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Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

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Re: Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

#41

Post by Gravityloss »

ptaipale wrote: post #20
pjc50 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. Although I would note that there are also cheaper UK cities! Consider Liverpool or Bristol, for example.

The peculiarity of Berlin is that it has lower cost than many other German cities. This is unusual, because typically you pay a premium for working in the capital of the nation. In Berlin, that is explained by the history (West Berlin was an enclave within DDR and the capital of BRD was in Bonn; Berlin was subsidized and had lots of relatively cheap housing which is not yet fully priced up 25 years after German unifi…

If your customer is a German business, and you would like to visit them, it's very likely their headquarters are in West Germany, which is far away. So you don't have much country offices of multinational companies in Berlin. It's very different from other countries' biggest cities.

I guess it works better for pure internet companies that sell directly to consumers.

Re: Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

#42

Post by alicelthwaite »

jfaucett wrote: post #30

The benefits she mentions are legitimate, even though two of them have nothing to do with Berlin and could be obtained by moving to any new city. (no distractions, and changing environment equals greater creativity) So it really boils down to this for her: Berlin is affordable and it has a good meetup scene. Affordable is relative, salaries are lower in Berlin than in many other cities and the cost of living has been…

Thanks - I agree with everything you've just said. The thing I didn't mention is that I love the Berlin culture. I knew I'd feel at home here. So there's a subjective reason too.

Re: Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

#43

Post by simonhorlick »

alicelthwaite wrote: post #22
rms_returns wrote: post #9

Does this have anything to do with BREXIT?

Ha - I'm the author - I would say that Brexit is a minor factor for leaving. The main one is affordability. Also Berlin is more fun...

So Brexit does impact your decision? I'm interested to know why, and how, it impacts you.

Re: Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

#44

Post by DasIch »

mtmail wrote: post #40
DasIch wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In times of Pegida I'm not sure Dresden is where you want to go.

Can you explain Pegida?

They're essentially a group of neonazis who protest every monday for about two years now against immigrants and refugees.

Re: Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

#45

Post by icebraining »

scrollaway wrote: post #11
hellofunk wrote: post #8

Wow, 20 square meters for €480? That doesn't register as affordable on my books (even with utilities included).

Yeah. If you're shooting for affordability, Athens is a much better bet. 20sqm studios below €100/month in the heart of the capital. (Good luck getting decent internet, though.)

There's Lisbon, as a middle point. 300-400€/m for a 60m² and you can get a 1Gbps/100mbps connection to your home.

Re: Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

#46

Post by alicelthwaite »

simonhorlick wrote: post #43
alicelthwaite wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ha - I'm the author - I would say that Brexit is a minor factor for leaving. The main one is affordability. Also Berlin is more fun...

So Brexit does impact your decision? I'm interested to know why, and how, it impacts you.

Hello Simon! I'd say no not really - I did think that I may only have 2 years to travel around Europe. But it was a minor reason.

Re: Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

#47

Post by cheriot »

The conversation focuses on price, but the other points are key.

1. There's a huge tech scene in Berlin and it's easy to meet bright people.

2. People want to live in Berlin. The art and music scene attract people.

Affordable alone can be found in many places. Combined with 1 and 2 is a pretty unique proposition.

Re: Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

#48

Post by roymurdock »

alicelthwaite wrote: post #39
doc_holliday wrote: post #29

"My business is called The Echo Chamber Club — we curate articles that counter a traditional metropolitan viewpoint and send them to our hundreds of subscribers. It makes sense that I remove myself from London to understand new points of view and communicate them with my subscribers." With regards to "liberal metropolitan" viewpoints, Berlin won't challenge you anymore than London did. It's just another global city w…

Hmmm I kind of disagree there. I'm having to make new friends and get out of my comfort zone. In time I'm going to start exploring other areas. I'm really keen to get collaborators on board for instance. Nothing is perfect - this was just the best move for me at the time :)

As someone who is looking to make moves soon (possibly international), I quite enjoyed your post.

RIP Fabric...you'll be sorely missed. Now you'll have to wait in line for Berghain. Best of luck on the new business!

Re: Why a Brit chose to start a business in Berlin

#49

Post by alicelthwaite »

cheriot wrote: post #47

The conversation focuses on price, but the other points are key. 1. There's a huge tech scene in Berlin and it's easy to meet bright people. 2. People want to live in Berlin. The art and music scene attract people. Affordable alone can be found in many places. Combined with 1 and 2 is a pretty unique proposition.

Hey Cheriot! I totally agree!
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