Being An Expat Entrepreneur In Spain

We have our first guest post and I am delighted to welcome Mike Cliffe-Jones to the blog as he shares his experience of being an entrepreneur in Spain with us.

Bureaucracy in Spain is Fun

I moved to The Canary Islands ten years ago and started a small real estate business as a self employed entrepreneur. Over time, it grew first into a partnership, and then into an SL (Limited Company) with four offices and dozens of staff, before we decided to franchise all our offices out and take a back seat from the day to day running of the business.

Too young and not nearly wealthy enough to retire, I reverted back to being a self employed small business man, by choosing to earn my income on line, through writing and blogging. Being an entrepreneur in Spain is both rewarding and fun!

Culture

The Spanish attitude to being self employed (Autonomo) is different to most northern European countries. It’s more common, and not as limited to “trades” like plumbers and electricians. Having multiple jobs, or multiple sources of income is quite common, and the Spanish are naturally entrepreneurial in that sense.

As a result there is little stigma attached to being self employed, and getting support or loans from the bank is pretty much as easy as for employed people*.

Bureaucracy

This is an area at which Spain excels! Nothing is really that complicated or expensive to do here, but everything has a bureaucratic process – a licence or a certificate. For that reason I would advise anyone planning on creating a self employed income, to hire an Asesoria. Asesorias are a sort of cross between an accountant and a lawyer, and you’ll find them all over the place. Their charges are reasonable, and they will arrange all the little bits of paper you need to trade legally.

When it comes to presenting your accounts, your asesoria will do most of the work for you, and they will normally charge you a monthly fee to take care of things.

Costs

Here in The Canaries we enjoy special taxation – I have paid less than 18% of my income in tax since I have lived here, which has been quite pleasant! But a cost you should allow for is social security payments, which are currently around €250 for a self employed person. This will cover a spouse and dependent children as well.

Opportunity

Spain is a land of opportunity. Remember that until less than 35 years ago, we were still a fascist dictatorship, and although Spaniards have embraced democracy and the spirit of the entrepreneur, they are still learning.

I see business opportunities every day, and I’ve started half a dozen small companies and sold them on over the years.

When you add in the huge range of options for on line businesses – the world really is your oyster!
Mike Cliffe-Jones blogs at Mike’s Life and is the author of the best selling book Beyond Blogging. You can also find him everywhere on line, just Google Mike CJ.

Originally posted 2010-01-13 23:55:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter