Starting a business on the Orihuela Costa or in Spain.
 

So you are thinking of setting up a business on Spain. You may be in the UK and considering a move to escape the gloomy economic climate or you may already live here. Either way there are a number of key points to fully appreciate before embarking on business in Spain.

The following is a list of just some of the things worth considering prior to taking such a step;
Do you have the drive and vision needed to be a success ?
Running your own business requires a level of dedication most people find difficult to maintain. Far from spending a few hours working, taking long lunches and relaxing on the beach, many small business owners spend far longer working within their business in Spain than they did working in their home country for themselves or someone else.

Have you tested your business idea?
The one thing the vast majority of potential business owners fail to do is to test their idea with the public. Sometimes they don't even mention it to their nearest and dearest and just because you think it's a good idea doesn't mean to say that the general public will agree with you. Opening another Bar or Restaurant in an overcrowded market is not the way to live a stress free life with a good income. To make sure you have a killer idea do some market research and carefully consider the results. The internet is a marvellous place to dig up all sorts of facts and figures about an area or you could simply ask as many strangers as you can about your idea to gauge their reaction. Don't overly worry that they might steal your ideas. Once you open your establishment all of your competitors will copy you anyway.

What if your idea isn't universally accepted?
This may be a good indicator that you should think of something else. Of course, you may be able to change your business concept into something more attractive and it is better to do it now rather than have to change once you have launched the business.

Put together a business plan.
Business plans are not solely for raising cash from banks or other lenders. They act as a blue print for your business, showing up both the strengths and weaknesses of your ideas and pointing out potential problems you may experience. A good business plan is a living document and something to compare your real world results against once you are up and running. You can put together your own plan, download software or templates from the internet or get a business development company to draw one up for you. The last option is the best one as it provides a fully customised document that truly reflects your business needs and goals, increasing its usefulness and reducing the need to redraw the document in the future.

Get some basic business training.
Even if you have some business experience, doing business in Spain brings its own, unique issues and challenges quite apart from the language and cultural differences. Attending business training will go a long way to ensuring these issues remain manageable. If you have never run a business before then this is even more important as no book or self help study course can fully prepare you for working in Spain.

All of the above can sound rather depressing but if you do have the passion, a killer idea, have done good market research and have a written business plan then there is no reason that Spain cannot provide you with the challenges and success you deserve. The first step then is to “go legal” by setting up a business. Before this you will need to apply for and get an N.I.E. number.
The NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is issued by the immigration office to you once you have made your application in person at your nearest office. This is your identification number in Spain. It is needed in order to file taxes, buy property, establish a business, open a bank account, and for almost all other forms you fill out. Both EU citizens and non-EU citizens get issued a NIE.
The NIE consists of an 'X' or 'Y' followed by 7 or 8 digits then another letter.
Once you have this you can think about setting up a business but what type of business is best for you?
Just below the at-a- glance information is a table of different business types and a  short list of the common forms of company formation and the things to bear in mind with each one:-