Complaining – the national pastime of the Germans
Let’s be honest, we Germans love to complain – about the weather, football, the economy, politics, etc. This unites us all – regardless of our social class or political affiliation. Complaining is a national pastime in Germany. We love to grumble about high prices, the shortage of skilled workers and the weakening economy, while at the same time discussing our next holiday or the four-day week. Please don’t get me wrong, I am all for everyone taking a lot of time off and having a good rest – the only thing that bothers me is the fact that we love to see everything in such a gloomy light! We have to start working together to find solutions, because what we forget amidst all the moaning are our own abilities.
No, Germany is not falling apart! Germany still has a lot of untapped potential. We have people with great ideas, curious and inquisitive people (yes, even among Gen Z), a high average level of education, a high degree of legal certainty, a consistently strong industry, very good research ... and yes, we also have the capital. But we have to stop complaining and focus on our strengths. We are capable of innovation, we can be or remain market leaders in many areas, but, at the same time, we have to be open-minded. Even if one area collapses, we can successfully develop and expand a subsequent one. These are our strengths. However, we have to accept the challenge – be it in society, in politics or in the economy. Burying our heads in the sand won’t help us.
We are once again facing enormous opportunities for our future – whether in medical research, industry, the energy sector or, of course, across the board in the field of AI. And that’s just what comes to mind. There is, of course, much more. Let’s work together to develop new ideas that will advance us not only as a society, but also as a business location. There is potential out there, it just needs to be tapped! And by the way, we’ll have less reason to complain!
LinkedIn is great… except for…
Dear friends, I love LinkedIn. It’s the last platform that still manages to give me an interesting news feed....
Dear friends, I love LinkedIn. It’s the last platform that still manages to give me an interesting news feed. And I truly enjoy seeing what my business partners are up to.
But there’s one thing missing: a defence mechanism. I receive around ten connection requests EVERY DAY from coaches, brokers, consultants, and intermediaries. Why on earth? Does the fact that I appear to be a successful business consultant mean that I urgently need a life coach who has fewer than 100 followers?
For weeks, my tagline has read: »Requests from people who only want to sell me something are welcome. By sending me a request, you agree to pay a €500 invoice in exchange for a 10-minute call.«
But no one seems to care. These people just click without even bothering to read my text. It drives me mad. Prospecting without preparation is pointless. Honestly, good leads cost money. I could name ten people right now whom I’d gladly pay €500 for a 10-minute call with, even if I didn't want to sell them anything.
But seriously, how delusional do you have to be to think that a businessman is waiting for your cold request as a part-time life coach or sales trainer?
@LinkedIn: Please fix this! I'll even pay if you let me set a filter that says: »No requests from strangers or from people who don’t share at least ten connections with me.«
Ideally, people with fewer than ten mutual connections who want to sell something should offer something in return. This would make them valuable leads. I’d even pay for that. I'm vain enough to want to be approached with effort, creativity, and individuality, not with a one-click approach.
Federal Statistical Office: Abolish It!
Me again on reducing bureaucracy – can't we get rid of something?...
Me again on reducing bureaucracy – can't we get rid of something? Surely every country in Europe has something like a federal statistical office that constantly bothers companies with various surveys.
Well, I can understand that the government wants to know how the economy is doing. But surely not with questionnaires!
Firstly: The tax offices already have quite up-to-date data.
Secondly: How would one rethink this?
Simply have an AI select 300 companies in a country – from different industries, with different customer groups, import and export profiles. These companies would be required to transmit data in real-time. OF COURSE, in exchange for payment. Or the government provides an employee for this purpose.
Then the finance minister can simply press a button on Monday at 1:00 p.m. – and knows exactly how the economy is doing today, Monday afternoon, at 1:00 p.m.
If a bomb goes off somewhere, you can immediately see whether fewer orders come in three hours later or if people start hoarding toilet paper or leaning towards cheaper products because they want to save money.
It’s totally simple, anonymous, data-secure, and doesn't bother anyone who isn't being paid for it.
How Brussels Makes Us Big: BureaucracyBUILDUP, Now!
There are days when you read a new EU regulation and think: They can’t possibly be serious. But then – a brief moment of enlightenment – you realise: for...
