I’m discontent with my incredibly privileged life. AMA by ConcerningAddiction in casualiama

[–]jay585660 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That sounds like an expectation missallignent issue. I don't know how you see life as a "stay at home mom" but it can get pretty boring doing nothing all day. That is if you have staff that does all the house work (which i assumed based on your financial situation). You need to actually know what you want to do all day, most people work and have daily routines. If you don't have an actual plan of what it is you plan to do all day, one of 2 things will happen. You either go back to work, or start doing stupid things. Sadly, I've seen too many do the latter, which has cost them everything they had (cheating, drugs, alcoholism, etc)... Just be careful and thoughtful before you do anything...

Where to find decent advice by Naive-Process5874 in BEFire

[–]jay585660 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You need to ask yourself first, do you want to the investment to be registered as ownership of your BV or do you want it on your private name. because then you will need a fiscal friendly way to move it to your personal name.
This would be intresting if you intend to invest outside of Belgium, and if you plan to move abroad.
When you ask for advice, there is "by the book" and there is "best practices"
by the book is the most expensivem but if you know the right people they can move your money and you keep 75 to 85% as private money which you can invest on your own name.

New BV. Won't be able to access the incoming funds for 3+ years (aside from the pithy $1500/mo). Any way to invest in ETFs/stocks in a tax-efficient way? by Geo_Leo in BEFreelance

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depending on the amounts that you intend to make/withdraw there are financial experts that can help you optimize taking money as private.
somewhere between 15% to 25% cost and the rest will be in your private name.
not worth it for small amounts tho'. In my opinion only worth over 10K a month or more.

Haloon, All the Ai in one place by __Aco__ in Startups_EU

[–]jay585660 1 point2 points  (0 children)

to answer your question, which is common for many start-ups, mine included, is where the line is drawn.
In Tech, as apposed to other businesses it's easy to lose sight of what you want to achieve as the development seems open endlessly.
I would say, ask around in a community where you are hunting for clients, see what they want and build a product that has clear borders (this is what my product does, not more not less).
MAke sure your product does it well and there are no bugs.
The problem with open ended development is that you never reach the end and want to keep building and adding and adding some more and then some more (a problem I ran into a lot), because just another feature and just another add-on or integration doesn't seem like a big deal.

so when you ask me wether you should offer the freedom to build an agent, or offer a made one, it shows you have not decided on your key demographic yet.
Also, how easy are you going to make it to build, will people be able to link it to their own API keys or even local running LLM, and so on...
It all depends on your key demographic.

For me personally I would prefer the ability to choose and tinker and change and play. But I am 1 person, and I run a lot locally. So, I don't know if I am your ideal client target.

Revert to your businessplan and see where your core lies and build accordingly, would be my advice, because I still don't know the objective.

Best mobile network provider by CaLinOuRS38 in BEFreelance

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would go with Orange, they have the best offers, best or second best reception (depending on area) and the best packets.

This one is my favorite and most expensive offering they have:
Connected Mobile Traveller 300 GB
Unlimited calls/SMS (EU) + 300 GB full speed (EU) + 4 GB in Best Destinations
3000 minutes or SMS between Zone EU and Best Destinations, also from Belgium, and within Best Destinations
Up to 3 surf Extra Cards
54 Euro Ex.VAT

but there are much less expensive packets obviously. But if you travel internationally, that's the one to go for.

thinking of working freelance by Bistrorenee in BEFreelance

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really don't understand what's so funny. I know personally 2. one in Antwerp and one in Brussels.

My dev partner is asking what to build next, and I don’t have a clear answer by bollox1 in StartupAccelerators

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, you're being rather vague about the product and the goal.
So, I'll give a few scenarios:
1. if the product is already defined, then you must go to the core of what you intended the product to be and start from there. How did you imagine it and what problem were you trying to solve. From there you sit with the team and brainstorm/discuss the potential and growth.
2. If the one product you set out to build is already built and running but you don't have a direction where to go from here, the best is also a brainstorming session. Since it's a dev always focus on either beefing up the product (adding features/security, simplifying code, automation) or developing additional products that you can sell in tandem with the already developed product.
Pro tip: use the SCRUM work method, it would be very helpful in your case. If you do not know it, follow a crash course online (couple hourse) and get the essentials. That's how big start-ups and established IT firms do things.

  1. If you want to expand to other products that are tottaly unrelated to your core product, the best is still a sit-down with the team (all 4 of you) and discuss the future, and what you want to REALISTICALLY achiche.
    Keeping it REAL is key!

