sunnu

Hi! I'm thinking about moving to Mallorca (or Ibiza) and setting up my own small print & web design shop (websites for small businesses, leaflets, business cards, posters, t-shirts, mugs, etc.) I guess there will be place for another print shop, as Mallorca and Ibiza are getting quite busy during tourist season. I currently have steady income from my freelance job (graphic & web design) also we both (me & my husband) have some savings (around 35k). I'm taking my job with me of course. I would have to hire someone to help me with local customers (my Spanish is intermediate, Catalan - none). What do you think about it? Ibiza or Mallorca? I'm afraid Ibiza is too quiet after season and too small... I'm still doing my research.

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

steviedeluxe

Hi - AmidesIslas will probably be your best advisor for Mallorca.
It may be an idea to look for any existing businesses that are already in this line, and may be thinking of selling up. That way you'll take over an existing business with the relevant licenses, and also some goodwill. Also, you may be able to see from the price they quote, and their current turnover, whether the business is viable.
As to employing an assistant, yes of course you can do this (get a good gestor to organise your paperwork) but you may find it's better to hire a freelancer who works for >1 employer, rather than take on the costs of giving someone a contract.
Good luck - and hopefully AmidesIslas will give you a more comprehesive background to the island.

sunnu

thank you there is quite a lot things to consider i was trying to find some print shop to sale or lease on several websites, but I found only cafes / restaurants / pubs, etc. It looks like there is more bars than clients I also want to buy ad space in local newspapers and introduce my services (only web design at the moment) to expat community.

zenkarma

Is there a market for this type of business in Mallorca? Have you researched it? If there are none there currently, is there a reason for that?

sunnu

Hi, thank you for your reply. I've checked paginasamarillas.es. There are about 60 print shops in Mallorca, 17 in Ibiza. There is no business like that for lease or for sale.. maybe they are doing well? But anyway i would rent empty office and buy all equipment.

amideislas

Thanks Stevie for the reference :-)

I honestly don't know much about the print shop business in Mallorca, other than to say I've seen many of them, so there must be a market for it.

I can only offer general advice about Mallorca, off the top of my head:

Upsides:

• Mallorca has a better economy than most of mainland Spain, and there's lots of money on the island, although the "new" money is concentrated in the southwest, which may or may not be the most suitable for you to live (it's certainly the most expensive).
  
• Retail space for rent is abundant, and rental prices are pretty cheap (depending on the area, and if you are patient enough to negotiate the best rate).
  
• Living *can* be cheap if you pick the right area.

Downsides:

• The areas where you're most likely to have a good business (the densely populated ones) are likely the same areas where costs of doing business and cost of living will be much higher.
  
• People are pretty tight with their budgets.
  
• There are still some dodgy businesses here, and many people have been taken at one point or another, so most tend to conduct business with those they know and trust, so it may take some time to develop a set of good customers. Spanish and German will be very important for that.
  
• Unless you intend to market only to the miniscule English-speaking market, you'd better learn Spanish, and perhaps equally important, German, depending on where you settle.
  
• In order to establish a following, you will have some marketing costs. Word of mouth is great, but unless people know you exist, they can't experience your service, nor recommend it.

That's my two cents anyway. I know pretty general common sense, but far too many people come here with a UK mindset, and discover that it just won't work.

I hope that helps. If you need anything specific, I'll be happy to try to help if I can.

-Ami

agoreira

Yes, I can't see it being easy to break into an already well established business community anywhere, but doubly difficult if you don't speak the language extremely well. No idea what the situation is in Mallorca, but reading these sort of forums there seems to be no shortage of web designers looking to move abroad. And are there that many Brits there looking for a web designer, presumably those that are up and running will already have their webpage well sorted. As you say, it'll probably be limited to the English speaking market, the Spanish tend to stick very much to their own, they go with with what/who they know. I can see the attraction of such a move, but I can't see it being easy, quite the reverse.

amideislas

That's absolutely true, but I hesitate to put it in the strongest terms. There are plenty of successful foreign-owned shops here, in all kinds of different fields, including IT.

But each and every one of them is fluent in Spanish or Catalan, and in your case, German is a big plus since the Germans are more inclined to need such services, and tend to have the money, too.

Although, having said that, German isn't absolutely necessary to do business with them, since most Germans speak English rather fluently, and local German residents are almost always fluent in Spanish and/or Catalan.

Nonetheless, your marketing *needs* to be in German and on German language media to attract German clientele. Same with Spanish (or Mallorquin as the case may be).

Otherwise, I'm afraid you're going to be limited to the Poligono Son Castello in Santa Ponsa, where most of the British and Irish seek services offered by Brits, in English.

agoreira

Yes, and a lot of the Spanish that cannot find work, are heading in the reverse direction. Just been reading this, Spanish guy with a Masters in London, (where the Spanish are seen as a"plague"!) hoping to improve his English, currently cleaning toilets. Tragic waste of talent.
http://www.abc.es/economia/20130930/...309302104.html

EMR

Spanish seen as a plague, please stick to the UKIP thread for your rascist comments we are used to them there.

sunnu

thank you guys yes, i understand the situation there, but we will not do anything without a good business plan, back up plan, etc. I'm gathering as much information as i can at the moment. Moving to Balearic Islands was always in our minds but maybe it will be a good idea to wait another year and go to language school, even here in UK, improve our Spanish & save more money? I have a good customer base over here, 99% its only online based work (it means i take my work with me everywhere) - so i do not resign from my current job...

pwwm

agoreira was quoting the newspaper not saying the Spanish are a plague, if you read the page that has the link you can read that as well as I.

amideislas

Mallorca is a great place to have money, not to make money. Most foreigners who are happy here are living on money that comes from elsewhere.

If you can make money without depending on Mallorca for it, you can live quite well for pretty cheap - as long as you know what to avoid - which isn't always clear if you come from a UK mindset. We have learned to live quite well on little. Seems you may fit right in.

agoreira

Ta! I don't read him, but he struggles with English, I doubt his Spanish is up to much either.