There are days when you read a new EU regulation and think: They can’t possibly be serious. But then – a brief moment of enlightenment – you realise: for Jarltech, that’s not bad news at all. Because where others see nothing but chaos and paperwork in bureaucracy, we see one thing: potential! Scanner potential. Label potential. Mobile potential!
In short: sometimes Brussels delivers more growth than any marketing campaign ever could.
1. The Pizza Box Directive – when the QR Code is Served Hot
New rule: every pizza box must carry a sticker listing ingredients, allergens, CO₂ footprint and the GPS coordinates of the oven. Sounds ridiculous? Perhaps. But from the point of view of the POS industry: a feast! Naturally, such a label has to be temperature-sensitive. Suddenly every pizzeria needs a label printer, every delivery van a mobile scanner – and every customer can trace their pizza digitally.
2. The Traceable Cucumber – from Seed to Salad Bar
The EU wants to know just how bent a cucumber really is. Each one will get its own barcode at harvest, including field number, water consumption and even emotional state at picking. For us, that means: scanners in greenhouses, label printers in agriculture – the barcode grows along with the crop.
3. The Soap Dispenser with a Data Port
Hygiene 2.0: public soap dispensers will soon have to record when and by whom they were refilled – of course via scan or NFC. Sounds like a joke, but it’s almost reality. And we say: finally, IoT that stays clean!
4. The Digital Mop Bucket
In the future, every industrial cleaning agent will need to be traceable. Fill the wrong bucket, and you might soon be committing a data-protection offence. But don’t worry: with our label printers and robust handheld scanners, everything stays cleanly documented.
5. The Baker’s Digitalisation Duty
Bakery sales, 2026: every bread roll will be digitally recorded – with baking time, flour type and temperature curve. That may sound over the top, but these are exactly the kinds of ideas that emerge in Brussels. And us? We provide the scanners, the POS systems, the software.
6. Toilet Paper with Proof of Origin
Paper is patient – and soon traceable too. Every roll will carry a QR code so consumers know which forest the trusted sheet of pulp came from. We see a clear growth market here: scanners for the necessary room. Sustainable, traceable, verifiable.
7. The Barcode for Electric Cars
Every charging session will soon need to be confirmed three times – on the car, the plug and the power source. What sounds like bureaucracy is, in truth, growth!
8. Beverage Tax 2.0: The Barcode as a Receipt
When every cola, every beer and every smoothie soon requires its own tax barcode, that means: more labels, more tech, more sales.
So thank you, Brussels – for every new idea we can turn into scanners, labels and innovation.
More regulations, more opportunities!
Anyone know a decent lobbying organisation in Brussels? Maybe we should all just chip in!
Entrepreneurs as hostages – proof that Germany is no longer competitive!
Imagine this: you build a company with sweat, tears, and countless sleepless nights. Your business thrives, jobs are created, innovation flourishes. And then?...
Imagine this: you build a company with sweat, tears, and countless sleepless nights. Your business thrives, jobs are created, innovation flourishes. And then? The state – in this case, Germany – strikes: exit taxation! A fiscal nightmare that slaps handcuffs on you the moment you even think about moving abroad. Incidentally, it’s a relic from the »Third Reich«, now being sharpened even further.
For those unaware: Exit taxation (§ 6 of the Foreign Tax Act) taxes the hidden reserves in company shares as if they had been sold, merely because you change your country of residence. In other words, you pay tax on profits that don’t even exist – simply for emigrating. Madness! It treats entrepreneurs like criminals and strangles success at its roots.
This isn’t taxation – it’s extortion! Hidden reserves? The taxman pulls the rug from under your feet the moment you pack your suitcase. Want to move to Silicon Valley, where talent gathers and markets explode? Forget it! Germany taxes your success in advance, as if you were fleeing your own country.
While France and the Netherlands welcome entrepreneurs with open arms, our supposed »Economic Miracle 2.0« builds walls of legislation. The result? The best and brightest are leaving – not out of ingratitude, but sheer desperation. Tesla? Siemens? The giants survive. The small ones collapse.
Politicians prattle on about »social balance« while bleeding the economy dry. That’s pure politics of envy! Scrap it – immediately! Let entrepreneurs breathe freely, or watch as Germany turns into a ghost train. Hostages? I say: If a country has to imprison its entrepreneurs, that alone proves one thing: the location is no longer attractive.