At the age of 33, Merkel inherited his father's small factory with 80 employees, and the "Merkler" family business began a glorious expansion journey. In 1974, Merkler transitioned to medicine and founded Ratiopharm Pharmaceutical Factory. He was optimistic about the sales of branded generic drugs and quickly gained control of the market. The popularity of the analgesic paracetamol has given Ratiopharm a strong impetus for its expansion. In 2007, sales of this drug alone reached 1.7 billion euros. Phoenix Pharmaceutical Wholesale Company is the second pillar of the Merkler family business. Last year, its marketing revenue reached 21.6 billion euros.
In addition to vigorously exploring the field of medicine, Merkler has also continued to get involved in other industries, from leather to ski equipment production, from motors to cement building materials, covering a wide range of industries. Among them, HeidelbergCement Group has become Germany's largest cement manufacturer. Slowly, Merkle built his own corporate dynasty, constantly founding and acquiring companies. The magazine once described Merkler's acquisition of companies as a 19th-century collector collecting clocks for fun. In 2007, he also bought a castle near the Baltic Sea to entertain leaders who went to Germany to attend the G8 summit. In the eyes of Germans, Merkel is an example of a family business founder. In 2005, he was awarded Germany's highest honor award, the "Federal Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany" for his contribution to promoting the economy of Ba-Wuzhou.
Most Germans, especially the middle class, value real work more, and Merkel is more daring than traditional entrepreneurs to try "virtual" operations. Since 2005, he has used several companies under his name to engage in financial investments, study leveraged transactions, and make quick profits from risks.