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Advice on Europe

Advice on Europe

Old Sep 6th 2017, 3:57 pm
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Default Advice on Europe

Hey all!

Newbie here so please be gentle!
My husband and I own a cleaning business in the UK however we are looking in to options for moving away from miserable England.
We were well travelled in our youth but we settled and set up the business once our daughter (now 5) came along.
We plan on spending the next few half term school breaks visiting areas in Spain that appeal to us to get a feel for what business options may suit us however could anyone provide us with details of their experiences, what not to do's etc! Also what the bar scene is like atm as we have also both lived, worked and ran bars before so we would feel comfortable owning and running a bar.
Any information would be great
Thanks
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 4:16 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by Lauramma
Hey all!

Newbie here so please be gentle!
My husband and I own a cleaning business in the UK however we are looking in to options for moving away from miserable England.
We were well travelled in our youth but we settled and set up the business once our daughter (now 5) came along.
We plan on spending the next few half term school breaks visiting areas in Spain that appeal to us to get a feel for what business options may suit us however could anyone provide us with details of their experiences, what not to do's etc! Also what the bar scene is like atm as we have also both lived, worked and ran bars before so we would feel comfortable owning and running a bar.
Any information would be great
Thanks
Welcome to the forum best place for this would be the Spain section but please don't go to Spain with the idea of opening a bar, it's unlikely to make a sensible amount of money to live on. Buried in the Spanish section is a multitude of threads on a family that went there with the same intentions some years ago they left Spain I believe having lost their business and home. Cliche lifestyles in Europe don't tend to make the kind of money to live on these days and Bars in Spain are like Gite's in France not a good investment direction just look at how many pubs are closing in the UK these days.

Last edited by Chatter Static; Sep 6th 2017 at 4:25 pm.
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 4:25 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by Lauramma
Hey all!

Newbie here so please be gentle!
My husband and I own a cleaning business in the UK however we are looking in to options for moving away from miserable England.
We were well travelled in our youth but we settled and set up the business once our daughter (now 5) came along.
We plan on spending the next few half term school breaks visiting areas in Spain that appeal to us to get a feel for what business options may suit us however could anyone provide us with details of their experiences, what not to do's etc! Also what the bar scene is like atm as we have also both lived, worked and ran bars before so we would feel comfortable owning and running a bar.
Any information would be great
Thanks
Welcome to BE.

I have moved your thread over to our Spain forum...it will get more views from the people who are better placed to help you.

Good luck.
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 4:27 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
Welcome to BE.

I have moved your thread over to our Spain forum...it will get more views from the people who are better placed to help you.

Good luck.

Thank you
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 4:37 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by Lauramma
Hey all!

Newbie here so please be gentle!
My husband and I own a cleaning business in the UK however we are looking in to options for moving away from miserable England.
We were well travelled in our youth but we settled and set up the business once our daughter (now 5) came along.
We plan on spending the next few half term school breaks visiting areas in Spain that appeal to us to get a feel for what business options may suit us however could anyone provide us with details of their experiences, what not to do's etc! Also what the bar scene is like atm as we have also both lived, worked and ran bars before so we would feel comfortable owning and running a bar.
Any information would be great
Thanks
Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 4:52 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Ok, I'll try to be brief (and nice!).

Spain is a lovely place to live ... if you do it right.

First, regarding a bar, it's not the same business in Spain as it is in Britain. It's quite a bit more seasonal, depending on where you are. And location is everything. Generally, speaking, the better the location, the higher your costs. In some cases, "better" might mean "seaside", which in most cases, is highly seasonal. If you plant in a year-round working town, then you probably should be able to attract the village regulars, and that often means being fluently Spanish, and knowing the culture. It's a tough business, and you really need to understand how it works locally. And you likely do not.

Aside from that, your life here can be so much better than up north. It isn't just the sun and sea, it's the whole attitude. people are generally happy and there's less jealousy and "keeping up with the Joneses". You'll probably find the cost of living to be quite a bit less, or at least you get a lot nicer lifestyle for the money anyway. But again, location, location, location.

However, you need to bring your money with you. That can't be overemphasised. Sure, there are lots of Spanish who live well, but unless you're a native and speak the language, you'll likely make plenty of mistakes before you finally "get it". You aren't in Manchester anymore! You could of course, move to a British expat enclave, but that's more like just "Britain with sun" (and you don't get a lot more for the money in those places).

So, if you're committed, I can heartily recommend it, but be open minded, don't expect to make money (bring your own), rent for a while, move on to elsewhere, try it again, and when you know it's right, buy a house - with cash, not a mortgage. Once you own free and clear, your cost of living will go down significantly. But again, location, location, location.

I hope that helps... Good luck.
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 5:12 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by amideislas
Ok, I'll try to be brief (and nice!).

Spain is a lovely place to live ... if you do it right.

