CEO Blog | Jarltech.com

CEO Blog

01/12/2025

Dear doctors, what exactly is going on with sick notes these days?

The average number of sick days is rising… relentlessly....

The average number of sick days is rising… relentlessly. Soon the amount of sick leave taken by employees will even exceed the statutory minimum holiday entitlement. And yet it was assumed that, because of the extensive working-from-home rules, the number of sick days would actually go down on average. But they aren’t. This leads to an enormous economic burden. And do doctors share some of the responsibility?

First of all, if doctors are all so good, why are people ill so often? And secondly, shouldn’t we perhaps point out to the doctors – typically high earners – what their actual position in the economy is? Here’s the hard truth: doctors generally make no contribution whatsoever to net economic output. Doctors are paid by the collective of health-insurance contributors – a compulsory levy. Even the taxes doctors pay in abundance are, in the end, funded by the same insured community.

So why do doctors harm this very community so often? Because it costs them nothing? I’ve just looked at around 200 sick notes in my company. Why do they always run from Monday to Friday? Wouldn’t Monday to Thursday be enough sometimes? I’ve never seen that happen.

And what I also have never seen are »restricted« sick notes. A doctor can quite easily classify an employee with an injured foot as »unfit to drive«, which would allow the employer to have them work from home or pay for a taxi. Or a doctor could give a recommendation such as: »The employee is suffering from a contagious illness but can easily work five hours a day, should be allowed to sleep in, and must avoid contact with other people.« An employer is bound by such a note – and may or may not still be able to make use of the employee.

But as I said: I have never seen anything like that in 33 years as an employer. Frankly, it’s a scandal – and perhaps it’s time to consider whether employers might, one day, have a claim for damages based on such omissions. I’d be in favour of that!

11/11/2025

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.

27/10/2025

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.

20/10/2025

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!

16/10/2025

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.

10/10/2025

Lies about AI

There are constant lies about the impact of artificial intelligence. Supposedly no jobs will be lost – no, new ones will be created, maybe somewhere else.

...

There are constant lies about the impact of artificial intelligence. Supposedly no jobs will be lost – no, new ones will be created, maybe somewhere else.

Not seriously. For most parts of Europe, that’s complete nonsense. We had the revolution of the internet, the steam engine – always during boom times. Right now, we’ve got zero boom. Germany just had, one after the other, the two best governments in the world, while in France nobody even knows if there actually is a government at the moment. And we won’t get anywhere by fooling citizens into thinking AI isn’t going to kick anyone out of their job.

Let’s be honest: Who’s still going to be doing manual data entry in five years? Do I still need a car mechanic master? AI checks faster where the problem is and tells the apprentice: »Screwdriver, go.« And chimney sweeps? In winter, AI uses thermal images to show who’s pulling clean and who isn’t – done, job finished.

Spin it further: Architects will need at most twenty percent of their time, building authorities can really be fully automated now.

My call to all of you: Think about whether your job is future-proof. Whoever hasn’t done any training in the past twenty years will drop out anyway. For everyone else, I see a huge opportunity – but only if you stay ahead. And if you’re too lazy in the evening to watch three videos about AI… well, then you lose. Rightly so.

21/08/2025

Why AI is No Longer Just for Nerds – A Case for Getting Started

Hello, dear readers of my CEO blog! It's me again, your CEO, with a topic that's been on my mind a lot lately: Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short....

Hello, dear readers of my CEO blog! It's me again, your CEO, with a topic that's been on my mind a lot lately: Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short. I used to think AI was just a sci-fi thing from movies like »The Matrix« – machines taking over the world. But hey, reality is more exciting and closer than you think. That's why I believe everyone should at least have a basic understanding of AI. Why? Let me explain in simple terms.

First of all: AI is everywhere. Whether you notice it or not, it's in your smartphone suggesting the best route to work, in Netflix recommending series, or in your car automatically braking. As a CEO, I see it daily in our company: AI optimises processes, analyses data in seconds, and helps us make better decisions. Imagine being in a meeting and AI provides real-time insights – it saves time and nerves!

But why is this important for everyone? Because AI is changing the world, and it's doing so rapidly. Think about jobs: many routine tasks are being automated, which is great because it frees us up for creative work. But if you don't engage with it, you risk falling behind. I mean, imagine your colleague is using AI tools like ChatGPT to write reports, and you're still stuck with Excel. It feels like the Stone Age versus the modern era.

And no, you don't have to become a programming guru. Basic knowledge is enough: understand what AI can and cannot do. For example, it's great at pattern recognition, but creativity and ethics still require real people. In our team, we've held workshops – nothing complicated, just the basics. It helped everyone reduce fear and see opportunities.

Let's talk about the benefits: AI makes life easier. For businesses, this means more efficiency, higher profits, and innovations we couldn't have imagined yesterday. Personally? You can use AI to learn – ask it for recipes, language tips, or even career advice. I recently asked AI how to improve my blog, and boom, great ideas!

But beware: there are also downsides. Data protection, bias in algorithms, or job losses – these need to be discussed. That's why you should engage with it, to have a say. As a society, we need informed people who use AI ethically. Otherwise, only the tech giants will decide. Why now? Because AI is growing exponentially. Look at what's happened in recent years: from image generation to autonomous systems. If you wait, you'll be the last one at the starting block. My advice: start small. Read books like »Superintelligence« by Nick Bostrom (it's an easy read!), watch tutorials on YouTube, or try out tools like Grok or Midjourney.

In my company, we're integrating AI gradually – and it's paying off. Revenues are rising, employees are more motivated. You as an individual? You'll become more productive and stay relevant. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your phone, ask AI about »AI for beginners« and get started.

In summary: AI is not the future – it's now. Everyone should learn the basics to play along instead of just watching. What do you think about AI? Please let me know!

Until the next post – your CEO.

11/03/2025

Chatting with the CEO

Some CEOs never have time for anything – they are always busy, always stressed. That’s true, for the most part. But above all, a CEO needs to prioritise....

Some CEOs never have time for anything – they are always busy, always stressed. That’s true, for the most part. But above all, a CEO needs to prioritise. He needs to know what is important.

Ok, so what is important currently? To me, it’s important that I don’t lose touch with our customers. I want to know what challenges and chances we are facing. What do our customers need right now? How can we best support them? In which area could we improve?

That’s why I started the Jarltech CEO chat. Starting now, customers who are logged in to the webshop have the opportunity to chat with me. Of course, I will not be available all the time, but I will make time to be available on a regular basis, and as often as I can.

So, the next time you are logged in to our website and you see the chat symbol with my name on it, try it out for yourself! I look forward to chatting with you!

03/03/2025

Europe 2025

Naturally, the current economic situation in Germany, as well as that in Europe, is heavily on my mind....

Naturally, the current economic situation in Germany, as well as that in Europe, is heavily on my mind. After all, I am a business owner who is responsible for 430 employees. What I am missing, however, is a clear political direction in terms of the economy. Does our European policy have any answers?

Let me put it this way: As a medium-sized entrepreneur in the year 2025, I have a plate full of challenges every day. We must constantly ask ourselves the question, how do we make our business even more sustainable? Sustainability has long since ceased to be a trend and has become something of a must.

Digitalisation is another hot topic. Whether that means automating processes, upgrading our IT infrastructure or sensibly implementing AI – you cannot afford to simply do nothing. At the same time though, we are struggling with heaps of bureaucracy. It would be so nice if the regulatory jungle would be streamlined a little, so that we do not need to battle mountains of paperwork each month. And no, I don’t mean in the sense of Elon Musk.

Then there is the matter of the skilled labour shortage. The demographic change is real, and it is beating down our labour market. On a European level we are discussing migration, but the discussion is (more or less) one-sided. It is an important discussion, but it must be comprehensive and not only conducted in a one-dimensional way. How do we deal with this change and how do we attract qualified specialists? This is a relevant factor in remaining competitive.

And, as you already know, we think outside the box: Geopolitical uncertainties and an ever-changing global playing field require us to remain flexible and agile. Whether it is retail, customs duties, energy prices or international conditions of competition – we must have Plan B ready to go – economy and politics together.

In short: Europe 2025 offers us many challenges but also enormous potential. European entrepreneurs want to lead the way and shape the future, but we need sensible framework conditions and planning security from politicians!

1
2
3
4
5
…
Next page
Last page