Spain vs England is another article in our series: Spain vs the world . The purpose of the contents of this series is to highlight the strengths of the Spanish market in relation to other countries that are generally targets for those who want to internationalize.
There are people with different business intentions, and before taking any step towards internationalization, the ideal is to study the countries and, above all, have the support of people who dominate the subject and who can guide the best path.
Once again, we reinforce that our intention in this comparative content is not to elect the best country, but to provide you with a clearer understanding of the challenges you may encounter along the way.
So let’s get to our content!
Is England a good country to start a business?
First, it is important to assess a context that is actually a landmark in the history of the United Kingdom.
Brexit , short for the origin of the term Britain Exit, refers to the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union (EU), an association created to unite European countries within an economic model.
This departure caused a certain impact, especially in the field of business, as several companies left the country due to the decision of the British Government.
Because of this, a lot can still happen in the business world and obviously this interferes with the development of new companies opened by foreigners in the country.
Answering the question in this section, the answer is “YES”, England, for example, is one of the countries most considered by international entrepreneurs, due to the fact that the country is a social and cultural center that receives millions of visits annually.
The popularity of England, especially London, attracts people’s eyes in relation to opening their companies.
We separate this video with some insights that the Empreender no Mundo channel brings about new business ideas for those who want to undertake in England:
Starting a business in London (England)
For those who like the frenetic pace of a big city, London is perfect for that. With millions of inhabitants, London is one of the most multicultural cities in Europe, as it welcomes millions of people from all over the world annually.
Opening a company in London (England) can cost from 12 to 100 euros, that is, there is not much secrecy in financial and bureaucratic matters, on the contrary, the country is friendly to the opening of new companies in the country, understanding that this is extremely important for the country’s economy, as well as generating new jobs.
A company can be opened by an individual or legal entity, as long as the company registration is carried out considering two people involved:
- Director or Office Holder (Individual or legal person)
- Investor or Shareholder (Legal person)
Entrepreneurs in England have already stated that making mistakes in bureaucratic matters when opening a company can be expensive, so it is recommended that Brazilian entrepreneurs carry out the entire process of opening a company from an accountant accredited in English territory.
The costs of a registry office can vary between 100 and 500 euros, however, the costs are worth it when you look at the facilitation that this service gives to those who want to undertake in the UK.
Cost of living in London (England)
It is important to emphasize that London is not the only city when it comes to entrepreneurship. Other urban centers have their highlights, like Manchester, for example.
However, despite being a favorable country for opening a Startup or technology company already established in the market, London is one of the cities in England that has a very high cost of living, especially with regard to “survival” costs. being:
- The highest rents
- Higher gas cost
- Transport at a higher cost compared to other cities in England.
This factor ends up speaking louder when planning the expansion of the company in international territory.
Choosing the best city or country implies observing facts that are not always linked to the business itself, but basic costs of survival.
Undertake in Spain
It’s no secret that our content is aimed at startups and technology companies in the Scale Up phase.
That’s why we focus our subjects on this audience that has enormous growth potential in Europe.
Spain currently has more than 156 startup accelerator companies. Anyone who is in charge of a large project knows how valuable it is to have people at our side who are committed to our business and who carry forward our thirst for entrepreneurship.
In addition, the Spanish government itself has specific programs for startups, in order to encourage small businesses to develop in the country.
How to start the bureaucratic processes to start a business in Spain?
Starting a business in Spain is not difficult once you enter the country legally. For a Brazilian to enter Spain with the intention of starting a business, it is necessary to have an entrepreneur visa.
Note that this is yet another facilitation that the country created to encourage the coming of foreign companies to Spanish territory.
First of all, you, a Brazilian entrepreneur, will need to go to the Spanish Consulate in Brazil to apply for an entrepreneur visa, with some documentation:
- Complete business plan, which must be delivered to the Economic and Commercial Secretariat of the Spanish Embassy, which is located in Brasília/DF.
- Proof of income during the period of stay (date entered on the visa itself). This proof is for you to ensure the supervision of the Local Government that you and your family are fully able to live in the country during the period registered in the visa.
- It is necessary to take out a Health Insurance from an insurance company in the country.
After submitting all the documentation and justifications proving that you really intend to contribute to the Spanish economy through your company’s economic activities, it is necessary to wait a period of up to three months to receive a return from the Consulate.
After receiving a positive response from the Spanish Consulate, it was time to leave for Spain and start the bureaucratic processes for opening a company in the country.
If you want to know in detail the processes to open a business in Spain, just access the article How to open a business in Spain , which we have created as a complete guide on the subject.
Why undertake in Valencia
Even though it is a smaller city compared to the metropolitan regions of Madrid and Barcelona, have you ever stopped to think why Valencia is one of the most sought after destinations by entrepreneurs looking to internationalize their companies ?
The answer to this question is exactly associated with the title that this city has recently won: The healthiest city in the world , that is, people have increasingly valued quality of life.
Brazil itself has experienced an unprecedented phenomenon in pandemic times that reflects exactly on the subject we address here.
Because of the home office adaptations that many companies adopted as a way out to survive the health crisis brought on by the virus, many companies and hired professionals realized that there was no real reason to maintain a physical structure or face-to-face work.
Due to this context, many employees continued to offer their services, however, moving away from the frenetic and somewhat unhealthy routine of the urban environment.
The result was the growth in the sale and rental of real estate in cities in the interior, as people exchanged the exhausting routine of a physical work day, for a better quality of life close to nature and with less traffic.
This search for quality of life has almost become an industry in the current world, especially post-pandemic.
That’s why, when entrepreneurship and when deciding to internationalize the company, CEOs, presidents and directors from all over the world have turned to healthier and safer cities to live in.
The internet is full of testimonies from digital nomads who found in Valencia an ideal ecosystem for entrepreneurship.
Hosting the annual Startup Summit, Valencia attracts investors, professionals, academics and foreign companies.
In addition, due to the fact that the Spanish language is close to Portuguese in morphological and phonetic matters, Valencia scores even higher in the Score of the best cities in Europe to undertake.
Summarizing the comparison between Spain and England
In terms of quality of life, Spain is far better prepared to provide entrepreneurs with an ideal ecosystem for the advancement of their business.
England, in all its popularity, also offers a number of benefits to the entrepreneur as it is one of the main centers of cutting-edge technology in all of Europe. However, it loses in the “Cost of living” category.
Valencia, on the other hand, has a low cost of living compared to most European cities, and this is a great attraction since the internationalization plan itself provides for economic analyzes for the viability of the new company in international territory.
In addition to all the attractions, the fact that you are in Spain opens doors for you to do business with other European countries.
This means that there are no limits, as you propose to adapt your product or service to be consumed by people from different countries and cultures.
Can you imagine being in the healthiest city in the world, having comfort, safety, high technology, as the city has several spaces for coworking, and still having the possibility to negotiate with the rest of the world?
If you are interested in taking your internationalization to another level, we at Singular Spark have great news for you.
Specialized in the internationalization of Brazilian companies in Europe, Singular Spark aims to accompany the entrepreneur in their strategic plans for the internationalization of their brands .
We plan and monitor your entire internationalization process until the establishment of your company.
We hope this content has been enlightening for you. Comment on what you found!