UK - Italy side hustle
Discussion
I am UK-based but spend a lot of time over there. What can I do as a side hustle that will take me over there regularly?
I don't want the aggro of an an import / export business.
My skills are UK real estate and land and I have run various types of business over 35 years. I speak Italian at an intermediate level.
Any suggestions?
Before deciding on the business, you need to first look at the regulations that exist for foreign nationals operating a business there, side hustle or otherwise.
As we are no longer in the EU, it's not a simple case of registering a business and launching a website. Things like visas and residency now exist and many countries require that all businesses registered or operating in the country have a significant proportion that's owned locally.
Of course, you may embrace the informality of side-hustle enterprise and start doing Wedding Djaying, Gardening or something for cash but given you're only an occasional visitor, building up any sort of momentum might prove difficult.
As we are no longer in the EU, it's not a simple case of registering a business and launching a website. Things like visas and residency now exist and many countries require that all businesses registered or operating in the country have a significant proportion that's owned locally.
Of course, you may embrace the informality of side-hustle enterprise and start doing Wedding Djaying, Gardening or something for cash but given you're only an occasional visitor, building up any sort of momentum might prove difficult.
StevieBee said:
Before deciding on the business, you need to first look at the regulations that exist for foreign nationals operating a business there, side hustle or otherwise.
As we are no longer in the EU, it's not a simple case of registering a business and launching a website. Things like visas and residency now exist and many countries require that all businesses registered or operating in the country have a significant proportion that's owned locally.
Of course, you may embrace the informality of side-hustle enterprise and start doing Wedding Djaying, Gardening or something for cash but given you're only an occasional visitor, building up any sort of momentum might prove difficult.
I would be based here but yes, I would need to check what the Italian government would need to know. Probably something.As we are no longer in the EU, it's not a simple case of registering a business and launching a website. Things like visas and residency now exist and many countries require that all businesses registered or operating in the country have a significant proportion that's owned locally.
Of course, you may embrace the informality of side-hustle enterprise and start doing Wedding Djaying, Gardening or something for cash but given you're only an occasional visitor, building up any sort of momentum might prove difficult.
I suspect that Italy is replete with gardeners and wedding DJs and I haven’t troubled the ones and twos since the 90s.
The only idea I’ve come up with is providing business consultancy to Italians wanting to set up over here. I’ve done it in the past for established UK businesses and start-up.
Furbo said:
The only idea I ve come up with is providing business consultancy to Italians wanting to set up over here. I ve done it in the past for established UK businesses and start-up.
Not a bad idea!One sector to perhaps look at is wine and agriculture.
Don't know where in the UK you are but very large swaths of central/east Essex resemble the Loire Valley these days. Vineyards appearing everywhere and there's a lot of 'consultancy' happening from more traditional wine-making parts of the world.
In north Essex, there's a farm that's a year away from having the UK's first commercially viable Olive plantation. They've been working in partnership with a couple of Spanish olive experts.
Seems that the weather here is favouring more mediterranean type crops which farmers are now starting to look at so perhaps there's some scope to facilitate some form of knowledge-sharing endeavour.
StevieBee said:
Furbo said:
The only idea I ve come up with is providing business consultancy to Italians wanting to set up over here. I ve done it in the past for established UK businesses and start-up.
Not a bad idea!One sector to perhaps look at is wine and agriculture.
Don't know where in the UK you are but very large swaths of central/east Essex resemble the Loire Valley these days. Vineyards appearing everywhere and there's a lot of 'consultancy' happening from more traditional wine-making parts of the world.
In north Essex, there's a farm that's a year away from having the UK's first commercially viable Olive plantation. They've been working in partnership with a couple of Spanish olive experts.
Seems that the weather here is favouring more mediterranean type crops which farmers are now starting to look at so perhaps there's some scope to facilitate some form of knowledge-sharing endeavour.
I am based in the Midlands.
An aside - just after COVID I was given a tour of a local vineyard and winery. Very interesting. But the wine was absolutely. bloody. awful. I assumed because of our climate. A part of the deal was a bottle to take home; we didn't even open it and it went in the bin.
Any particular passion that would help you with direction?
From my experience, Italians are quite stubborn/traditional, and not always that well travelled. Some seem simply to not know what is out there in the world, and subsequently, can be unaware of what they have around them.
I'm in Tuscany, and the region sells itself all day long, be it holidays, food tourism, art, the outdoors, wedding venues, that's before you get into agri, and the industrial parts, the list goes on. People want to come here, they are often already on board, the region is so saleable, you just need to find the 'thing'.
Agritourismo's offer very favourable tax relief, and access to grants also, but I'm not sure that would work as a non resident?
If you do find the 'thing' be sure to share your findings!
From my experience, Italians are quite stubborn/traditional, and not always that well travelled. Some seem simply to not know what is out there in the world, and subsequently, can be unaware of what they have around them.
I'm in Tuscany, and the region sells itself all day long, be it holidays, food tourism, art, the outdoors, wedding venues, that's before you get into agri, and the industrial parts, the list goes on. People want to come here, they are often already on board, the region is so saleable, you just need to find the 'thing'.
Agritourismo's offer very favourable tax relief, and access to grants also, but I'm not sure that would work as a non resident?
If you do find the 'thing' be sure to share your findings!
craigthecoupe said:
Any particular passion that would help you with direction?
From my experience, Italians are quite stubborn/traditional, and not always that well travelled. Some seem simply to not know what is out there in the world, and subsequently, can be unaware of what they have around them.
