# Hello to all + questions



## Jeff TT (Aug 1, 2010)

Hello to all, new to this forum but not to Portugal, well relatively that is.

So a few questions but first a bit about me an the missus.

Children all grown up and gone their seperate ways/ lifes etc. our own garage business in the UK with a couple of houses and a driveful of cars and two dogs!!

So what to do next, over the past 10 years having spent many happy times in the Algarve the lure of life and the weather is getting too much, every single time we visit the area we spend half the holiday looking around at potential homes, land and ventures that we could get stuck into.

If we were to sell up in the UK ( but leave the business running via our son) we could potentially arrive with a tidy sum, is it really a dream or can a 49 ( who I am kidding 50yr old in December!) settle in to a new life, extend my business here too, build a house in the country with land etc!!

Some 20 years ago we almost moved to Southern France and can remember the months of paper work and permits, the logistics of moving three school age kids and a dog! was at the time almost impossible but we got it all done only at the very last moment in fact moving day did a small matter of 2 weeping daughters and a wife stop the move going ahead!!! was saying goodbye to the family that did it!

So 20 odd years on and hopefully wiser and sadly our own parents now gone so not so many ties here, we are looking to start making some concrete plans, of course these feeling always coincide with a holiday to the area (Sept 15th ) but this time will be looking for more commercial or business ideas, do garage workshops seem to be in demand in Portugal? is it more likely that any business we undertake will be best aimed at expats or does that have its limitations.

Do small to medium business get any help from the goverment if employing locals etc. is there an active expat business community to aid in setting up a new to the county business.

Ok there is a start 

Thanks for any advise

Jeff


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## PETERFC (Apr 3, 2009)

*Reply*

Hi Jeff

First let me welcome you to the Forum, A wise move if you need information of any kind.

Peter


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## stephanie (Nov 11, 2008)

Jeff TT said:


> Hello to all, new to this forum but not to Portugal, well relatively that is.
> 
> So a few questions but first a bit about me an the missus.
> 
> ...


Hi Jeff,

Firstly, well done for making such a shrewd decision to come and live in Portugal! I moved to the Silver Coast with my family over 5 years ago and cannot imagine living anywhere else.

You are absolutely right to do some research before you take the plunge, starting a small business is perfectly possible but unless you speak fluent Portuguese can be a bit of a complicated process - actually, I believe it is complicated even if you do speak Portuguese. . . However, don't let me put you off!

Your next step should probably be to talk to an accountant who can let you know all the ins and outs.

When you come over on the 15th are you planning to just stay in the Algarve or will you explore other areas? If you come up to the Silver Coast I can put you in touch with a very good english speaking account in Caldas da Rainha who would be well worth talking to.

As for planning and building there is A LOT of paperwork and messing about but if you are actually living in Portugal it is not so difficult. You will, however, spend rather a lot of time waiting in council offices for various licences to be issued etc.

Our one and only English food shop in the area, Union Jacs in Tornada, is having an open day on Saturday September 18th. The idea is for local businesses in the area to all get together, have a cup of tea and do a bit of promotion. If you were able to attend you could maybe make some useful contacts.

Good luck with your plans!

Stephanie


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## MrBife (Jul 26, 2009)

Just wanted to add a few comments from experience ....

Working in the Algarve is nothing at all like being on holiday in the Algarve, working here means you probably have to work harder than you did in the UK as hourly rates are lower and competition pretty fierce, that is not to say you couldn't come up with a USP within your field as I am sure there are still many.

Setting up a company couldn't be easier, you find an accountant you like, tell him about the activities of the company. Give him some money and he does everything for you in a week or so. There is absolutely no assistance with any of this - the same as in the UK. 

If you take on someone who was previously registered as unemployed then you get some help with their National Insurance payments for the first year. That's useful but not really significant.

Every village has one or two garage workshops, my local one bases its charges on 15 euros per hour and you get quite a good job done for that. I know they mark up parts by 10% as I have seen suppliers invoices. If they try to charge astronomical prices per litre for oil and a fee for filling the windscreen washers then people just walk.

Personally I didn't get to the beach once this Summer and a just few of my working days were 17 hours long, having said that I wouldn't swap back to working in the UK.

Working for the expat community limits yourself to a small percentage of the potential market having said that there are Indian run workshops in the UK working mainly for Indian clients who dont speak English that are probably doing OK ? Same niche approach.

Lots of positive points about life in Portugal and I for one wouldnt want to live anywhere else but from a work perspective, easy it aint.


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