Jun 1, 2020 | Business, Collaborative, Relocation
Moving your family to Spain is a big decision. Telling family and friends about your decision can be pretty daunting; it takes time to find the right home and the right schools for your children. It’s not a decision you make lightly.
It can be even more of a challenge if you run a home business. On the one hand, running a business means that you don’t need to worry about finding a job in a different country and that you might be able to carry on as you are. But, the practicalities of keeping your business going during the move, and making money in a new country can be tricky.
It can certainly be worth it, however. Moving your home, your family and your business to a different country is a chance to have a different kind of life. One with freedom, flexibility and sun! So, here are some tips to help you to keep your business going while you relocate, and to get set up again as you settle into your new adventure.
Here are some tips for Keeping Your Home Business Going During a Relocation:
Get a Virtual Address
Having your mail redelivered can be tricky enough if you are moving down the road and don’t have a home business. We’ve all had mail lost during a home move. This can be a disaster if you run a business, and you are in a different country, unable to chase important letters. A PhysicalAddress.com po box can make the whole process much more straightforward, avoiding potentially costly mistakes and missed business.
Schedule Any Downtime and Let Your Customers Know
As much as you’d love to keep your business going, it may not be possible to relocate your life without taking a little time off. Schedule and automate what you can, even hiring a VA or someone to run things for you while you are busy moving. But, if you need time off, schedule it in, plan for it, and let your customers or clients know how long you’ll be away from your home office.
Get Your Internet Set-Up
One of the key ingredients to running a successful home business, whatever country you are based in, is a stable and quick internet connection. Make sure you are connected as quickly as possible in your new home.
Pack Business Materials Separately
Pack your home office separately, and clearly mark it so it can all move into your new office asap. Within this, make sure important documents and files, as well as anything that you can’t possibly work without, are separate and labelled.
Prepare Insurance
Your business insurance will need updating if you are working from a new address, whatever country it is in. Your home insurance for your new home will also need to reflect any equipment or machinery that you keep in your new house.
Get To Know Your Local Market
If your business operates primarily online, you may be able to pick up where you left off, still serving the same customer base. But, even then, and especially if you serve people face to face, you should get involved in your new community, meeting other local business owners and getting to know your new local market.
Keeping Your Home Business Going During a Relocation can be a challenge but it is certainly worth the effort. If you play your cards right and take the right steps from the outset, you’ll be enjoying more time with family and friends in a beautiful new country, before you know it!
NEW Online Course for a succesful Move To Spain .
In our new online course, we include lots of information about costa and procedures for starting and running a business in Spain.
Jan 13, 2020 | Business, Guests, Life
In a culture that greatly values youth and beauty, skincare is a huge priority for Spaniards. Of all the countries in the world, Spain ranks 13th among the top 15 spenders in the skincare market. The country’s consumers are constantly on the lookout for the most effective and scientifically-backed products, which explains why products from Nu Skin Spain are rising in popularity.
Everything Nu Skin does is driven by science and the desires of its target audience. As a global distributor, Nu Skin has many cultures to appease, but by combining aspects of science and nature, the company is able to appeal to a broad audience. Its product range has something for everyone. This article will overview some of the most popular products in Spain’s market and how they’ve been proven in clinical trials.
Spain’s Beauty Ideals and Practices
When walking the streets of Spain, you’re bound to see bright, dewy, and seemingly age-resistant complexions that appear to defy environmental factors and the passage of time. While Spaniards are minimalist when it comes to makeup, skincare is something they take very seriously — especially in their constantly sunny country. Natives are careful to avoid sunbathing, knowing that the sun is a huge factor in ageing and skin cancer. They’re diligent with using sunscreen and moisturizer; they eat a well-balanced diet, and they follow a strict skincare routine to keep their skin as youthful as possible.
Spaniards also make an effort to stay informed about potentially harmful ingredients in skincare products. There’s a new demand within the country for botanical ingredients and formulations that have been proven to work. Nu Skin’s product lines support this growing demand, and here’s how.
Carefully Selected Ingredients
Spaniards value high-quality raw materials and potent ingredients, and Nu Skin delivers exactly that in all its products. Its scientific teams actively search out “all of the good,” meaning they work around the clock to identify the best high-quality ingredients for its skincare lines. By utilizing naturally derived materials and synthetic boosters for over three decades, the company has seen marked results in clinical trials.
Spain’s Best-Selling Skin Care Products
Epoch Baobab Body Butter
Two aspects of life in Spain make this all-over moisturizer so popular; the first is that most people bathe in hard water, which can have a harsh drying effect on the skin. The second is that oil is a huge commodity there, especially in beauty products, and Epoch Baobab Body Butter is abundant in natural oils that support smooth, supple skin.
Scientifically speaking, the baobab fruit pulp extract is a humectant and emollient that prevents dryness and conditions the skin to help it retain more moisture for longer. Together with the macadamia nut oil, which mimics the effect of the skin’s natural sebum, this monounsaturated fatty acid can easily be absorbed and maintain the skin’s natural water barrier.
180 Face Wash
Skincare isn’t just for the women of Spain. Men, too, are conscious of their skin health. The 180 Face Wash was designed with both genders in mind to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and improve skin texture while minimizing the impact of spots caused by Spain’s ever-blazing sun. When combined, vitamin C, sesame oil, soybean oil, grape seed extract, and ginseng extract work together to even out skin tone, prevent moisture loss, reduce free radicals, and tighten the skin.
ageLOC Radiant Day SPF 22
Spain is sunny for 295 days of the year on average, which doesn’t make it easy to maintain the light complexion favoured by those who live there. As such, the ageLOC Radiant Day SPF 22 has become a must-have product for a Spaniard’s skincare arsenal. This SPF contains a powerful anti-ageing blend of ingredients (including jojoba, shea butter, bamboo extract, and ageLOC) that scientifically stimulate youth cell turnover, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and ensure easy absorption by the skin.
Scientific Research Leading to ageLOC Product Line
Anti-ageing science is a hot topic in the beauty industry right now. People all over the world are desperately seeking the secret to eternal youth, and Nu Skin is making strides toward revealing those secrets and making solutions available.
Wrinkles are a direct result of extracellular matrix depletion, which causes the skin to lose its elasticity. This depletion can be attributed to environmental factors including the sun’s UV rays or smoking, which can destroy the elastic tissue that keeps the skin looking young. Science has discovered that select antioxidants and vitamins can reduce the appearance of ageing and protect the skin from sun damage.
In 2017, Aging Cell published a study conducted by scientists from LifeGen Technologies and Nu Skin. The purpose of the study was to determine healthy patterns of gene expression in various tissues and use them to discover ingredients for their formulas with the same healthy-ageing patterns.
The experiment was successful; Nu Skin identified some of the genes that impact how we look while we age. This led researchers to conclude that healthy ageing can be supported by combining ingredients that mimic healthy ageing in a variety of tissues and applying them to skincare products.
These ingredients were named super markers, and today, Nu Skin’s ageLOC science targets those super markers to influence the way people age. ageLOC technology creates a balance of super markers with their youthful genetic patterns and applies this science in Nu Skin product development.
Browse Nu Skin Spain’s Anti-Aging Product Range
Whether you live in Spain or elsewhere in the world, you can browse Nu Skin’s product range to find a solution that suits your needs. With more than 200 personal care products, you’re sure to find exactly what you need to look and feel great — inside and out.
Aug 5, 2014 | Business, Relocation
I’ve been working from home in Spain for just over two years now. And, you know what, I absolutely love it! I’ll show you why later.
Admittedly, working from home is not for everyone. However, for many people currently moving to Spain, it is a very popular option. As demographics are changing, families and couples are no longer moving over, looking to set up bars and restaurants (the expat “dream of the past”), many are able to work remotely, commuting where necessary ( ie. traveling overseas to work for periods of time and returning to Spain to enjoy the lifestyle) or, conducting the majority of their business via the internet and mobile devices.
The view from the office in my garden.
