STARTING A BUSINESS IN FRANCE
A Practical Guide for Foreigners and Expats Choosing your structure, registering it, paying yourself, getting paid, hiring, and everything that follows
Want to start your own business in France? Here is the step-by-step guide that takes you from idea to income—without getting lost in the paperwork. Freelancing, going solo, or building a small company in France is more accessible than you think—once someone explains the system in plain English. Starting a Business in France is written for the person actually doing it: choose the right structure, register it, pay yourself, get paid, hire your first employee, and handle everything that follows. No jargon, no assumptions—just clear, practical guidance from first idea to first year and beyond. Whether you are an expat freelancer, a remote worker putting down roots, or an entrepreneur launching something new, this book turns France's famously formal system into a series of decisions you can actually make. WHAT'S INSIDE Before you create: whether you may carry on business in France, testing your idea in the French market, and choosing between employment, independence, and a companyChoosing your structure: the micro-entrepreneur regime, the sole trader, the single-member company, creating with others, regulated professions, and working with your spouseCreating the business: the single window (guichet unique) step by step, articles, capital and registered office, your numbers and first formalities, and a realistic timetableMoney: paying yourself, social contributions, income tax and corporate tax, VAT, financing, and your accounting obligationsSelling and contracting: terms, quotes and invoices, getting paid, selling to consumers and online, insurance, and names, trademarks and intellectual propertyPremises and people: where the business sits, your first employee, and apprentices, interns and other arrangementsSupport and ecosystem: public support for creating a business, the wider support network, and the innovation and technology ecosystemGrowing, struggling, leaving: changing structure as you grow, what to do when it goes wrong, and selling, transferring or closingPutting it together: six routes worked end to end, and ten mistakes and what they costA founder's toolkit: glossary, checklists, thirty questions answered, model documents, and the first year mapped month by monthWHO IT'S FOR Foreigners and expats starting a business, freelancing, or going self-employed in FranceRemote workers and digital entrepreneurs settling in FranceSmall founders choosing between micro-entrepreneur, sole trader, and a companyAnyone who wants a clear, do-it path from idea to a running businessWHY THIS GUIDE The wrong structure, a missed formality, or a misunderstood tax can cost you money and momentum from day one. Get it right, and you launch clean, pay the correct amounts, invoice with confidence, and grow on solid ground. This book gives you that path, step by step. Note: This book provides general information, current at the time of writing, and is not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Rules and thresholds change—always confirm your situation with a qualified professional or the relevant authority. Turn your idea into a real French business—starting today.
- Published
- self-published (Amazon KDP)
- ASIN
- B0HGR9NTSR
- Page submitted
- on September 2, 2026, by the author
