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Career developments, new projects and personal milestones – all updates in chronological order, the most recent one first.
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- Personal ProjectNew23 September 2026
My Review Monitor is complete.
What started as a small idea has developed into a fully fledged web project of my own over the past few weeks. The Review Monitor consolidates and analyses Google reviews from branches in one central location. It makes developments visible, helps identify anomalies more quickly and enables reviews to be evaluated systematically—rather than requiring users to navigate through individual locations manually. What I found particularly interesting was building the project step by step myself: from the initial idea through to the database, admin area and user management, as well as the automated processing of review data. My aim was not simply to develop another application, but to address a real problem from day-to-day retail operations with a practical solution. Anyone who would like to take a closer look at the project and its technical background can find all the information on my website. The site also provides the opportunity to try out the Review Monitor directly in a demo environment.
View the case study - Personal23 September 2026
40. And somehow it sounds older than it feels.
Today is actually the day: 40 years. A number that, when I was younger, I would probably have thought of as “quite old”. Now that I have reached it, it surprisingly does not feel that way at all. 😄 Looking back, quite a lot has happened over these 40 years: many people, encounters and experiences, professional changes, decisions that were exactly right – and certainly a few that I would make differently today. I suppose that is part of it. The past few months in particular have shown me once again how quickly things can change. A long professional chapter is coming to an end, a new one is beginning, personal projects have taken shape and some ideas have actually become something tangible. Perhaps that is something I see more clearly at 40 than I did before: you do not have to be “finished” at some point. You are allowed to change, try new things, make mistakes, learn and, even after many years, consciously take a different direction. So today I am happy to look back – but I am actually looking forward even more. To new challenges. To the people accompanying me on my journey. To good conversations and new acquaintances. To ideas that may not even exist yet. And, of course, to a few things that I hope I can finally pretend to be an adult about at 40. 😉 40 years done. Let’s see what the next 40 have in store. But today, first of all, it is time to celebrate. 🥂🎂
- Website21 September 2026
The foundations are in place – and the journey continues
A great deal has changed on my website over the past few days. Many details have been revised, new functions added and technical processes further improved. These changes include new options for the “News” section, further improvements to the administration area and, now, direct integration with LinkedIn. New posts can therefore appear not only on my website, but also be shared automatically via my LinkedIn profile if required. After many small and larger development steps, I have now reached the point where I can say: this gives us a solid basis to work with. Even so, the website is not a finished project for me. It is intended to continue developing, remain up to date and grow with new ideas, projects and experiences. That was the underlying idea from the outset: not a static digital business card, but a place that changes with me and my work. I look forward to regularly adding new content to the site in future – and equally to making new contacts, building connections, exchanging ideas and engaging with people who are working on similar subjects. The technical foundations are in place. Now the content can grow.
- Personal Project19 September 2026
Review Monitor: Current status
The Review Monitor has made significant progress over the past few days. What began as my original idea for a clear overview of branch reviews has now become a technically functioning web application with its own data base, administration area and automated integration of external review data. The application’s basic structure is now in place. This includes the central overview, branch management, branch comparison, the review view and the settings. From the outset, it was important to me that the application should be practical to use on both desktop and mobile devices. Rather than displaying as much information as possible at once, I am focusing on the metrics that are genuinely relevant to operational work. A major milestone for me was establishing the branch management system. Several hundred locations can now be managed centrally. Users can select their own branches and monitor precisely the locations for which they are responsible. At the same time, the complete branch structure remains available in the background. Supabase provides the backend for my project. The required data is stored there in a structured format and made available to the application. I deliberately designed the frontend and backend so that the system can be expanded later without having to fundamentally redevelop the existing application each time. The most exciting step so far was integrating real review data. For this, I integrated DataForSEO. After initial controlled tests with individual locations, I was able to get the data retrieval working successfully. For me, this marks the point at which the Review Monitor has definitively moved beyond the pure prototype phase: the application no longer works only with test data, but can automatically retrieve and process real review data. The next step is to populate the existing branch inventory with historical reviews. Initially, the last 100 reviews can be imported for each branch. New reviews are then intended to be added continuously. This will gradually create an independent historical data base, making it possible to see not only the current status but also how a branch is developing over time. It was important to me not simply to run hundreds of API requests at once. I first tested individual branches to verify that the matching, data structure, storage and display were all working correctly. Only once this process was functioning did I prepare to scale it across the entire branch inventory. Particularly when using a paid external interface, I consider this approach important: test in a controlled manner first, check the results and then scale up. The presentation has also developed considerably. The overview shows, among other things, the number of branches being managed, the average rating, new reviews and critical reviews. The branch comparison allows several locations to be compared directly and developments over a period of time to be made visible. The review view, in turn, provides access to individual reviews and offers filtering by period, star rating and branch. I am particularly pleased that the Review Monitor is no longer just a visually appealing prototype. A genuine technical architecture is now taking shape behind the visible pages. Branch master data, user assignments, review data, the database and external interfaces are increasingly working together. This is precisely the point at which my original idea is becoming a genuinely usable tool. The development process itself is also an important part of the project for me. Not every technical solution worked on the first attempt. I tested functions, analysed errors, rejected certain approaches, adapted solutions and then checked them again. This process has enabled me to learn an enormous amount during development while creating a technical foundation that I can understand and continue to develop myself. Current project status: approximately 75%. The essential foundations and core areas are in place. The application works, branch management has been established and the external data source for Google reviews has been integrated. My next major step is to fully establish data provision for the entire branch inventory, reliably synchronise new reviews on an ongoing basis and then further expand the analysis and reporting capabilities. The remaining approximately 25% therefore consists less of the visible basic structure. The focus is now primarily on automation, refinement, testing, error handling and preparing the system for stable production operation. What began for me as a small idea for providing a better overview of branch reviews is increasingly developing into an independent tool for operational review management. This transition—from my initial idea to an application that actually works with real data—is currently one of the most exciting aspects of the entire project for me.
