Thats not how we do business in Spain!

La Herradura is beautiful. A tiny bay on the green-blue Mediterranean coast. Everybody who comes to visit me says, “It’s really beautiful!” So you pack your bags and you move to the Granada coast, buy a house and look for work. Alas, there is none. What to do, what to do? Go and set up a business. Licenses? Facturas? Seguridad Social? IVA? How does it work? Who should I ask? Didn’t know it would be so different!

La Herradura does not only look different, clocks go differently, customs are different, people are different. I personally get a real hysteric fit when I think of this old guy who has a garage to rent and thinks because you’re from the North, you are a stupid millionaire. His garage is a plain piece of brickwork, painted white. You’ve got to put everything in to make it an office: the windows, doors, toilets, floor… everything! He still asks 500€ per month for 20 m² floorspace in a village. “Eh, and you can’t take things with you or get refund when you leave!” says he. So I go “Well, if I make your shed a shop, can I have it for 100 € less for the first year?” – “Ah no-o-o!” he waves his index finger like a windscreen wiper in front of my nose, ” this is not how we do business in Spain!”. Me thinks, this is not doing business at all!

Now, this man is just one example of many on this earth who I don’t consider very clever and who I don’t want to do business with. And the good news is, I don’t have to. There are numerous experts available on the Coast who have a more familiar sense of business, be they Spanish, British, German, Dutch, Scandinavian or other. In fact, I believe we have a really great international community here and I am happy to introduce you to the very person you need.

This is my job.

What is your’s?

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