Does it pay off?
Merchant, designer, manager. You learn early: a beautiful solution that doesn’t pay off is a hobby. So is one that pays off but nobody understands.
Jonas Höttler. Software developer and consultant in Munich.
Do the math. Then build.
I build software, apps and automation. First I ask four questions. If one fails, I say so.
With Balane. For mid-sized companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
CurrentlyBuilding my own apps. Bringing AI into businesses. Writing down what holds up.
- 9 apps of my own. You can download and test every one.
- 129 articles. A few of them I would write differently today.
- 178 businesses relied on my news search. Then the provider deprecated the model.
I didn’t start with code.
Numbers first, then people, then data, then corporations. Every stop left me with a question. Today I ask all four before anyone writes a line of code.
My four questions
- Does it pay off?
- Does anyone use it?
- How do we know?
- Who hands off to whom?
My four questions
- Does it pay off?
- Does anyone use it?
- How do we know?
- Who hands off to whom?
Does anyone use it?
In my degree I learned why people work around good software. Rarely out of spite. Usually because the detour is easier for them.
How do we know?
At Hubert Burda Media I built dashboards and brought AI into newsrooms. A dashboard always looks convincing. Whether it’s right, you can’t tell by looking at it.
Who hands off to whom?
CRM for a European carmaker, with Pielen & Partner. In big companies, things rarely break inside a system. They break between two systems. Where a person carries data from left to right.
Today I ask all four questions. Before the first line of code.
Commercial, psychological, technical: three views of the same bottleneck. Then I build what fixes it.
What I have built. And what of it is still standing.
My company · Munich
Since Apr. 2025
Two systems don't talk. A person retypes in between.
My company builds software and automation for mid-sized companies, so this retyping goes away.
- Web applications & systems
- Apps & own products
- Processes & automation
More about my work at Balane
With Balane, I build software and automate processes for mid-sized businesses: web applications, apps, CRM systems and the connections between them, using n8n, Odoo or custom development. The starting point is the workflow that needs to improve.
AI & knowledge
KI Management Solutions
Tech & Product Lead · since Dec 2025
Tech and product are on me.
KI Workspace collects perspectives and real cases on how AI is used in everyday work.
Experience from my employment
Hubert Burda Media
EmployedAI in everyday editorial work.
Preparing data, automating workflows and putting AI to work.
My contribution
Python pipelines, PowerBI dashboards and AI workflows across business units.
Data · Automation · AI1.5 Years
What I did there
During my employment at Hubert Burda Media, I worked with teams across business functions on digitalisation and automation. The task: make data useful and connect new tools with established workflows.
Technologies & topics
- Python
- AI/ML
- PowerBI
- DAM Systems
- Prompt Engineering
- GPT APIs
- n8n
- Workflow Automation
Automotive industry
EmployedIT in a running business.
Production IT and sales transformation: two programmes, one group.
My contribution
IT consulting connecting business functions, architecture and rollout.
2 programmes · 15+ sitesDec. 2023 – Nov. 2025
What I did there
As an employed IT consultant, I worked on two parallel programmes for a European automotive group. In production, new plant IT for a new drivetrain generation across more than 15 sites. In sales, the move to a direct agency model, with new processes and system integrations for fleet and business customers.
Technologies & topics
- CRM
- ERP
- Produktions-IT
- Vertriebs-IT
- SQL
- Python
- PowerBI
- JIRA
- Confluence
- Agile
My resource sites
Making automation understandable
Built because something annoyed me.
This is where I ask the four questions of my own software.
Does it pay off?
Automation ShowroomiOS · AndroidLast maintainedv1.2
What I tell clients because of it
Run the numbers before you buy any automation. Your numbers, not the vendor's.
Measure bottlenecks. Work out whether automation pays.
Automation Showroomv1.2 · Jul 30, 2026Does anyone use it?
SignaScaniOSLast maintainedv1.4.4
What I tell clients because of it
Look at where people work around your process. That is exactly where nobody uses it.
Scan. Recognise text. Sign.
SignaScanv1.4.4 · Sep 16, 2026How do we know?
FlowVisualmacOS · WindowsLast maintainedv1.2.2
What I tell clients because of it
Do not trust a bottleneck nobody has measured. Simulate the process before you automate.
Simulate processes. Find bottlenecks. Understand costs.
v1.2.2 · Sep 29, 2026Who hands off to whom?
NetMutemacOSLast maintainedv2.3.10
What I tell clients because of it
Write down which tool hands which data to whom. Before you connect the next one.
Apps track you. NetMute hangs up.
v2.3.10 · Sep 28, 2026
As of Oct 20, 2026. Versions and dates from the App Store.
All apps on balane.appTell me what annoys you.
No form. No sales pitch. The process that eats hours every week. The two systems that won’t talk to each other. The idea that has been sitting there too long. I’ll tell you honestly whether I can help. If I can’t, I’ll tell you who can. Disagreement with an article is welcome too. Ideally with evidence.