In this article, I am looking at the working from home in Spain idea and not working remotely. For different options for working remotely, that can also be implemented in Spain, read “Working remotely doesn’t mean you should work from home“. This will give you an alternative take on working from home or remotely and other options to consider. When you have read his opinions, you can read my own thoughts and then hopefully decide which is best for you.
If you research articles about “working from home” or “why work from home”, you will find lots of information about how you can convince your employer to allow you to let you work from home. They include reasons such as …
- With the advent of smartphones, laptop computers, and remote technology, studies show that even for many organizations, the advantages of having a plan in place for remote workers far outweigh the costs.
- With all the hurdles employees face simply getting to the office five days a week, the potential for costly absenteeism and inefficiency is definitely cause for concern. Remote working avoids this.
- Studies have shown that stay-at-home workers are actually more productive than their cubicle counterparts and they report higher rates of job satisfaction.
Ref: http://www.salary.com/a-work-from-home-argument-your-boss-can-t-refuse
In all honesty, I’m not bothered about that. I’m not interested in keeping the boss happy. I’m talking about being the boss. I’m talking about you. I’m talking about me. I’m talking about working for yourself in Spain. I’m talking about why I, and maybe you, realise why working from home in Spain really does rock.
So, let me tell you my story …
About five years ago, my children had both started school in Mijas Pueblo. I decided the time had come to get back to work and look at regenerating my business. I decided that there was too much distraction at home and I needed my own space. A proper workspace.
After some initial research, I came across a small office in Mijas Pueblo. It was ideally located across the road from the children’s school. This meant we could all go up to the village together in the morning, the children went to school and I went to the office. At 2pm, when school finished, we all headed home for lunch. If I had to schedule afternoon meetings or had other tasks to complete, I would sometimes head back to the office in the afternoons, often when the children had after school activities.
This was great. For awhile. Then I started to get busier. I was using my office less. People were asking why my office was always closed. It wasn’t usually closed, I just made it look like it was to stop people “popping in”. After all, my whole reason for renting an office was to get my own space. People “popping in” invaded that space. I had started to feel trapped between four walls. It was almost like working for somebody else. That feeling that you had to be there at the times stated on the door. Even though, I had chosen the times and the advertised opening times were rapidly diminishing.
I started to consider the cost of my new “proper workplace”. On top of the extra rent and insurance policies, I was now also paying duplicate phone and internet lines, electricity and water bills. Did it make sense?
Actually, no. It didn’t.
So, I gave up my office and decided to work from home.
Skype chats with clients from here.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make. I had to fight with my own mind and with what I believed to be peoples’ perceptions. Particularly in Spain, I think we are lead to believe that a “real business” has an office. A “real business” does not just have a mobile phone number for contact. With all the scamming and scaremongering that has been talked about and sadly, is often true, about expat businesses in Spain, I was afraid that by giving up my office, I would no longer be considered as a “real business”.
However, that preconceived idea is wrong. An office and a landline will not protect you from people who intend to take your money and not provide a good service. Nor does a lack of an office and the use of a mobile phone mean that you will not receive a good service from a “real business”. For some reason, living and working in Spain can be very different from in many other countries.
Fortunately for me, my clients supported and respected my decision. They congratulated me on what they understood to be a difficult decision. They continue to promote my business and refer others to me. I thank and respect my wonderful clients for this.
If you have your own successful and reputable business, you have the freedom to decide where you prefer to work from when you move to Spain. With modern technology, we have freedom. If you are moving to Spain and planning to run your own business here, make sure you keep this at the front of your mind when looking for a place to live.
So, what advantages do I enjoy by working from home in Spain?
- I can stay in my PJ’s or swimwear as many hours as I chose.
- I can work my hours around our children and our family life.
- I can walk the dog anytime I just need to get out and clear my head.
- If I get hot and need a break, I can jump in the pool.
- We enjoy sit down family meals almost every day of the week.
- The fact the children finish school at 2pm is not an issue.
- I can schedule my meetings and Skype calls to fit around day trips and pool visits.
- I now only pay one phone and internet bill (actually the SL Company does).
- Our SL Company pays a monthly rent for using space in our house (rather than me paying somebody else to rent an office).
- I enjoy client meetings in cafes that serve excellent coffee and place with stunning views.