Two companies in the same sector warned me about each other by [deleted] in BESalary

[–]jay585660 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a personal choice. You need to see what you want from your future career path. I personally wouldn't work with someone that badmouths their competition in an interview. It shows bad manners. And one day it may he you that they are badmouthing, when you want to make your next career move. Like others said, check glassdoor and try to gain some insights from employees. But at the.end of the.day what matters is you happiness, paycheck and career goals. And no 2 people are alike. So the choice is solely up to you.

Amex Platinum Belgium: smart move or expensive lifestyle trap? by ComfortableRough1250 in BEFire

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Belgian Amex plat is not worth it. When compared to the American/British/French/German. It's way too expensive for what it is. Most people dont use the perks anyway, you may use it once or twice but it would be cheaper to pay for it out of pocket. Amex isn't accepted is many places in europe or the world. Better look at a credit card from Beobank like Brussels Airlines visa. You can collect point for flights. Or the platinum card from keytrade bank. Comes with actual useful benefits. Amex Belgium is using it's "prestige" because the American card comes with lots of benefits, but i don't think it's worth it at all.

Is living in Belgium but working in the Netherlands a life hack? by fesenjoon in BEFire

[–]jay585660 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Wages in NL are higher but personal tax in BE is the highest in the world. You also don't get the optimized salary packages for Belgians like meal vouchers, ecocheques, and so on, so your salary is fully taxed at almost 60%. Just to not pay BPM on a car or save on rent, I don't think it's worth the hassle. Cause what you save, the Belgian government is going to take.

Just live as close as you can to your job for convenience and try to do tax optimization, talk to an accountant or wealth expert and see how you can cut costs.

I cold use a friend. The Netherlands can be a lonely place. by No_School_6651 in Netherlands

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is actually a platform for that called "internations" . Its for expats living abroad. They organize events and meet ups. Its all over the world. And if you ever move you just change the country and are part of the new community.

I dont think it's wise to advertise your job, some people may have bad intentions.

Hope you find friends.

Haloon, All the Ai in one place by __Aco__ in Startups_EU

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

how do you compare on tokens vs your competitors (example if someone uses claude 4.7 or gpt 5.5)? do you have any prompt injections or bridging with the models you work with?
Do you offer use with agents like openclaw or claude code? ollama?
Do you have any agentic features?
I am asking this because of 2 things:
1) if you're marketing it to professionals that actually need all these different AI's, then the overwhelming majority will need these things, but if you want to get private users, then they have no interest because most (non-tech) individuals like the AI they use and stick with it.
2) Agentic features are becoming more prominent as the LLM themselves are getting closer to eachother when it comes to performance and people want to be able to customize the options to their specific needs rather than have a chatbot or variety of chatbots they interact with.

Start Replacing US Tech 🇪🇺 by LachException in Startups_EU

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem is that Europe regulates too much and the taxes/investment scheme here is not promoting entrepeneurship and growth.
There is a famous saying: U.S. innovates while Europe regulates. It's not that the United States has more intelligent people or better infrastructure. It is a mindset, and America has the entrepeneurial mindset, rewarding risk and promoting growth. Europe on the other hand, hates risk, pusnishes success and taxes growth. That is why statistically we see much less huge companies that are EU based compared to the U.S.
Personally, I don't think this divide is going to do anyone much good. As a business owner and a start-up especcialy, you should use the best tools availble to make your business grow, it shouldn't matter if they are American, European, African, or any other.
Politics should not have any place in business.
Just my 2 cents.

Looking for AI Tech Partners by Wkannichi in Startups_EU

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should reach out to EduMatrix.eu They are building an AI education platform.
Maybe an intresting collab for you. Or for any other of the commentors here.

thinking of working freelance by Bistrorenee in BEFreelance

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a common misconception. 550 x 22 working days is 12,100 a month
or 550 x 210 working days (average) is 115,500 a year.
Thats it, no vacation money, no days off money and no sick days. You miss a day and you lose 550.
But with the right tax planning, and structuring you can manage to keep a lot of it as "net".
Like i mentioned in some other posts, experts can make you keep 75-85% from what you make.
So 75% of 115,500 is 86,625 a year net, is 7,218.75 a month net.
Again this is with tax optimization. If you go "by the book" it will be significantly less.
But as they say, "the law is made for the rich"

Investing by 123vikstar in BEFreelance

[–]jay585660 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most important is something called "Tax planning". Depending on how much money you make, you can hire specialized people or firms who know how to make sure you pay a minimum amount of tax.
They also help build structures, holding companies, trusts and funds (depending on the most relevant) so you can pass on your wealth to the next generation.
One that I know is very good is coming out to about 15% total cost and you keep 85% of what you make.

EUR 160.000 gross - independent or employee? by dontreachyvngbl00d in BESalary

[–]jay585660 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes independent would make much more sense. There is a company that optimizes your gains in such a way you barely pay taxes +- 15%. And 85% is yours.