I'm in Tuscany, and the region sells itself all day long, be it holidays, food tourism, art, the outdoors, wedding venues, that's before you get into agri, and the industrial parts, the list goes on. People want to come here, they are often already on board, the region is so saleable, you just need to find the 'thing'.
Agritourismo's offer very favourable tax relief, and access to grants also, but I'm not sure that would work as a non resident?
If you do find the 'thing' be sure to share your findings!
Hi CraigFrom my experience, Italians are quite stubborn/traditional, and not always that well travelled. Some seem simply to not know what is out there in the world, and subsequently, can be unaware of what they have around them.
I'm in Tuscany, and the region sells itself all day long, be it holidays, food tourism, art, the outdoors, wedding venues, that's before you get into agri, and the industrial parts, the list goes on. People want to come here, they are often already on board, the region is so saleable, you just need to find the 'thing'.
Agritourismo's offer very favourable tax relief, and access to grants also, but I'm not sure that would work as a non resident?
If you do find the 'thing' be sure to share your findings!
I am keen to avoid being too physically in Italy, if you understand. I would prefer to be operating from here, but going there to ply my trade.
I understand, sorry, i got the wrong end of the stick there.
You could photograph and write copy for vendors over here? sell that as a package to the vendor who can then use your material with their chosen estate agent? the quality of images and vagueness in descriptions is usually shocking, even for premium property.
Make sure you do your due diligence, whatever you do. It's become rather messy since brexit trying to understand what is and isn't ok especially with the Italian system being clear as mud.
You could photograph and write copy for vendors over here? sell that as a package to the vendor who can then use your material with their chosen estate agent? the quality of images and vagueness in descriptions is usually shocking, even for premium property.
Make sure you do your due diligence, whatever you do. It's become rather messy since brexit trying to understand what is and isn't ok especially with the Italian system being clear as mud.
Furbo said:
An aside - just after COVID I was given a tour of a local vineyard and winery. Very interesting. But the wine was absolutely. bloody. awful. I assumed because of our climate. A part of the deal was a bottle to take home; we didn't even open it and it went in the bin.
Theoretically, (Southern) Britain is capable of producing wine as lovely as any Mediterranean nation and some of the newer stuff is indeed very nice.The British climate has previously impacted on the consistency of supply. This has meant supermarkets weren't interested in British wine as producers couldn't guarantee supply to the quantity needed. One year it might be fine, the next, not so much. The climate has changed sufficiently to address this - to a degree at least.
The issue is expertise. We've not made wine to scale in the UK since Roman times so there's hardly any acquired / shared knowledge. And nor is there any long-established supply chain.
In Essex, US investors are essentially leasing land from farmers and establishing vineyards and centralised production centres. They're also bringing over experts from California to up-skill farmers and create those supply chains, at scale and quickly.
Other than drinking the stuff, it's not my area (or 'field'
) but have made a couple of films about local Viniculture for a local authority and from what I've seen, I reckon there's a growing business opportunity somewhere in the mix.craigthecoupe said:
I understand, sorry, i got the wrong end of the stick there.
You could photograph and write copy for vendors over here? sell that as a package to the vendor who can then use your material with their chosen estate agent? the quality of images and vagueness in descriptions is usually shocking, even for premium property.
So, doing real estate listings and photos? I like the sound of that.You could photograph and write copy for vendors over here? sell that as a package to the vendor who can then use your material with their chosen estate agent? the quality of images and vagueness in descriptions is usually shocking, even for premium property.
craigthecoupe said:
Make sure you do your due diligence, whatever you do. It's become rather messy since brexit trying to understand what is and isn't ok especially with the Italian system being clear as mud.
Well quite. Italian bureaucracy is a problem.StevieBee said:
Theoretically, (Southern) Britain is capable of producing wine as lovely as any Mediterranean nation and some of the newer stuff is indeed very nice.
The British climate has previously impacted on the consistency of supply. This has meant supermarkets weren't interested in British wine as producers couldn't guarantee supply to the quantity needed. One year it might be fine, the next, not so much. The climate has changed sufficiently to address this - to a degree at least.
The issue is expertise. We've not made wine to scale in the UK since Roman times so there's hardly any acquired / shared knowledge. And nor is there any long-established supply chain.
In Essex, US investors are essentially leasing land from farmers and establishing vineyards and centralised production centres. They're also bringing over experts from California to up-skill farmers and create those supply chains, at scale and quickly.
Other than drinking the stuff, it's not my area (or 'field' ) but have made a couple of films about local Viniculture for a local authority and from what I've seen, I reckon there's a growing business opportunity somewhere in the mix.
Interesting stuff and, yes, I can see that there may be an opportunity somewhere. Maybe I could change plans and instead of the Bel Paese start doing business in Brentwood, Basildon and Jaywick. The British climate has previously impacted on the consistency of supply. This has meant supermarkets weren't interested in British wine as producers couldn't guarantee supply to the quantity needed. One year it might be fine, the next, not so much. The climate has changed sufficiently to address this - to a degree at least.
The issue is expertise. We've not made wine to scale in the UK since Roman times so there's hardly any acquired / shared knowledge. And nor is there any long-established supply chain.
In Essex, US investors are essentially leasing land from farmers and establishing vineyards and centralised production centres. They're also bringing over experts from California to up-skill farmers and create those supply chains, at scale and quickly.
Other than drinking the stuff, it's not my area (or 'field'
) but have made a couple of films about local Viniculture for a local authority and from what I've seen, I reckon there's a growing business opportunity somewhere in the mix.Gassing Station | Business | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff