3 Lines Gmbh

What 3 Lines Gmbh does

3 LINES GmbH is a privately held German management consulting, training, and coaching firm headquartered in Essen (Am Ruhrstein 33a, 45133 Essen) and founded in 2004. The company sells advisory engagements and training programs built on its proprietary 3LINES-MODELL® framework, which integrates four consulting disciplines — vision, strategy, culture, and structure — into a single methodology operational since 2005. It targets mid-sized and large enterprises in the DACH region, with explicit named references in plastics manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and direct sales/advertising. Its service portfolio spans customized consulting (vision, strategy, structural, and culture), internal and public training programs, and individual or small-group coaching with a 7-stage process and passive telephone coaching extending up to two years after engagement.

The firm's core technology is the registered 3LINES-MODELL® trademark, a 120+ Action Cards content library, and a Skills Measurement Methodology; these support a differentiated didactic approach rather than a software platform. A wholly-owned subsidiary, 3LINES Academy GmbH, automates the conducting, documenting, and analyzing of organizational development dialogues. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contracts and tiered cancellation terms documented in the firm's AGB; no public pricing exists.

3 LINES operates with 1–10 employees and two managing directors (Joachim Karbe and Thomas Hudler), distributing services via direct enterprise sales, mid-market direct sales, and scheduled public training. Marketing is multi-channel: corporate website (German/English), an email newsletter with 1,354 subscribers dating back to 2009, Google AdWords remarketing, and trade show presence. The firm is founder/management-owned with no external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity evidenced.

Name

3 Lines Gmbh

Legal name

3 LINES GmbH

Website

https://3lines.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

3 LINES GmbH is a German boutique consulting, training, and coaching firm (Essen, founded 2004) that sells vision, strategy, culture, and structure advisory engagements to DACH enterprises under its proprietary 3LINES-MODELL® framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bad Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Strategic consulting engagements covering vision, strategy, culture, and structure development. Includes structured development dialogues and company culture measurement systems.
2. Training Programs: Internal and public training programs. Internal trainings are customized per client; public trainings follow standardized curricula. Programs include leadership, sales, communication, negotiation, and stress management training.
3. Coaching Services: Individual or small group coaching (max. 3 persons) for management, conflicts, sales, potential development, stress, and team coaching. Includes passive telephone coaching support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

3 Lines GmbH delivers consulting, training, and coaching services built on its proprietary 3LINES-MODEL® framework. The firm supports organizations in developing unified company visions, defining strategies, shaping cultures, and adjusting structures through Vision, Strategy, Structural, and Culture consulting, complemented by internal and public training programs and individual/team coaching engagements.

Product overview

3 Lines GmbH offers a unified portfolio centered on the proprietary 3LINES-MODELL® framework, which integrates Vision, Strategy, Culture, and Structure. Services include Consulting (vision, strategy, structural, and culture consulting), Coaching (individual and team), and Training (internal and public programs). The subsidiary 3LINES Academy GmbH provides automation for development dialogues. The company uses proprietary Action Cards (over 120) as core training materials. All offerings are professional services delivered by human consultants, trainers, and coaches—these are not software products but rather advisory and development interventions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 3LINES-MODELL: The proprietary methodology integrating vision, strategy, culture and structure consulting approach

Products and services

• 3LINES-MODEL® Framework Proprietary consulting framework integrating Vision, Strategy, Culture, and Structure that enables companies to develop implementable, market-relevant results tailored to their capabilities in four key areas.
• Consulting Services Professional consulting services encompassing Vision consulting, Strategy consulting, Structural consulting, and Culture consulting, all based on the 3LINES Model framework, delivered to enterprise and mid-market organizations in the DACH region.
• Coaching Services Individual and team coaching development measures following a 7-stage process (trust building, goal setting, strategy, resources, consequence assessment, action, passive telephone coaching), including post-coaching support for up to two years.
• Internal Trainings Company-specific internal training programs customized per client covering leadership, sales, service, negotiation, communication, stress management, and personnel development, using proprietary 3LINES Action Cards.
• Public Trainings Publicly available standardized training programs such as 'Wandel Macht Mut' (Change Creates Courage) and 'Online zur Führungskraft' (Online to Executive) offered in scheduled sessions at scheduled locations.
• 3LINES Academy GmbH Automation Platform Wholly-owned subsidiary platform that automates the conducting, documenting, and analyzing of development dialogues, enabling companies to identify organizational deficits and manage derived development measures.
• 3LINES Action Cards (Aktionskarten) Proprietary training materials comprising over 120 action cards that summarize training content on the front and allow participants to record concrete actions for practice phases on the reverse.

Quantifiable outcome

• M&A integration processes accelerated
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MergedmediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for exhibition at Learntec 2009 in Karlsruhe. Mergedmedia collaborated with 3LINES to present a novel blended learning training method combining e-learning with presence training. The partnership created video trailers with trainers moderating content supported by computer animations, delivered via low-bandwidth streaming.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Roland Berger: Large German-origin global management consulting firm. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the strategy and organizational transformation space, with overlapping enterprise clients in DACH.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with substantial leadership development, talent management, and coaching offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in the same leadership and organizational consulting space.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with significant executive coaching practice. Comparable as a much larger incumbent in the same leadership coaching and advisory space that 3 Lines occupies.
• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting leader with organizational practice and dedicated change management/coaching offerings. Comparable as the dominant broad incumbent in the strategic and organizational transformation consulting market.

Direct peers

• hkp/// group: German HR and organizational consulting firm focused on compensation, performance, and leadership development. Comparable to 3 Lines due to similar advisory-coaching-training mix and DACH mid-market target segment.
• Kienbaum Consultants International GmbH: German consulting firm specializing in leadership, HR, and organizational development. Direct peer due to overlapping service portfolio (consulting, coaching, training) and focus on mid-sized and large enterprises in the DACH region.
• Mercuri Urval GmbH: Global executive search, talent advisory, and leadership coaching firm with strong DACH presence. Comparable to 3 Lines due to its executive coaching practice and structured leadership development methodology serving enterprise clients.
• Staufen AG: German boutique consultancy specializing in operational excellence, lean transformation, and organizational change. Comparable to 3 Lines in being a German mid-market consulting firm combining proprietary methodology with hands-on transformation delivery.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3-lines-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 3 Lines Gmbh