Not an Ending but a Rebalancing, as Founder Will Continue Working With Mirador On His Own Terms 

Wuppertal, Germany, Janaury 13, 2025—After more than three decades building Intex from a nine-person company with limited capital into a trusted, SAP-certified technology partner for the textile industry, Bastian Schneider is stepping back from his role as CEO.

This decision wasn’t driven by a single moment or event. It took shape gradually, as long careers often do. Over time, the operational demands of running the company began to outweigh the creative work where Bastian believed he added the most value. At the same time, the cost of that imbalance became clearer.

“I’m 67 years old,” he said. “And my free time has become more valuable.”

Bastian has never worried about having too little to do. His life has always been filled with ideas, interests, and projects. What changed was the desire to spend more time on them—and less time carrying the full weight of day-to-day operations.

Building a Business

Intex’s early years were demanding in ways that don’t translate easily into headlines. The company launched with nine employees and minimal funding, which meant profitability mattered from day one. Bastian worked seven days a week, often twelve hours a day, personally guaranteeing early customer contracts because the software was business-critical and trust had to be earned.

Every sale carried real consequences. Preparation was exhaustive. Customer relationships were personal. Losing a project wasn’t an option.

Six years in, Intex had grown to 30–40 employees and established its first international branches. Then the dot-com bubble burst. Payment defaults reached the high six figures. Customers were lost to insolvency. More than half the team was laid off. Recovery took years.

Only after that period did Bastian take his first real vacation.

Those experiences shaped both his leadership style and the company’s culture: pragmatic, disciplined, and deeply focused on delivering solutions that work in real operating environments.

Why Sell Now

Bastian had once hoped one of his sons might eventually take over the business. That path didn’t materialize — not out of disappointment, but realism. They understood the workload clearly, as he did. His wife encouraged him to step back and focus more intentionally on his health. Her support has been constant throughout his career, and her perspective mattered.

Stepping down as CEO doesn’t mark an abrupt end to Bastian’s professional involvement. He plans to continue contributing where he can be useful, with greater flexibility and fewer hours. The difference is choice—how time is spent, and on what.

He intends to travel more, take longer breaks, exercise consistently, and live at a pace better aligned with this stage of life. Since 2016, he has also studied preventive medicine and is considering building a medical database exploring the interactions between substances and symptoms.

“I will always remain active,” he said. “I need a challenge for my brain.”

Just not the kind that comes with chasing overdue payments.

Choosing the Right Home for Intex

Bastian would not have made this transition unless he believed Intex was positioned well for the future. That confidence developed early in conversations with Mirador. The first meeting was direct and practical. Listening came before proposals. Commitments were followed by action. Over time, trust was built by consistency rather than persuasion.

“The basic prerequisite was that Mirador would invest for the long term,” said Bastian.

Intex remains a technology-driven company with strong product, and the only SAP-certified solution for the textile industry. Bastian has long believed the company could significantly improve its focus on sales and marketing and explore meaningful growth potential in the years ahead.

A Legacy That Endures

When asked what he hopes people will say about Intex, Bastian didn’t talk about size or scale. He hopes they’ll say the company has been reliable. That it delivered beneficial, innovative solutions. That it honored trust—with customers and with employees.

As for his employees—many of whom Intex was their first and only employer—Bastian stated he was grateful to them for making the company what it is today and confident in what lies ahead for the team.

He added that he was proud of decisions that rarely show up in retrospectives: early international expansion, years spent abroad building credibility market by market, and walking away from a near-term IPO opportunity before the dot-com collapse because the underlying business model didn’t hold up. Restraint mattered then—and it still does.

A Founder Looking Ahead 

Success, for Bastian, has always meant being able to turn ideas into reality. That definition hasn’t changed—only the context. He is leaving the corner office knowing the company is stable, the culture is intact, and the future open. What comes next is not an absence of work, but a different relationship to it.

More time. More space. Fewer obligations.

And room to pursue the ideas that were always waiting.

About Mirador

Mirador Software Group was founded to be the best permanent home for specialized ERP software companies at every stage of growth. Learn more at www.mirador.group.