With the many things the Netherlands can offer entrepreneurs, something that is often overlooked is what it can offer the ones with aspirations for setting up their own business.
When you will arrive in the Netherlands you will find an ideal balance: a country that allows you to work while having a fair amount of time for your family, friends, travelling and doing sports.
From the moment you will be settled in the Netherlands you can start with your life’s ambition to set up your own venture – You will experience that the Netherlands is the right place for a start-up.
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Eight Bold Reasons to Start Your Business in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is a first-class international hub to start a venture because it offers the practical support you need to develop your start-up while also being a pleasant environment to live.
From its establishment and multilingual labor force to style of living and language, here are eight convincing reasons why you shall start a business in the Netherlands, and why it is such a good country for expats with a spirit for entrepreneurship.
The Netherlands has a History for Entrepreneurship
You can track down the Dutch history as an international business location right back to the Golden Age in the 16th and 17th century, when sailors from the Low Lands travelled the trade routes to the Indies to bring spices and tradeable goods back to the Netherlands from where they were exchanged against European goods. It is estimated that at the height of the golden age, 30 per cent of the citizens of the capital Amsterdam came from all over Europe.
Such an active history of trade means with remote destinations that an outward-looking attitude and familiarity with international business is deeply vested in the mentality of the Dutch people.
This also makes that people in the Netherlands, industries and government are also supportive of foreign entrepreneurs doing business in the country – and the international opportunities it brings.
Great Support Services for New Startups
A decision to convert your innovative ideas into a start-up is always accompanied by a lot of challenges. But, there are many business services in the Netherlands, such as bookkeepers, legal firms, company formation agents and start-up facilitators that can sort out things for you.
Moreover, you get professional assistance from legal companies, immigration lawyers, and Dutch corporate service companies. These entities specialize in collaborating with national and international businesses. They are well versed in the English language and can be very beneficial for you in navigating the legal and taxation complexities in the Netherlands.
Dutch Bureaucracy is Forthright
If you are looking for a start-up, the Netherlands can offer you a great bureaucratic infrastructure. Not only you will be able to start your sole proprietorship with the help of The Dutch Chamber of Commerce or trade register, but you will be facilitated with valuable resources and information in English and Dutch language to get things going smoothly.
You can select the right legal form provided by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce according to your suitability such as:
- A one-person business (sole proprietorship) or eenmanszaak
- A general partnership or vennootschap onder firma (VOF)
- A private limited liability company or besloten vennootschap (BV)
In the past few years, the Netherlands has been more lenient towards the minimum requirements for private limited liability company formation. The country has reduced the minimum capital requirement for entrepreneurs to start private companies with greater ease.
Moreover, the start-ups are getting several tax breaks from Dutch tax authorities or Belastingdienst
Better Immigration Facilities for Entrepreneurs
According to the Netherlands, the SME’s are a vital booster for the country’s economy. Keeping that in mind, the Dutch government attracted foreign entrepreneurs by introducing a new start-up visa facility in 2015.
The government set some parameters for entrepreneurs to get permanent residence if an entrepreneur:
- Has a feasible business plan
- Enough financial resources for the project/startup
- Has a facilitator
- Is offering a valuable and innovative service or a product
The Cosmopolitan Force
Finding the right people to start a business is definitely one of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs. When you look forward to expand and grow your business, you need a highly-talented and multi-skilled workforce that has a commanding grip on multiple languages, especially business-grade English language.
The tax breaks given by the Dutch government attracts a pool of expat community, and this provides a wonderful opportunity for entrepreneurs to hire highly skilled professionals. It is not a shocking revelation that Amsterdam is already catering to many established European Headquarters.
A Strategic Location in the Continent
The Netherlands enjoys a strong strategic advantage, and the city has a well-developed transport infrastructure. This works as a gateway and an easily accessible point for almost every major city in Europe as well as other continents.
Schiphol, a 20-minutes drive from the centre of the Amsterdam, is one the busiest airport in the world and caters to more than 320 destinations for direct Flights.
Moreover, the superfast Dutch Railway connects multiple countries, including Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, through its excellent railway connections. The high-speed train has shrunk the travelling time to Paris to just three hours and twenty minutes.
Amsterdam, a Local Town with a strategy of a Cosmopolitan
A city that gives you a local feel with a global outlook, Amsterdam is one of the best places with this unique combination. The less-populated city has compact geography, which is a blend of residents and better international accessibility.
What makes Amsterdam more lucrative is that it is a two-in-one package. You will get acquainted with your surroundings within no time. Its rich culture and exciting people will make you feel like home. On the other hand, it is a land of opportunity for literally everyone. In a nutshell, “Amsterdam is a big package in a small packaging.”
The Quality of Life in the Netherlands
Yes, you need a great platform to start and grow your business, but at the same time, you cannot compromise your healthy lifestyle, your relations and most importantly, your family.
The Netherlands is not only a dreamland for entrepreneurs, but it is equally amazing when it comes to the “quality of life”. The cultural richness, a mixture of different types of restaurants, trademark coffee bars and pubs, hustle-free rural areas around the country, and breathtaking cultural festivals make the Netherlands a Darling to everyone.
A latest study from UNICEF concluded that children in the Netherlands are the happiest in the world. A perfect place for your family, isn’t it?
Industries and organizations are well aware of the importance of work-life balance. That said, every employee gets 25-36 days annual leave (depending on the industry) to have some personal/family quality time.
Generally, when you start a business, you develop a schedule accordingly. But, the Netherlands is a place whose stimulating environment helps you enjoy life beyond work.
Live Your Life in the Netherlands
Without a doubt, starting a business is always tricky and challenging. The initial period is always more demanding, and it needs consistency and resilience.
But, things get a lot easier when you have a place perfectly structured for businesses, and its lifestyle is equally supportive to you and your business.
It is no less than a dream life if you have a successful international start-up, a perfectly balanced and healthy life, and are surrounded with highly motivated and multicultural people.
Well, only a few places can give you that “dream life” and the Netherlands is surely one of them.
Danis Woods in Businessman, investment banker and stock exchange traders. On the same time he loves writing financial blogs to shed lights on different aspects that new and existing businessman are not aware of.
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