- I feel free.
- I feel creative.
- I look forward to “going to work”.
Which option is best for you? Carry out your research and make an educated decision. I cannot stress enough, the importance of a good gestor and accountant. The future lies ahead … Enjoy!
A great way to clear your head 😉
Here are a few related articles you may like to read …
Do what you love. Love what you do.
Business In Spain … A Crazy Idea or a Concept?
Setting Up a Business in Spain – Autonomo 1
Starting a Business in Spain: The cost of setting up an SL
All of the videos on our YouTube Moving to Spain with Children series were filmed at home:
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Sep 22, 2014 | Business, Life
Whether you are living in Spain or moving to Spain, having a reliable currency transfer advisor can save you a lot of money.
The following article is the first of monthly updates from Foreign Currency Direct that we will be sharing with you.
Here’s the latest currency update news for september 2014:
Following an extremely volatile few weeks for the Pound we finally have the decision from the Scottish referendum and Scotland has decided to stay with the U.K.
We saw a huge turnout as far as voting goes (84%) which just goes to show how much this has captivated Scotland and divided opinion north of the border.
Sterling has had a roller coaster ride against all major currencies over the past few weeks as polls have swung back and forth both ways after we had months of the markets almost assuming we would see a No vote.
More importantly what this means for the Pound is that it has bought both economic and political certainty to the U.K for the time being, both of which should give the Pound a little strength in the coming days.
Investors and speculators alike hate uncertainty and the mere fact that the referendum had seemingly been in the balance has been holding Sterling back recently even with fairly solid economic data still being released almost on a daily basis.
Sterling exchange rates have moved around three and a half cents from high to low against the Euro, four cents against the Dollar and ten cents against the Australian Dollar in the past two weeks as the markets try to second guess just what would happen with the vote.
Finally this morning the time has come and I am pleased to say the U.K will indeed remain as one and now hopefully politicians and the Bank of England can fully concentrate on pushing the economy forward as a whole, rather than having to unravel an exceedingly complicated tangle that may have cast a grey cloud over the Pound and kept it weak for months to come.
So what does this mean for me if I have currency to exchange?
Being an unprecedented situation, nobody really knows the exact impact this will have on Sterling but in my personal opinion I now feel that the Pound will kick on and gain a little strength over major currencies and heads can now turn towards if or indeed when interest rates may rise.
For those looking to sell foreign currency I would say now could be the time to secure your exchange rate. If you take the Euro as an example, it was only a few weeks ago that the European Central Bank not only cut interest rates but also indicated a few changes in Fiscal policy coming up. Most notable of these is QE (Quantitative Easing). QE can generally weaken a currency once put into place and was one of the big reasons we saw both Sterling and the Dollar weaken a lot over the past few years. In my opinion once the dust has settled over the referendum the focus will come back on to Europe which still has huge problems to tackle and I feel the Euro could be in for a tough time of things.
One must remember however we have crossed this bridge before and The Euro is a powerful beast. Only two years ago most analysts expected a rise through 1.30 when the Euro had even more problems than they do today and within a few months it was back below 1.20.
In essence the key thing you need to make sure you do is to keep in close contact with a currency broker no matter what your requirement in these particularly volatile times.
Here at FCD we pride ourselves on not only the very best rates of exchange but also in being extremely proactive for our clients, making them aware of any spikes in their favour or drops against them. We can’t let you know if we aren’t aware of what you are looking to do so make sure you. Contact us to place a rate alert in FCD’s system to make sure you do not miss out on a great opportunity.
There is very little out in terms of economic data today so I would imagine we will see the reaction to the no vote take centre stage throughout the day.
Sterling is trading at over a two year high against the Euro, a two week high against the Dollar and the highest we have seen against the Australian Dollar since March this year.
If you would like to speak with one of our experienced and knowledgeable traders about any currency pairing then click the banner below to request a call back or contact Lisa from Family life in Spain and we will contact you.
Jun 12, 2014 | Business, Life
We receive numerous emails and requests for information, from people looking for jobs in Spain.
