When I read things like this, I'm glad that I was in the US at the time I had the opportunity to create my app business (flight sim app for mobile). My school mates who are still in France are having a hard time with all the overhead of french bureaucracy when doing anything... most of them are thinking of moving abroad at some point. The whole process in the US was so easy, finding a bank was a total non issue.
I don't know really; I started my company 8 years ago and it didn't appear to be that much of a hassle to be honest. I could find 3 banks willing to take us onboard in an afternoon. And I only pay 140€/mo for the whole family health-care extension :P
Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
41–50 of 104 posts
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Even if Britain leaves the EU, is it really likely that they will leave the EEC? The French entrepreneur cares about free trade, not much else. And I can't see Britain or Europe shutting down trade, regardless of whether Britain sticks around or leaves.
EEC doesn't exist anymore. You may be thinking of the EFTA, which (e.g.) Norway is in. That's a free trade & customs area. However one still has to implement all EU law and allow all EU citizens to live & work there. Euroskeptic/europhobic people would not find acceptable. I don't think there is any details, but I think it's a straight in/out, i.e. leave EU & EFTA.
The cynic in me thinks the politicians are delibrately giving 2 options (current EU membership and leaving EU & EFTA) so that one option is horrible in order to ahem 'help' one option win.
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#430. 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.
(Disclaimer: I'm not from the UK however, so I'm just evaluating the situation from the outside)
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#44Some incorrections here and there in the article, I want to add some fixes: - I wouldn't say the exigence of having a bank account is humiliating for a company. The process of opening one can be, however. But you can pick up any bank you want in any EU country you want. They can't "discriminate" against say a Luxembourg bank if you think this bank will serve you better. That's the EU market- same currency, and they c…
The situation in the eurozone is really degrading quickly: it's not gonna get better with the second state default of Greece and the 50% unemployment amongst young people in Spain. Portugal, Italy and France (Greece is economically dead as of now) are on life support. France let way too many people in and gave them way too much welfare-state goodness (that's the way socialist buy votes to get re-elected). Lost of immigration is good when the GDP is growing: 100 000 people is 0.1 additional % of GDP growth... But when you're in recession, all the immigrants can't find job and suddenly they accelerate the fall of the GDP (due to all the wellfare-state benefits that have to be paid).
Moreover the socialists made sure to give a sense of entitlement to most of the french population: so as soon as something is talked about getting lowered or removed, there are strikes and revolts.
Physical security is a real issue: it's really not reassuring to take the subway in Paris and exit at station "Chatelet" to see groups of heavy armed military trying to make sure the situation doesn't degenerate too quickly.
I think most people are living in a fairy tale, refusing to see what is going on.
France is going to state default just like Greece, the question is just when. The officials keeps lying about the predicted GDP numbers and state deficit numbers: now they admitted that they'll be in recession in 2013 and plan on a state deficit of 3,7%. It's going to be much more than that. In 2014 the french state shall have so many debts to pay back that it's going to have a very hard time refinancing itself on the market, bringing it closer to a default (skyrocketing public debt).
No country in the eurozone is safe due to the common currency.
You have to be IMHO a totally stupid and fcked up person to start an online business in France as of now.
Don't forget that should you succeed you'd be regarded with jalousy and hatred.
Last year while on vacation in France my girlfriend was driving in a 8K convertible car (bought used for 8K). 8K. Hardly a "rich" person's car. Yet she could see the disdain and hate at trafic light from french people.
Socialism ruined France. While Sarkozy was in place it was still a wellfare-state and the local communities created more state servants than Sarkozy managed to terminate at the state level (Sarkozy suppressed 180 000 public state jobs, trying to keep the public debt in control but meanwhile the socialist in charge of the local communities created... 500 000 public state jobs!).
Socialism is killing France and is killing the eurozone.
It's killing entrepreneurship and encouraging a very* concerning hate of the succesful (President Hollande said himself: "I don't like the rich").
I moved out. Do the same. Do not even consider starting a company there.
Btw go further than the eurozone: the only way out of the euro-crisis is going to mean either a gigantic depreciation of the euro or a split of the eurozone and a move back to local currencies (which would be followed by a massive recession in all these countries).
I'm considering Switzerland as of now. It's expensive but at least people there aren't all nuts.
I don't mind giving Godwin the win: not that long ago in Germany there were national socialists who put in place 8 of Marx's ten major point of communism and who spread hatred of the wealthy and the succesful. France is going this same path right now and this worries me a lot. People are getting nervous. Hate is growing up left and right. The situation sucks.
The military are already in charge of subway stations and doing surveillance in front of important buildings (like Notre Dame). There are only going to be more and more of them. If the situation gets worse I expect the "couvre feu" to be put in place in big cities.
People are free to believe in fearytale and pink unicorn pooping rainbow butterflies that said...
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#45Good 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
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
That page on the EEA seems to imply that members have to stick to EU laws - particularly around freedom of movement, which is one of the main reasons some UK politicians are keen on leaving the EU. Personally, I think that any move to leave the EU would probably contribute to a break up of the UK.
It's absolutely non-sensical to want to be part of a common market but to not do what's necessary to actually create a common market. You can't cherry pick what you want. Freedom of labor (which necessitates freedom of movement) is just as much part of a common market as freedom of capital is. If the UK wants to leave the EU but, for example, keep freedom of capital they will be told off. If they don't want to accept…
Unfortunately the EU is set on a course of political union, which I think the majority of the UK would not want to be part of.
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
The UK government is not angling to leave the EU. The tory party (largest but not majority party) has promised, if elected in 2015, a referendum on EU membership in 2017. This was done in an attempt to head off the rising UK Independence Party and shut up some of their right-wing back-bench MPs. The same party (and both other major parties) will be pushing to stay in with the vote. But the rise in popularity for UKIP…
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#48Some incorrections here and there in the article, I want to add some fixes: - I wouldn't say the exigence of having a bank account is humiliating for a company. The process of opening one can be, however. But you can pick up any bank you want in any EU country you want. They can't "discriminate" against say a Luxembourg bank if you think this bank will serve you better. That's the EU market- same currency, and they c…
A once in decades terrorist incident. I could use the same argument to say that Oslo is orders of magnitude unsafer than Toulouse.
Talk about anecdotal evidence...
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#490. 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?
//edit// Found it:
http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/bienvenue-mo...
Later, Afflelou returns to the subject of French taxes. “It’s like saying all talent is the same,” he says. “Like saying Beckham is the same as any old footballer. Now the young French, not even the ones with money, they want to come here because they have no future there. That’s the real pity: they are discouraged from being entrepreneurs. It is not good for the image of France. London is now France’s sixth biggest city.”
He looks pensive for a moment, then looks up: “Soon maybe it will be the fifth!”
Re: Starting your first business in France? Here are the steps, and some great tips
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
I don't believe for a second the UK is leaving the EU. It would be a huge disadvantage economically for them to do so. All that talk is just political posturing to please the idiot wing of the conservative party. (Disclaimer: I'm not from the UK however, so I'm just evaluating the situation from the outside)