Oliver Gehrmann, founder of Berlin-based web design and online marketing agency nexTab, is proud to announce that his YouTube channel nexTab.de has recently hit 10,000 subscribers. With a central focus on education and the power of community, the channel launched in 2020 to publish web design and marketing tutorials for aspiring entrepreneurs, and now has a backlog of over 750 videos. Oliver posts new videos every week in his mission to cultivate a strong community of entrepreneurs and demonstrate the priceless value of a media presence.
This notable milestone of building a community that’s 10,000 strong, an achievement that further complements the notable success of Oliver’s online marketing agency nexTab, is the outcome of a singular leap of faith and passion. Hailing from a small town in Germany, Oliver moved to Berlin with nothing but a backpack, a yoga mat, and a fervent love for the trading card game Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Oliver Gehrmann
Kitted with a comprehensive knowledge of the game, Oliver walked straight through the doors of the game’s headquarters in Germany and told them that hiring him would be the best decision they could ever make. Soon enough, the company saw the truth of that statement. Oliver had already written several articles about the trading card game, was a moderator on its largest message board, and was a central figure in the game’s German community. So, he was hired as a freelancer and for the better part of 15 years, lived a working life that revolved around his favorite game.
Here, he learned invaluable skills in media, event management, and community management. Starting off in European media coverage of Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournaments— both national and international— Oliver then moved on to moderating tournament live streams as Yu-Gi-Oh! and the internet flourished in tandem. In fact, at some point on this wild journey, Oliver became the de facto European face of the game.
Then, after stints working in online gaming and marketing companies, Oliver decided to take the values of community and media engagement he had developed over the years and started nexTab in 2011. The agency not only perfects clients’ online marketing endeavors and creates websites, but it also constructs a real internet presence. From email marketing and SEO to live event coverage, nexTab facilitates the entire colorway of being a business in an online world.
However, nexTab was not fully fledged from the start. The EU runs an unemployment insurance scheme for self-employed workers, where small business owners can claim benefits as a tax-free bonus as they get their business on its feet. “And quite honestly, this scheme absolutely saved me because I had no idea how to run a business,” recalls Oliver. While he was skilled at web design and had plenty of experience in online marketing, finding and acquiring a client base had a steep learning curve. And Oliver had no mentor to guide him through this rocky start.
So, he relied on what he knew worked: community. He would attend networking events in Berlin and get to know the industry and market through face-to-face introductions and honest conversations about what he could offer. Whether or not the individuals he spoke to needed his services, Oliver remained open, transparent, and helpful through a conviction that forming a community is a two-way street of support and success. Oliver notes, “Eventually, it worked out. Even when people in my community didn’t have an immediate interest in my services, they knew people who did. So, nexTab took off and today I’m able to make a true impact not only within my industry but to each and every community member I engage with.”
An important trait of Oliver is his inability to focus on one thing at a time. As an extremely creative individual, it’s unnatural for him to complete a task and then move on to the next. Instead, a hundred open tabs (hence the name nexTab) about seven different projects is Oliver at his most comfortable. Unfortunately, it’s not the most efficient use of his and his clients’ time. So, an idea that is the amalgamation of years in a public-facing community engagement role and a deep understanding of the complexities of web design struck his mind: to start a YouTube channel and live stream his working days.
“It was simply a means to an end. Livestreaming my workflows means that my audience could keep me focused and accountable with every project,” explains Oliver, “There was a simultaneous interaction with the chat, where people could ask questions and I could answer them live. This provided the chaotic element I was waiting for.” Oliver’s operational bumps weren’t the only thing that his YouTube channel solved— it was becoming a space where web design hobbyists, aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and individuals who wanted to shift careers gathered and learned from his videos.
nexTab.de was becoming a community, and this allowed Oliver to sustain his passion for educating others in the intricate business of web design and online marketing. However, there was another unexpected outcome of his channel. As it grew in subscriber and view counts, his business gained astronomical returns as a result of its success.
The channel, which started as a simple solution to his unrestrained creativity, had built trust and credibility with potential clients before ever meeting through the sheer expertise that flowed through the screen. His personality and affinity towards building community had enabled Oliver to set himself apart as a true industry expert. Indeed, some individuals come to Oliver already feeling indebted to him for all the knowledge he’s given through the channel.
Today, he is teaching aspiring entrepreneurs to do the same. While traditional aspects of ‘good entrepreneurship’ like products, pricing, and specifying a client base are as important as ever, personality is rarely mentioned. However, Oliver has demonstrated that it is one’s unique voice and approach to their craft and industry that attracts clients and customers. Whether through the nexTab agency or the YouTube channel, their successfully communicating ideas to the world is the root of all his achievements.
In turn, the nexTab channel is producing video tutorials on how to optimize its viewers’ knowledge to find success in their entrepreneurial ventures. Oliver focuses his advice on other content creators, and suggests building online courses that create communities of learners, empower individuals through education, and simultaneously benefit creators through additional income.
Oliver Gehrmann and nexTab look forward to further growing a community of entrepreneurs and web designers and continue to publish educational videos every Saturday. “As someone who struggled at the start of my own business, there are few things more rewarding than a comment that tells me how a viewer has become self-employed through watching my videos. Making a difference is the most fulfilling aspect of this entire journey. That’s why I’ve decided to start helping other creators with their businesses, it ties a neat bow around my story.”
Media contact
Name: Oliver Gehrmann
Email: oliver.gehrmann@nextab.de
Published by: Pathos Communications Ltd