Markus Retek is the founder of Wawazen Waterwall School, a business with over 3.000 members worldwide. Indeed, after helping a friend install water features in 2001, Markus discovered his passion and began to focus on custom-designed waterwalls in 2008. His business has completed over 200 custom-designed projects and provides a series of online training modules for people wanting to learn more about custom-made waterwall features.
Markus was able to take some time away from his work and answer a few of our questions.
Markus, when did you officially start the Wawazen Waterwall School? Were there any initial challenges at the beginning?
I have founded the Wawazen Waterwall School in April 2014. The biggest challenge was to find time systemizing and publishing all the content online while running a waterwall business with almost 12 employees at the same time.
How difficult was the transition from your previous career as a physiotherapist to custom-designed automatic water projects?
Well, the start was easy! I did it as a side job so I had no pressure to earn money. I always loved water features and one day I saw a beautiful 2m high ceramic pillar fountain and I asked the seller how much it will cost. He told me then the price is 2.000 Euro and I was frustrated because I could not afford that. But then he said if I sell 3 of those I can have one for free. Few days before I bought a CD with a online-shop software and I asked him if I can use his product pictures to sell his ceramic fountains online – he agreed and in 2001 I proudly opened my own online shop selling water features. It took 6 months until I sold my first fountain. After 7 years and almost 1.000 products in the online shop I sold my first waterwall to a architect who was consulting a bank.
What are the benefits for businesses if they choose to install a custom-made water wall feature?
Everybody loves waterwalls but most people don’t know all the big benefits:
- eyecatcher
- attention grabber
- customer magnet
- relaxation for the eyes and the mind
- regenerating the mood
- reducing fear
- bringing natural live energy in rooms
- increasing feng shui chi for money and success
- cleaning the air from micro dust and pollution
- humidifying the air
- reducing flu viruses
- dehumidifying the air if the water is cooled
- removing electrostatic current from the air
- removing smoke and bad smell from the air
- buffering the temperature
- moving the air
- dampening echos in rooms
- bringing art and beauty in boring rooms
It’s no wonder water walls are so popular today, appearing in offices, hotels, banks, shopping malls and modern apartments.
When mistakes/challenges arise during a project, how do you and your team resolve them? Do you have a set of protocols?
Well, we have a set of protocols in order to avoid mistakes. That’s a part of the ongoing systematization we practice. The main 7 rules that have improved our workflow dramatically are:
- Always give the best
- Plan, plan and plan before proceeding
- Always to a test setup before installing
- Always make 3x leak test at critical components
- Do not cooperate with unreliable partners
- Do not speculate – test
- Systemize
In your experience, what type of businesses/individuals generally come looking to you for assistance?
We have almost only male members between 25-55 who want to learn how to build a waterwall by themselves, that’s the DIY guys.
And then we have a lot of craftsmen and entrepreneurs who start a waterwall business or who want to generate additional income with waterwalls.
Both are most welcome to register for our free waterwall essential basics course at http://www.Wawazen.net. After that they we invite them to take further trainings or to become our business partner.
In your opinion, what do you think are the three most important traits a person needs to thrive in the waterwall business?
Great question! I would say:
- Integrity
- Vision
- Mindfulness
Do you have a favorite custom featured that you have designed or worked on?
Yes, it’s a 550cm high glass waterwall we have produced in 2014, you can watch it here:
We have done a lot of other waterwalls until that time, but this one was the first one where we have used our new water distribution system and a new water treatment system. Both work excellent until today. And it was a pretty lucrative project too. So as it marks a kind of a breakthrough I can say this is my favorite, although I have done more then 100 other beautiful and satisfying waterwall projects after that.
Thank you Markus for sharing your thoughts!
You can follow up with Markus Retek at https://www.Wawazen.net
