How To Become Self-employed In Switzerland : Business Resources For Women Entrepreneurs

A guide for expat business professional women in Switzerland

Becoming self employees in Switzerland is easy .

What I mean by “easy” is that they don’t make the legal process unnecessarily complex like most countries. But you still need to make the business work to continue to stay self employed!

Unlike other blogs posts, this article is not much about business planning , strategy or mindset. Here I share about resources and information that can make your life as a business founder in Switzerland easier.

Company structure

For example you can easily start your own business from your home( no need to rent a special office for this purpose). You don’t need starting capital if you start as a sole proprietorship (Einzelfirma).

But if you decide to start a limited liability company (GmbH) or a public limited company (AG) you need to secure at least 20’000 CHF for the former and 100’000 CHF for the latter. 

Once the company is registered this money is transferred to your business account and you can use it for business purposes. The money is not blocked anywhere.

The rules and the paperwork for a business startup is straightforward and clear. 

This doesn’t mean you just start a business in Switzerland and become lucky! 

You still need to do your homework and come up with a business model that works for you.

Starting a business is easy but staying in business and growing sustainably is a different story!

Fluency in local languages and your work permit in Switzerland

I didn’t exactly start my business as an expat in Switzerland.My life was relatively established as a local. I had already worked and lived in the country for 9 years.I felt comfortable enough with the local language ( German) and rules.

This made it easy to find legal support locally. If you are new and still learning the local language of your region, don’t worry! these days you can access lots of resources in English. 

I still encourage you to use the little vocabulary you have and learn more about business communication. 

There will be situations when you are expected to answer questions by bank, local services or the tax office. Especially if you live in smaller towns. Don’t get upset or surprised when no one is speaking to you in English!

I was already a permanent resident in the country holding a “Niederlassungsbewilligung C” when I decided to set up a GmbH ( limited liability company). I am not a legal expert but as far as I remember this option is not available for people who are not long term residents in the country.

If you are not a Swiss national or a permanent resident holding a C permit, please check the status of your permit and rights to work and business before you decide about your company structure. 

For more details about this topic see Swiss government’s SME portal for small and medium sized businesses.

KMU-Portal für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen

Here is the english version.

How can this guide help you become self-employed in Switzerland

In this article you’ll find a list of different resources that have helped me as a women business owner and entrepreneur launch and grow my business in Switzerland. Although I have tried to introduce resources in English there are a few links that refer to German speaking resources.

Check these business services before becoming self-employed in Switzerland

Startups.Ch

I used a range of their business and legal services to set up my business as a GmbH. They were quick and efficient and saved me a lot of time and frustration regarding these processes.

I also joined a number of their business events in my early days of transitioning to self-employment when I knew nothing about the legal aspects of starting a business in Switzerland.

They offer a diverse range of services for small and medium sized businesses in Switzerland and have a blog about entrepreneurship and business( in German).

Their services are not only limited to entrepreneurs who want to launch new businesses: they also offer accounting services, support with change of entry in the commercial register (such as reregistering or liquidation). 

IFJ

Their diverse range of services is similar to ones of Startups.CH. They organize informational gatherings and have a free course about starting a company.I find their services cost efficient and affordable compared to similar options in the Swiss market.

They also offer affiliate discounts for banking and communication services such as Swiss post and Swisscom which I recommend checking before going directly to the providers!

The Post

Yes, the good old Swiss Postal services.

When I started my fashion business, I was always on the lookout for the most efficient transport solutions both locally and internationally. I checked almost every provider and it seemed the most efficient logistics partner is the Swiss postal service. 

Only in cases where one needs to import and export regularly it might be better to go for one of the international logistic service providers such as DHL, DPD or UPS as they can take care of custom paperwork for you. 

I never used the fulfilment services offered by the Swiss Post, but I looked into it.

Using a fulfilment service helps you scale your e-commerce business without hassle

If you want to sell physical products and you don’t want to turn your home into a warehouse, you can invest in fulfillment services for ecommerce business. 

It saves you a lot of headache and is a first step towards scaling your product business without burnout. For more information about their logistic solutions and support for businesses have a look at their website. 

Swiss post also offers banking services: Post Finance which is one of the cheapest solutions in Switzerland.

