What does AI really cost when I start?+
The audit is EUR 2,490. A first implementation is between EUR 8,000 and 25,000 one-off plus roughly EUR 50 to 200 per month for API costs (Claude, OpenAI), hosting (Vercel, Supabase) and optional n8n cloud. No hidden license kickbacks.
How fast can I see results?+
Audit report after 2 weeks. First productive implementation after 4 to 8 weeks. Honest Mittelstand realism, not "PoC in 3 days" marketing.
Who does the work? You or a team in Asia?+
Me. Manuel Heider, personally. No subcontracting to low-cost countries, no junior consultants behind a senior logo. On larger projects I pull in one or two named DACH freelancers I know. You hear about that first.
What about data protection and GDPR?+
Mandatory in every audit. I work with EU hosting (Hetzner, Supabase EU, Vercel EU), Anthropic zero-retention setups where possible and write the DPA in plain language. When in doubt I say "this is not GDPR compliant" even when you want it.
Why not just hire a bigger agency?+
Because big agencies often sell AI without running an AI platform themselves. I am building Vecura (AI property management) and Aria (autonomous AI assistant) in the open. The same patterns land in your solution. You get hands-on experience, not "we do AI now too".
What if I do not have a use case yet?+
That is what the audit is for. 80 percent of my customers start without a clear use case. Together we find the three that save you money or give you time back.
Can I just buy sparring time?+
Yes. 15 minutes intro call free, then EUR 250 per hour sparring. But the audit is almost always the better entry point.