Despite the current economic climate and the horrendous statistics printed on a regular basis, in tabloids and on the television, there are actually still a wide variety of adverts for jobs in Spain to be found. That is not to say that we encourage you to move to Spain in search of a job (Sorry, we won’t go into that one again here!)
However, if you are living in Spain and are looking for work or you are planning to move and are interested in seeing what jobs may be available in the area you are thinking of moving to, have a look at these sources.
We will add to the list as we learn of other sources of jobs in Spain. Please feel free to add other links to websites as a comment below.
Websites:
http://www.thelocal.es/jobs/
http://costawomen.ning.com/forum/topics/jobs
http://www.myservicesdirectory.com/Category/recruitment/situations-vacant/
http://www.thinkspain.com/services/joboffers/
http://www.jobandtalent.com/
http://www.infojobs.net/ofertas-trabajo (in Spanish)
http://www.infoempleo.com/ (in Spanish)
http://www.monster.es/ (in Spanish)
http://www.tecnoempleo.es/ (in Spanish)
http://www.laboris.net/ (in Spanish)
Recruitment Agencies:
http://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/spain
http://www.ambientjobs.com/
http://www.recruitmentspain.com/
http://howardbondrecruitment.com/
For English Language Teachers:
http://www.tusclasesparticulares.com/
Facebook Groups:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/183575575069778/
LinkedIn Pages and Groups:
https://www.linkedin.com/job/l-malaga-jobs
https://www.linkedin.com/job/l-spain-jobs
Alternatively, CLICK HERE to discover the costs involved in setting up an SL Company in Spain.
Mar 9, 2013 | Business, Life
Would you like to avoid bank charges In Spain?
Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to know how to avoid paying bank charges in Spain! The following post was originally written for our How to in Spain website and we’ve received so many comments that we’ve decided to share it with you here too …
One of the main challenges faced by newcomers to Spain is where to open a bank account. Unfortunately some of the best-known banks are also the ones that charge the most, with commissions on a cost-per-transaction basis or a quarterly fee.
So, let us show you how to avoid bank charges in Spain on not only Bank accounts but also credit cards.
Commission-free Current Accounts
Internet banking tends to be the best option with commission-free accounts such as the following: (more…)
Oct 24, 2012 | Business
Setting up a company in Spain is more than a challenge!
- Spain ranks 136th out of 185 on the World Bank’s survey on the ease of doing business
Despite reiterated pledges by the government to cut down on red tape, Spain remains one of the most difficult countries in the world in which to set up a business, according to the World Bank’s Doing Business 2013 report, which was released late Monday.
Spain is ranked 136th out of the 185 countries included in the World Bank’s survey on the ease of doing business, three places lower than last year. On average it takes 10 separate administrative procedures and 28 days to establish a company in Spain, at a cost equivalent to 4.7 percent of the average annual per capita income.
The easiest places in the world to set up a company are New Zealand, Australia and Canada, while the most difficult are Ivory Coast, Iraq and Surinam. In this component of the World Bank’s report, Spain ranks, among others, behind Afghanistan, Albania, Burundi, Iran, Kosovo, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Ruanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Yemen and Zambia.
A Seville businessman recently spoke of the odyssey he had to go through to set up a business in Vejer in Andalusia, one of the regions in Europe with the highest jobless rates. It took him three years after having to go through four different administrations, at a cost of 10,000 euros.
Setting up a company in Spain remains the most arduous aspect in terms of ease of doing business in general in Spain, which ranks 44th in this component of the survey.
The original article can be read: Here
To keep up to date with changes in procedueres in Spain and day to day bureaucracy, sign up HERE
Click here to discover the costs of setting up a Company in Spain.
May 17, 2011 | Business, Relocation
WORKING IN SPAIN – IS IT VIABLE?
Everyone knows, of course, that Spain is in the middle of an economic crisis. Unemployment is frighteningly high (around 20%), credit is difficult to obtain and the collapse of the Spanish construction industry has affected a whole series of associated or related businesses.
So, should you assume that working in Spain is simply not viable – at least for the time being?
Well, if you intend ‘bowling’ into Spain without a plan, very particular skill or ‘know-how’ then the answer is almost certainly yes! However, know what you are doing and how things work here and you will find work in Spain.
