Starting a business / 45 articles
Starting a business in Germany: from idea to launch
Start with the roadmap and by testing your idea. Once the customer and the offer are clear, look into the requirements for your activity and the related organisational steps. Registration, preparing resources and readiness for the first order are checked separately.
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All articles in this topic
Full blog- Starting a business4 min
Starting a business in Germany: how to build a roadmap
Connecting the idea, legal questions, resources and preparation for your first sales.
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How to test a business idea before renting premises
The customer's question, a small demand test and criteria for the next investment.
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Who is your first customer? How to narrow down your audience
Segmenting by task, buying situation and an accessible communication channel.
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Competitor analysis in Germany: what to compare besides price
The offer, ease of ordering, limitations and signals of trust.
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A business plan for your launch: how to link the sections together
Checking the logic from customer and product through to costs and the resources you need.
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How to describe your service before launching a business
The result, scope, required inputs and limits of the offer.
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Start-up costs: how to build a register of estimates
One-off costs, recurring expenses and confirming large amounts.
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Fixed and variable costs: a working table for your idea
How to check what changes with the number of orders.
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Why revenue and money in the bank are different things
Planning the timing of incoming and outgoing payments in a small company.
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The legal form of your business: what to ask before choosing
Partners, liability, management and administrative workload as topics for a consultation.
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Gewerbe or Freiberufler: how to describe your activity
Which facts to gather before discussing your classification with a professional.
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Gewerbeanmeldung: how to organise your preparation for trade registration
The local office, the description of your activity and checking additional requirements.
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ELSTER when starting a business: what to prepare for the discussion
Access, initial data and questions for your tax adviser.
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Commercial premises: write a search brief before viewing
Your workflow, requirements for the space and checking whether a property is suitable.
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Choosing a supplier for a new business: a comparison table
What is included, lead times, minimum orders and how errors are corrected.
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Starting a business with a partner: what to discuss before registering
Roles, decisions, contributions and resolving disagreements as an agenda for your meeting.
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Your business name: how to prepare options for checking
Pronunciation, meaning, domain and questions for a legal check.
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Contractors at launch: how to divide the work without gaps
Task boundaries, dependencies and accepting the results of different contractors.
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Is your business ready for its first order? Checking the full journey
From the customer's enquiry through delivery to handing over the result and getting feedback.
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A 90-day launch plan: how to connect stages and checks
A working horizon for preparation, first enquiries and revisiting your hypotheses.
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Setting up a UG (mini-GmbH) in Germany: step by step from €1 to your first deal
How to register an Unternehmergesellschaft: share capital, the notary, the business account and the commercial register.
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Setting up a GmbH in Germany: €25,000 share capital, notary costs and fees
The full cost of setting up a GmbH: share capital, notary fees, registers and first taxes.
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Musterprotokoll or individual articles of association: which to choose when setting up a company in Germany
Comparing the standard protocol with individual articles: the single managing director limit, risks and the difference in notary costs.
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A bank account for a company in formation (GmbH / UG i.G.): choosing a bank and documents
How to open a business account for a company in formation in Germany, pay in the share capital and get the bank's confirmation.
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Gewerbeanmeldung in Germany: filling in the trade registration form step by step
How to register a trade online or at the Gewerbeamt: the required fields, describing your activity and deadlines.
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Freiberufler or Gewerbe: the key differences, trade tax and how the tax office decides
Distinguishing the liberal professions from commercial activity in Germany: how IT specialists, consultants and designers are assessed.
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The tax registration questionnaire (Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung) in ELSTER: how to get your tax number
How to fill in the tax questionnaire when starting a business in Germany: revenue forecast, choosing your VAT regime and getting a Steuernummer.
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Gründungszuschuss: how to get support from the employment agency to start a business
Financial support from the Agentur für Arbeit when moving from unemployment into self-employment: stages, calculation and making the case for your business plan.
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A business plan for a German bank and the IHK: structure, financial plan and common mistakes
What a business plan in Germany must contain: product description, competitor analysis, profitability forecast and cash flow planning.
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A business address in Germany: virtual office, coworking or home address
How to choose your company's address: the tax office's requirements for genuine presence and protecting your privacy.
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Setting up an Einzelunternehmen in Germany: starting as a sole trader without capital or a notary
How to start a sole proprietorship in Germany: the steps, personal liability and tax reporting.
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Setting up a GbR in Germany: registration, partnership agreement and risks
Running a joint business as a GbR: the partners' joint and several liability and the key points of the agreement.
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The notary appointment when setting up a company in Germany: procedure, language and documents
How the founding documents are signed before a German notary: interpreters and powers of attorney.
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IHK and HWK membership: mandatory fees, exemptions for new businesses and what the chambers offer
How automatic membership of the chamber of commerce (IHK) and the chamber of crafts (HWK) works in Germany and who is exempt from paying.
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Getting an EORI number in Germany: registering with customs (Zoll) for imports and exports
How German businesses get an EORI customs identifier: the customs portal, processing times and use in customs declarations.
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Opening an online shop in Germany: legal requirements, the Packaging Act and the order process
What to consider when launching e-commerce in Germany: the 14-day right of withdrawal, terms and conditions, packaging registration and data protection.
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The Packaging Act (VerpackG) and the LUCID register: mandatory registration for online retail
Registering in the LUCID packaging register (ZSVR): joining a dual system, licensing your packaging and fines of up to €200,000.
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Franchising in Germany: checking the franchisor, the entry fee and reviewing the contract
How to choose and launch a franchise business in Germany: the entry fee, royalties and estimating realistic profit.
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Opening a café or restaurant in Germany: hygiene rules, the concept and the Gaststättenerlaubnis licence
The steps to launching a food business: dealing with the public order office (Ordnungsamt), hygiene certificates and the alcohol licence.
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Tax advisers (Steuerberater) in Germany: choosing the right one and fees under the StBVV
Finding and working with a German tax adviser: the official StBVV fee structure, preparing your records and the DATEV format.
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Starting a business in Germany as a non-resident: registering a company without a German residence permit
How foreign nationals can register a GmbH or UG: requirements for the managing director, visa risks and getting through bank checks.
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Liquidating a GmbH or UG in Germany: the stages, the liquidator and the one-year blocking period (Sperrjahr)
Voluntarily closing a German company: the resolution, the creditor notice in the Federal Gazette, settling with creditors and keeping records.
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Government-backed business loans in Germany: KfW programmes
How to get a KfW StartGeld start-up loan: interest rates, the state's risk cover and applying through your own bank.
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Business insurance in Germany: Betriebshaftpflicht liability cover and protecting your assets
The main types of commercial insurance in Germany: third-party liability, professional indemnity and legal expenses cover.
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Converting a UG into a GmbH: increasing the share capital to €25,000
How to move from an Unternehmergesellschaft to a standard GmbH: building reserves, the balance sheet audit and updating the commercial register.
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