideas.
Plan for implementation.
Innovation management and systems development are my academic specialisms. Selected earlier roles complement my current experience running my own business.
Assess economic viability
During an industrial placement and my master’s thesis at EWE, I worked on home energy management and the economic viability of variable electricity tariffs for suppliers and households.
For your task, this means assessing value, costs and assumptions together before turning an idea into a larger project.
Connect processes and systems
As an assistant to the executive board at EMF Holding, I worked on processes and communication. As a project employee at Ardagh, I helped optimise a system migration. As a student employee at the Bremen Institute for Production and Logistics, I supported project management and internal processes.
In consulting, we also consider handovers, responsibilities and existing systems.
Use market insight and team knowledge
At nextpractice, I worked in market, trend and cultural research and helped prepare the content and technology for connected group formats that made shared knowledge usable.
We consider the market, your customers and your team’s experience, then test new ideas in manageable steps.
PERSONALLY ACCOUNTABLE
Who you will
work with.
M.Sc. in industrial engineering from the University of Bremen, specialising in innovation management and systems development; bachelor’s focus in production and logistics. First business founded in transport in 2007; Escape Universe since 2016. My experience also includes business consulting in Australia and the roles described here. I connect business questions with organisational and technical implementation. Consulting in German and English.
Artur Hammerschmidt
hammerschmidt.pro
hammerschmidt.pro
BEFORE THE FIRST CALL
What you may want to know.
Is consulting only for escape room operators?
Consulting is for owners and directors of small and medium businesses across different industries. Escape Universe illustrates my own business experience. Technology and operations for other escape room providers have their own area, Escape Systems.
Does the solution always involve AI?
We start with your goal and the actual task. Depending on the situation, a clearer process, better responsibilities, existing software, automation or AI may help. We assess what creates value and works in everyday use.
Where do we work together?
Mainly online through screen sharing, with businesses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In English, I also work with businesses worldwide. I am regularly in Nienburg, Hannover and Leipzig; visits in person are agreed separately.
What does it cost?
The price depends on your task and the agreed scope. The introductory call of up to 30 minutes is free. You then receive an individual proposal, including any additional costs discussed. A paid AI assessment is credited in full if you continue with personal support.
Do I have to book a fixed package?
We can agree on a specific question, individual sessions or more extensive support. Your task, existing knowledge and budget determine the scope.
Do I need technical knowledge?
You do not need to know how to code. Your knowledge of your business and a willingness to work together on its processes matter. We practise how you can keep working with the solution yourself.
What is the difference between a chatbot and an AI agent?
A chatbot mainly answers questions. An AI agent can also carry out agreed steps and use software. We decide which functions and approvals make sense for your task.
Who decides about data and approvals?
You decide which data are accessible, what an assistant may do independently and when a person takes over. We clarify data protection and responsibilities, test ordinary and exceptional cases and put suitable checks in place.
Does the AI assessment include a security check?
The AI assessment looks at processes, opportunities and useful next steps. Technical security testing has its own scope and requires separate written authorisation. You will find it in the Security area.
Do you run the systems afterwards?
My support is designed around building together and continuing independently. Ongoing operations and on-call support are separate services. If you need them, we discuss a suitable referral.
THE FIRST STEP
What is on your mind
as a business owner?
In the free introductory call of up to 30 minutes, I show you my own systems. Then we look at your needs and discuss a useful next step.
Book a free initial call ↗Enquire by emailArtur directly: +49 176 96037579Message on WhatsApp ↗ah@escapeuniverse.de
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