Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
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Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#2Thanks for the post.
What I find annoying is that to simply test a business idea where you need to store subscriber's email addresses you normally need to register at the CNIL for which you need a registered company which requires what is described in the article. It feels backwards somehow: you need to register a company (with all the paperwork involved) before you even know if it can work.
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#3Good tips
Well, the bank thing seems exaggerated. Did they pick one of the main banks or one tiny one?
Yes, I have had an account on France. Sure, mine was a personal account, but it was pretty straightforward. Online banking worked fine (true, I haven't done transfers)
The weirdest thing (for me) about the French banking system (apart from cheques that rip from the widest margin of the book) is what they call a RIB (Releve d'Identité Bancaire), it's something that comes in your statements and is the 'key' for service providers to set up a direct debt to your account. Yes, they need that piece of paper.
Public offices are weird as well, they are sometimes a row of unmarked doors, so you just have to guess, or figure it out from some faded indications and voilà
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#4Amazing summary, I will bookmark this even though I am french.
With my co-founders, we've been looking to chose a bank and an accountant to officially start the company for some time now, and have been baffled by how much the banks charge charge for little to no service. The same holds true for accountants, although to a lesser degree as we're at the very beginning.
Also, debating about the 'statuts' has been a real pain. However, this is the only part in all this process that is of actual use, since it forces the founders to agree on a lot of important ownership and processes issues from the start.
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#5Good tips Well, the bank thing seems exaggerated. Did they pick one of the main banks or one tiny one? Yes, I have had an account on France. Sure, mine was a personal account, but it was pretty straightforward. Online banking worked fine (true, I haven't done transfers) The weirdest thing (for me) about the French banking system (apart from cheques that rip from the widest margin of the book) is what they call a RIB…
Agreed on the banks: read my comment on the article, we pay 15€/mo for top notch service (used to pay more for sub-par service). Pick a bank that is entrepreneur-friendly, not all are interested.
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#60. Hop on a train and do it in London instead?
Is that realistic, especially if you're unsure of success and don't want to go through all the bureaucracy?
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#70. Hop on a train and do it in London instead? Is that realistic, especially if you're unsure of success and don't want to go through all the bureaucracy?
With the current British government angling to leave the EU at present, that's a decision that might have unpleasant consequences in a few years for any French entrepreneur that tried this, even assuming it's practical now.
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#80. Hop on a train and do it in London instead? Is that realistic, especially if you're unsure of success and don't want to go through all the bureaucracy?
Or Ireland?
Or Luxembourg?
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#9[deleted]
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#10Good tips Well, the bank thing seems exaggerated. Did they pick one of the main banks or one tiny one? Yes, I have had an account on France. Sure, mine was a personal account, but it was pretty straightforward. Online banking worked fine (true, I haven't done transfers) The weirdest thing (for me) about the French banking system (apart from cheques that rip from the widest margin of the book) is what they call a RIB…
Agreed on the banks: read my comment on the article, we pay 15€/mo for top notch service (used to pay more for sub-par service). Pick a bank that is entrepreneur-friendly, not all are interested.
Ah, you're using Credit Agricole. Mine was BNP Paribas, not sure which one the person in the article is using.