- Personal Project16 September 2026
Review Monitor – from an idea to a fully fledged application
What began as an idea for a clear and easy-to-use analysis tool has now reached an important milestone: Review Monitor is now available as a standalone web application built on a solid technical foundation. The underlying idea is simple: reviews from different branches should not have to be examined individually. Instead, the aim is to create a central application that allows users to select branches, view reviews in a structured way, filter by date ranges and compare developments. In the long term, this should turn a large number of individual customer opinions into a much clearer overall picture. Today, the main focus was on turning the existing prototype into an application that can continue to grow technically. To achieve this, the project was rebuilt as a standalone application using React, TypeScript and Vite, with proper version control through Git. At the same time, the interface was consistently developed for different devices. On smartphones, the focus is on compact navigation, while larger screens use a dedicated desktop navigation with a sidebar. Both views adapt automatically to the available screen size. The structure for working with a larger number of branches in the future has also been prepared. Branch management, selection options and review filters have been designed so that Review Monitor will eventually support not only individual locations, but also comparisons and more extensive analysis. Another important aspect was the technical foundation as a Progressive Web App (PWA). In the long term, this should make Review Monitor feel much more like a standalone application than a conventional website – both on smartphones and on computers. The first major development phase is therefore largely complete. The interface, responsive design, navigation and the application's basic structure are now in place. The next major step is the backend. Supabase will be used to store branches, reviews and other data permanently and process them centrally. This is where the next development phase begins: step by step, the application will evolve from a system that has so far worked mainly locally into a fully database-backed solution. There is still a great deal of work ahead before a finished version is available. But the difference from this morning is clear: Review Monitor is no longer just an idea or a draft. The application exists – and the technical foundation for the next steps is in place.
- Website12 September 2026
New developments on my website
Over the past few days, I have significantly expanded my personal portfolio and continued to develop it technically and in terms of content in several areas. One focus was the detailed documentation of my project „Einsatzplanung im Lebensmitteleinzelhandel V3“ (Staff Scheduling in Food Retail V3). It not only presents the finished result, but also explains how the solution is structured, which practical requirements were taken into account and which functions support users in their day-to-day staff scheduling. The full project documentation is now freely available on my website – in both German and English. At the same time, the portfolio itself has also been further developed. The English version of the website has been expanded, its content and presentation have been revised, and additional functions have been added to the internal administration area. It is important to me that this website does not simply present a conventional CV. Rather, it is intended to show how I work, which projects I develop myself and how practical challenges can be turned into concrete solutions. The „Aktuelles“ (News) section is also new. In future, I will use it to report on new projects, further developments to my website and other professional topics.
- Website08.09.2026
Launch of my personal website
What started as the concept for a digital professional profile has developed into my first personal website. It combines my professional background with selected practical projects, my working approach and voluntary commitments, alongside a personal perspective on interests outside of work. The website is not intended to be a finished project, but will instead evolve alongside my career, growing with new experiences, projects and developments.
- Career14 August 2026
The next chapter: Verkaufsleitung
With the contract signed, my next career step is confirmed: on 1 October 2026, I will start as Verkaufsleiter (area sales manager) at Netto Marken-Discount. This broadens my previous focus on processes, analysis, and operational support to include significantly greater responsibility for team leadership, store management, and commercial results.
- Personal Project10/08/2026
Retail expertise meets automation
In preparation for my new professional role, I have been looking closely at workforce scheduling in the food retail sector. This has led to the phased development of a custom Excel/VBA-based AutoPlanner – from staffing requirement and peak-time logic to automated weekly shift planning.
View project - Volunteering08/08/2026
Return to IHK examination work
Following my previous role as an examiner at the IHK für München und Oberbayern, I am continuing my voluntary involvement in examination. Since 2026, I have been serving as an examiner at IHK Halle-Dessau for the vocational qualifications Verkäufer/-in and Kaufmann/-frau im Einzelhandel (retail sales).
- Career20 June 2026
A professional chapter comes to an end
After around 19 years in retail across a wide range of roles and responsibilities, I am beginning a period of professional reorientation. My experience in branch operations, logistics, IT & organisation, and sales support provides the foundation for my next step.
View final reference & review