Richard Branson has done pretty well in life and this is
a quote from him that appeals to me:
“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and
it has to exercise your creative instincts”.
My idea to establish a property photography business in
France seems to fit pretty well with Sir Richard’s thinking so here we go….!
Just hold on a minute though, this is France and naturally French bureaucracy has something to say about this! Whilst in the UK it is possible to wake up in the morning and decide to set yourself up as a sole trader, in France any commercial activity requires a legal structure, with the business either registered as an individual operator or as a company.
The good news for me though was that in 2009 a new
business status had been introduced by the French Government, known as the Auto-entrepreneur, which offers a
simpler process of registering and running the smallest sole-trader businesses.
To qualify for this status there is a very low turnover limit and, as with a
sole trader in the UK, there is unlimited personal liability. However, it was
established with the objective of encouraging small business start-ups and it
carries with it a simplified tax
regime (which is not the same a 'low' by the way!)
For me, the Auto-entrepreneur status is the perfect way to get into the French system will allow me to focus on business development rather than complex legal and financial matters. They can come later and will be a nice problem to have because it will mean my business is doing well.
I found the Angloinfo website had some excellent
information about this subject and it is well worth reading if you are thinking
of following a similar route. I also used another source of really good
information available for people living in the Perigord Vert, The Dronne Valley Network, and asked if anyone could offer me advice on the registration process.
A very helpful lady called Vivienne (she runs a website business as an
auto-entrepreneur) offered to help and so, with the registration website open
in front of me, I gave her a call and she talked me through the various stages.
Whilst it was relatively straightforward, my poor French
made it difficult to always grasp what information was being requested and
Vivienne’s help was invaluable. We got through to the end of the process and I
printed off the completed forms and sent them off along with various forms of
ID.
Which prompts me to offer a key piece of advice for
anyone moving to France. It seems that everyone wants to see multiple forms of
ID and it is therefore worth getting plenty of copies done of the following
documents:- Passport
- Birth Certificate
- Marriage Certificate
I was even required at one stage to produce a copy of
the Decree Absolute from my Divorce in 1994!
Back to the business registration, and clearly everything
had been completed properly for in due course I was issued with a registration
certificate and the all important ‘SIRET’ number. This is the reference number
attached to the business and has to be shown on every piece of business
documentation including any advertising material. You cannot do anything
business related without a SIRET number otherwise the gendarmes will be knocking
on the door.
With my SIRET number in hand it was time to hit the
streets! I followed up on some of the immobilier contacts that I had originally
made at the French Property Exhibitions and set appointments to go along and
make my pitch.
It is still early days but as I write this I have
completed my first photographic assignment. Nothing too simple of course, just
a 14th Century Chateau with spiral medieval stone staircases! Click
here to see the results of my visit there. I also have a booking to photograph
and produce a virtual tour for a lovely gite property near Brantome.
I’ll let you know how the business develops in future posts.
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