As we say, time and again, in The Secrets to Working and Making a Living in Spain there are opportunities here, albeit that you need to think laterally or aim for a couple of stable growth industries. One of the latter is teaching English – the importance and profitability (and fun!) of which should not be discounted.
Meanwhile, the Spanish property boom (with its largely unskilled workforce and poor building control) has left a lot of debris behind it relating to house construction. This opens the door to considerable opportunities to those with particular construction related skills. Indeed, for qualified building surveyors, underpinning experts and so on the problems are so extensive that Spain is a veritable ‘feeding’ ground for those seeking (and able to provide) this type of specific problem solving work.
However, not everyone has specific skills to offer that fit within the limited scope of what is possible in Spain now. If this is the case for you then you are not doomed! Indeed, our solution is for you to learn how make to money from working on the Internet (whether full or part time).
Does this sound ridiculous or impossible? Are you non-techie and someone who has never considered working on the Internet? Is this unknown territory?
If so, then you should read “Secrets” because the truth is that making your living from the Internet is possible – in fact, not only is it possible but it allows you to earn your living anywhere in the world (so long as you have an Internet connection).
The great thing is that earning a living on the Internet encompasses a vast range of activities – amongst which you will certainly find earning activities that suit the skills you already have. Indeed, many ways of making money on the Internet such as web marketing and trading (such as with domain names) mimic conventional work and all you need to do is to adapt them for cyberspace. In many cases, this is easily done.
Can you really learn to operate on the Internet and make it work for you and earn money from it – I hear you ask?
You can – and much of “Secrets” is devoted to taking you step by step simply and clearly through how the Internet works – and then how to make it work for you. Quickly you will see that you can make a living by providing services to others and/or start up your own business and then capitalise upon opportunities that you may never have dreamt of!
Indeed, if you are seeking to work in Spain then it is our contention that working on the Internet (the great growth business of the 21st Century) is the answer. Can you really afford not to know how to use it? In any event, where else can you start a business that is virtually risk free, has almost no overheads and can be done just about anywhere in the world (whilst operating worldwide)?
So, is working in Spain viable?. Certainly – if you know the secrets to doing so…
‘The Secrets to Working and Making a Living in Spain’ is available here.
CLICK HERE to discover the costs involved in setting up an SL Company in Spain.
Feb 24, 2011 | Business, Relocation
Once you have decided that you have a viable concept rather than a crazy idea for setting up a business in Spain, you need to decide what is the best type of company to set up.
Possibly, the easiest and most cost effective way of setting up a business in Spain is to register as autonomo (self employed) .
To register as a self employed person in Spain:
- Go to your local social security office with your NIE (Número de Identidad/Identificación de Extranjeor) and passport to obtain your social security number NAF (Numero de afiliación a la Seguridad Social). If you do not already have your NIE, you can follow the instructions here or contact us
- Once you have your social security number (NAF) , take this to the Agencia Tributaria and ask for a Modelo 036 or 037 to register the activity for your new business. Here is a list of autonomo category codes you can chose from. Ensure you chose the right activity for your new business as this will decide the level of business tax IAE (Impuesto sobre Actividades Econimicas) you will be subject to. If unsure, contact us .
- Return to the social security office with your bank book to set up the monthly social security payments.
How much will it cost?
The biggest cost of being self employed in Spain is the social security payments that are approximately €250 per month. In some circumstances this amount can be reduced. For further details about social security, click here.
Accountant fees for submitting the correct quarterly and annual VAT returns and tax reports can cost anything up to €150 per month. For a professional accounting service at a much lower fee, prices starting from only €65 per month (excl. VAT), contact us.
You are also responsible for advance income tax payments IRPF (Reglamento del Impuesto sobre la Renta de las Personas Físicas). These are paid on a quarterly basis and on presentation of your Annual tax report (Declaración de la Renta) you may be entitled to a tax rebate.
Feb 14, 2011 | Business, Relocation
For a list of Autonomo category codes in English (CNAE) in Spain, click here.
For an explanation of the Autonomo category codes click here.