First, regarding a bar, it's not the same business in Spain as it is in Britain. It's quite a bit more seasonal, depending on where you are. And location is everything. Generally, speaking, the better the location, the higher your costs. In some cases, "better" might mean "seaside", which in most cases, is highly seasonal. If you plant in a year-round working town, then you probably should be able to attract the village regulars, and that often means being fluently Spanish, and knowing the culture. It's a tough business, and you really need to understand how it works locally. And you likely do not.

Aside from that, your life here can be so much better than up north. It isn't just the sun and sea, it's the whole attitude. people are generally happy and there's less jealousy and "keeping up with the Joneses". You'll probably find the cost of living to be quite a bit less, or at least you get a lot nicer lifestyle for the money anyway. But again, location, location, location.

However, you need to bring your money with you. That can't be overemphasised. Sure, there are lots of Spanish who live well, but unless you're a native and speak the language, you'll likely make plenty of mistakes before you finally "get it". You aren't in Manchester anymore! You could of course, move to a British expat enclave, but that's more like just "Britain with sun" (and you don't get a lot more for the money in those places).

So, if you're committed, I can heartily recommend it, but be open minded, don't expect to make money (bring your own), rent for a while, move on to elsewhere, try it again, and when you know it's right, buy a house - with cash, not a mortgage. Once you own free and clear, your cost of living will go down significantly. But again, location, location, location.

I hope that helps... Good luck.
Thank you,

We would have a fair amount of cash to back us up from the sale of our business here. The bar is just one of the many ideas we have floated around as it's something we have done here as well as contract cleaning.
I've also worked in property for the last 14 years so that could be another avenue we look in to.
Obviously we need to start learning Spanish before we arrive and I've signed up for TEFL course for teaching English.

I suppose the expat communities have their pros and cons.
Our living costs in the uk are high, currently around £3k a month for our home, child care, cars, expenses etc but we have a business that backs it up however it's stressful at times and my husband literally gets up at 3am and works until around 6pm when he has to cover staff or we have extra work come in on short notice so hard work isn't an issue.

What areas would you recommend?
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 5:20 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

The recurring viewpoint seems to be that Spain is a wonderful place to live if you have the money - but not a good place to earn it.
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 5:30 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

The old joke: if you want to be a millionaire in Spain, just bring 2 million with you.
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 5:51 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by amideislas
The old joke: if you want to be a millionaire in Spain, just bring 2 million with you.
Thing is I have family who own 2 bars in Alicante who do really well, they have managed to buy rental properties both here and in Spain off the back of those bar earnings so I know it is possibly to be successful out there providing you put the work in!
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 6:28 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by Lauramma
Thing is I have family who own 2 bars in Alicante who do really well, they have managed to buy rental properties both here and in Spain off the back of those bar earnings so I know it is possibly to be successful out there providing you put the work in!
Not wishing to seem at all impolite, but if you have family already in Spain, already involved in the bar business, wouldn't you be better off asking for their experienced help rather than asking on here. We are al keen to help, but we can never be as good as someone with first-hand experience.
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Old Sep 6th 2017, 7:24 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by KieronF
Not wishing to seem at all impolite, but if you have family already in Spain, already involved in the bar business, wouldn't you be better off asking for their experienced help rather than asking on here. We are al keen to help, but we can never be as good as someone with first-hand experience.
Yeah I'm off to see them in October half term for a week, my aunt has been over for a couple weeks visiting family and suggested I talk to others too.

The bar idea is just one of many we are floating around so just wanted to get some other ideas or hear other people's experiences
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Old Sep 11th 2017, 11:47 am
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by Lauramma
Thing is I have family who own 2 bars in Alicante who do really well, they have managed to buy rental properties both here and in Spain off the back of those bar earnings so I know it is possibly to be successful out there providing you put the work in!
They are almost unique then , most bars fail as there just isnt the profit in them , many are running at a loss hence they want to sell, a high end restaurant can work , if food is very good you may even get Spanish clients ,British style greasy spoons rarely survive as they get very little/no trade off season.
Another chance of making a living in Spain is as a tradesman , the only ones I`ve seen who are always busy are mechanics and electricians , builders sometimes survive if they are very good.

PS I guess you are considering all of the possible outcomes of Brexit ...yes its really happening.

Last edited by Rotor; Sep 11th 2017 at 12:00 pm.
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Old Sep 11th 2017, 11:48 am
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by KieronF
Not wishing to seem at all impolite, but if you have family already in Spain, already involved in the bar business, wouldn't you be better off asking for their experienced help rather than asking on here. We are al keen to help, but we can never be as good as someone with first-hand experience.
+1
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Old Sep 11th 2017, 1:22 pm
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Default Re: Advice on Europe

Originally Posted by Rotor
They are almost unique then , most bars fail as there just isnt the profit in them , many are running at a loss hence they want to sell, a high end restaurant can work , if food is very good you may even get Spanish clients ,British style greasy spoons rarely survive as they get very little/no trade off season.
Another chance of making a living in Spain is as a tradesman , the only ones I`ve seen who are always busy are mechanics and electricians , builders sometimes survive if they are very good.

PS I guess you are considering all of the possible outcomes of Brexit ...yes its really happening.
+2
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