Executive Summary 

We knew that Germany's vibrant freelance community faced major hurdles in dealing with bureaucracy: Collecting essential documents like Einkommensbestätigung (income statement) and Prüfungsbericht (audit report) was often a bureaucratic nightmare. This problem became even more apparent when we teamed up with a dedicated tax advisor who echoed the same sentiments. We were determined to come up with a solution. That’s why we launched Tax Germany. 

This innovative fintech solution wasn't just about building an app; it was about addressing a critical, everyday need. We're incredibly proud to say it resonated with freelancers in Germany, helping hundreds of customers in just five months and earning positive feedback and praise for its efficiency and ease of use. This case study shares how, by staying focused on the customer and having an iterative approach, we demonstrated how to turn complex challenges into impactful, scalable solutions that genuinely help people. 

The Bureaucratic Labrinth Facing Freelancers in Germany

Germany’s 1.5 million-strong freelance economy faces significant administrative hurdles and inefficiencies. German-based freelancers face considerable bureaucratic red tape in their efforts to gather documents like Einkommensbestätigung (income statement) and Prüfungsbericht (audit report), which are essential for securing visa extensions, housing, and even basic financial operations.

The traditional process for obtaining these documents is notoriously slow, sometimes taking up to months, and requires frequent back-and-forths with overburdened tax advisors using outdated methods. Such a challenging situation reflected the need for a dedicated, efficient, and accessible solution.

To act on this opportunity for innovation, partnered with a dedicated tax advisory firm to develop TaxGermany, a service enabling the quick and easy collection of essential financial documents in a fraction of the time typically required. This limits overhead and increases efficiency in a vital sector. 

TaxGermany exemplifies WBP’s commitment to co-developing hybrid financial tech solutions through a methodical development cycle, meticulous testing, and a deep understanding of its partner’s operational environment.

Our Approach to Building a TaxTech Solution for the Future 

Our strategy for developing TaxGermany was rooted in two core principles: relentless customer centricity and iterative development. By developing a strong understanding of customer needs, working closely with our tax advisor partners, and continually iterating the product until we felt it met the demands of our audience, we were able to put TaxGermany in the best position to succeed. 

Step 1: Finding a Partner for Long-Term Collaboration

Our journey began by directly engaging with the certified tax advisor. Together, we identified the core problems faced by freelancers, and then we browsed through the urgent emails of freelancers, and their panic and time sensitivity were shouting at us. 

We aligned with the Tax partner on the need to go live with the most critical and complex report that freelancers often request. The partnership was ripe, and we set off to sign a contract as revenue-sharing partners. This partnership quickly led us to focus on the most pressing need of the freelance community, choosing to tackle this challenge head-on with the Freelancer App, a key product under the broader Tax Germany umbrella. 

This wasn't a traditional client-vendor relationship; it was a true collaboration, formalizing our commitment to shared success right from the contract stage. We were prepared to have skin in the game, offering reduced initial rates and tying our remuneration to the product's success through revenue or equity sharing. This meant our goals were perfectly aligned: if Tax Germany thrived, so did we.

Step 2: Discovery, Customer Interviews, and Prototyping

With a clear understanding of the problem and a shared vision, we swiftly moved into the design process. Our focus was on creating an intuitive user experience, minimizing the friction faced by freelancers. 

This began a period of rapid prototyping, development, and rigorous testing. In just three months, we built TaxGermany’s core designs, basic form functionality. This included streamlining the notoriously complex audit report (Prüfungsbericht) process. We also built a lightweight homepage for potential clients with links to our products and a basic FAQ section that was informed by customer interviews and reading freelancer emails to better understand their precise needs and pain points. 

While the website still had some way to go, it was functional and served its purpose, setting the stage for our initial launch. 

Step 3: Customer Feedback Loop

The rapid development cycle enabled us to deliver a product to early users quickly, before testing our assumptions in a real-world environment. This was a more reasonable option than going for a lengthy and speculative development process. 

Our first real test was a soft launch to our first 10 customers. This wasn’t just a deployment but the beginning of a continuous feedback loop. Like any new product, the initial introduction to consumers came with a few small fixes that needed to be made. Crucially, these were all fixable, and the core product itself was validated.

Rapid iterations and the deployment of fixes addressed the initial hiccups, enabling us to focus on enhancing the user experience (UX) in areas where we observed drop-offs, thereby ensuring a smoother journey for users. 

Customer satisfaction remained our top priority, and through effective communication, we ensured that we rewarded our early customers for their patience as we addressed the outstanding issues. After a few intense weeks, the application stabilized, and new customers were onboarded without any hassle. 

Step 4: Continuous iteration 

But the job is never truly over. Even with a stable and successful app, our commitment to continuous development remains unchanged. We’re always gathering feedback, analyzing data, and planning new features to launch, ensuring Tax Germany continues to evolve and meet the ever-changing needs of Germany’s freelance community.

We built this product around our users' needs, and that spirit continues to drive us forward. 

Delivering a Full-Service Fintech Solution 

TaxGermany offers a complete service suite that addresses a major hurdle facing freelancers and holding companies. By streamlining the process of acquiring essential documents, it adds efficiency to a previously time-consuming process, reducing document delivery times from several weeks to just three business days. 

Some of the key features that stand out include: 

• Consolidated Services: A one-stop solution for income confirmations (Einkommensbestätigung), audit reports (Prüfungsbericht), and net profit determinations (Gewinnermittlung).

• Automation & Compliance: Automated client onboarding, ensuring transparency and full GDPR compliance.

• Cost-friendly Solution: Providing a cost-effective and time-saving alternative to traditional tax accountants.

• Multilingual Support: Primarily English, with German support available, catering to Germany's diverse freelance community.

Success Metrics and User Validation

TaxGermany recently surpassed 130 customers and continues to scale. To date, the app has reached several important performance milestones that stand as a testament to our iterative, customer-centric methodology and sound technical principles: 

• Reduced document turnaround time by 94% from 2–3 weeks to just 1 day.

• Earned 100% 5-star feedback from 33 verified Google reviews validating customer trust and satisfaction.

• 0 security incidents, underpinning our commitment to delivering secure products and services, including an emphasis on data security, privacy, and compliance.

• 150+ customers served in just 4 months.

• Maintained 99.5% crash-free sessions, ensuring platform reliability.

• Achieved a 45% signup-to-payment conversion rate, significantly higher than typical SaaS benchmarks.

• Revenue-positive from day one; immediate ROI from launch without a burn-in period.

• Full GDPR Compliance.

Our product is engineered for enterprise-grade performance, featuring key integrations with major software. The backend is built on Java and the Spring Boot framework, ensuring robust scalability and reliability. For the frontend, we deliver a fluid and responsive user experience with React.js, deployed on Vercel for optimal performance and global content delivery. 

Because our platform handles sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII), ensuring security is a top priority. Tax Germany adheres to strict OWASP standards to proactively mitigate vulnerabilities, while our use of PostgreSQL and rigorous data protocols ensures data integrity and GDPhR compliance. The service is powered by Digital Ocean and Cloudflare, with secure payments managed through Stripe. 

Beyond the numbers and tech stack, the real impact is best described by our users themselves: