Accounts in your name
Where possible, external services and paid accounts are registered in your company’s name. You do not remain dependent on my invoice to retain access.
Automation · SMEs in Twente
Automate business processes
The work that returns every week — quotes, invoices, retyping — can usually be largely automated. I automate what genuinely repeats and leave the rest alone.
A secure flow
Not just the ideal route, but what could go wrong too
Automation is only useful if errors are visible and a person can intervene.
- 01TriggerA form, order, document or status change starts the flow.
- 02ValidateRequired data, format, duplicates and consent are checked.
- 03ExecuteThe integration creates, sends or synchronises only the agreed data.
- 04Human decisionPrice discrepancies, sensitive communications and uncertain AI results are held for review.
- 05Log & recoverThe error, owner and restart point are visible; nothing fails silently.
Most businesses do not lose a day to one large task, but half an hour here and half an hour there to work that is the same every week. Together, that is why you never get around to working on your own business. Automation is not about a robot taking over your work — it is about removing that recurring half-hour task, leaving you more time for the work that really matters.
After launch
Access, ownership and maintenance documented
Minimum permissions
Integrations receive only the access they need. Keys do not belong in public code and are managed separately.
Documentation
You receive a compact handover document covering the source, destination, data fields, decision rules, error path and person responsible for each step.
Maintenance as a choice
Platform changes may affect an integration. Aftercare and optional maintenance are defined in advance; no subscription quietly rolling on.
Process scan with a fixed scope: after a short intake, you receive one fixed price in advance for a process map, risks, time calculation and build recommendation. Building starts only after separate approval.
What you can automate
Four places where time is lost
Each time: what it is and what you gain when it runs automatically.
Quotes
Repeatedly copying the same details into a polished document. A quote workflow collects the details once and automatically turns them into a professional quote.
Invoices
Creating, sending and chasing invoices takes the same time every month. Much of this can happen automatically, connected to what you already use — without adding another package on top.
Email and documents
Receipts, delivery notes and forms that are entered by hand. AI reads the text and converts it into data — just as the Pantry Lab app turns a receipt into a list.
Stock and data
Figures you currently copy manually from one system to another. An integration does this accurately in the background, so your overview stays correct without manual upkeep.
My approach
Start small, measure, expand
No year-long process. One process at a time, moving on only when it works.
Review
First, we map out which work genuinely repeats and which only feels repetitive. They are not the same, and knowing the difference saves you money.
Start small
We start by automating one process that clearly repeats. Does it work well for you? Only then do we move on to the next. No large project left idle for months.
Measure
We check whether it genuinely saves time and works as intended. If not, we reverse it. You will not use automation you do not trust.
Expand or stop
Sometimes the answer is: do not automate. If manual work is faster, safer or simply more pleasant, I will say so. Honest advice matters more than a larger invoice.
What it costs and delivers
Run the numbers
Automation is bespoke, so there is no fixed price list. But the calculation is simple.
Suppose a recurring task takes you five hours a week. That is well over 250 hours a year. At a modest € 40 per hour, it takes around € 10.000 worth of your time every year — time you are not spending on customers. If automation cuts that in half, a one-off investment will usually pay for itself within a few months.
That is why I start with an initial review rather than producing a quote off the cuff: first establish what it will genuinely cost and deliver, then set the price. What you pay is a one-off investment, not an ongoing monthly subscription.
First-hand evidence
AI that takes over data entry
I do not build this only for customers — I build it into my own products.
In the Pantry Lab app, my own AI start-up tackling food waste, the camera automatically turns a product or receipt into a completed inventory list. No retyping, just a photo. That same technology — extracting text and data from images and documents — is exactly what removes the manual work around receipts, delivery notes and forms for an SME.
Questions
Frequently asked questions about automation
How much does it cost to automate business processes?
It is bespoke because the answer depends on your current process and systems. I therefore start with an intake scan to identify what is genuinely worth automating. That leads to a concrete proposal and price — not a subscription bought blindly, but an investment that pays back in time.
Do I need a major IT project for that?
No, and that is the point. I deliberately start small: one clearly recurring process first. If it works, we expand. I do not start year-long 'digital transformation' projects that nobody ends up using.
Do I need to buy a new software package?
Usually not. I prefer connecting the systems you already use instead of adding another package with a new learning curve. That saves a subscription and the frustration of learning yet another tool.
Does AI really work here, or is it just a buzzword?
In the right place, it genuinely works. Turning a photo or receipt into data, extracting text from documents and taking over repetitive typing — AI can now do these reliably. I built this into the Pantry Lab app, where the camera recognises a product and updates the pantry. Where AI is not reliable enough, I do not use it.
When is automation not advisable?
When a task occurs infrequently, differs every time, or a mistake could have major consequences and still needs human review. In those cases, automation costs more than it saves. I will say so plainly; I will not sell you a solution to a problem you do not have.
Who owns the automation and accounts?
Where possible, accounts, API keys and paid services are in your company's name. At handover, I document integrations, rights, errors and transfer. Maintenance after the agreed aftercare is optional and priced in advance.
Free and without obligation
Curious which tasks keep coming back every week?
Request the free video scan. I'll review your process and send you a video within two working days showing where time is being lost — what makes sense to address, and what does not.
Request your video scan