Business Networking communities for women becoming self-employed in Switzerland

PWG Professional women’s group Zürich

When I decided to become self-employed in Switzerland, this group was one of the firsts I joined.

The members are not all entrepreneurs, some work in the corporate sector and some are considering a career change. It’s a diverse community that offers a safe space for business professional women.

Through this network I met amazing people: some became friends for life, some became collaborators and business partners.I once hosted a webinar about entrepreneurship in one of their online events.

Although I don’t live in Zürich I still keep an eye on their events to join whenever I can travel.

https://www.pwg-zh.com

Our Happy Place

Happy Hub is a private community for women that offers both offline co-working space and online webinars. They are based in Thalwil near Zürich. This community is small but has such a positive happy vibe as you can imagine from its name.

Although many of the members are self employed the focus on the community is not necessarily business.

They organise workshops and events around creativity, lifestyle topics and networking.If you feel isolated and crave for friendships as an expat then you should have a look at this community.

Women Rock Switzerland

Women Rock Switzerland is a private facebook group intended for women in Switzerland.

The group with over 11’000 members is free to join but is moderated carefully by its founders Denise and Michel from the Salt Consulting group.

You need to check the group rules before posting.

Women Hub

A vibrant community founded by two women entrepreneurs that fosters collective growth for women.They have bases in Germany and Switzerland and organise meaningful networking days a couple times a year.Their members are from a diverse range of background in corporate and entrepreneurial fields.

What I love about them is their focus on authenticity in business.They also offer some online events and expert talks.

Impact Hub

Although I have not been an active member of this community I keep checking their resources related to entrepreneurship. 

They have a range of services including networking events, expert talks and co-working spaces in Zürich.

Lean in Switzerland

The focus of this community is on diversity and inclusion in the corporate world. Although it is not a typical entrepreneurial community, it’s a useful platform for anyone, especially women as employees. It’s hard to start a side business and consider becoming self-employed in Switzerland when you struggle with workplace issues. 

This platform helps you learn more about your rights as an employee, learn more about negotiating fair work contracts and creating more equality in the workplace.

Blogs and magazines

My Swiss Story

Although this is not a typical business blog I think it’s a must read for every woman entrepreneur in Switzerland. The founder of this blog “Pragati Sidhanti” is one of my favourite sidepreneurs!

She is a senior consultant working in the corporate world and this amazing blog with a sizeable readership is her side hustle. She is also an expat business professional living in Switzerland since 2016. This is one of those blogs that I follow with passion : I never miss a post!

The topics featured in this blog are diverse just as its editorial board: lifestyle, career, health, business and everything else that is related to the life of a busy professional woman in Switzerland. I am proud to have been featured on this blog a couple of times.

Ladies Drive

They are a media company with a quarterly published print magazine.

They also organise events for women in leadership. Their magazine is in German and I can confess I read it cover to cover with indescribable excitement. I love its luxury vibe and the quality of the insight from some of the smartest women leaders in Switzerland.

Find a business coach or advisor before becoming self-employed in Switzerland!

Of Course I would love you to come and work with me if we are the right fit, but this may not be possible for whatever reason.

I still strongly encourage you to ask for some form of mentoring and support. 

Even if you are the most experienced person in business, you still have blindspots.I have never met a successful entrepreneur who has not benefited from mentors, coaches and advisors. I believe hiring a business mentor or leadership coach is a must in the process of becoming self-employed in Switzerland.

There is a good reason why!

Reading books and downloading freebies, hanging out in communities and taking courses is great, but it never replaces the power of partnering with an advisor or coach.

If you are not familiar with business coaching and wonder how it helps or even differs from business mentoring, consulting or training then I suggest you read this article. I have explained answered some of the most common questions around coaching in detail here:

“Things you need to know before hiring a business coach”

If you decide to hire a business or leadership coach, I strongly recommend you have a look at the Swiss chapter of International Coaching Federation and choose your coach from their directory. You will see my name there too!

To get listed on these directories one needs to go through extensive hours of training and mentoring, pass an exam and have coached real paid clients for at least a minimum of 100 hours so that they get accredited by the International Coaching Federation.

ICF coaches are obliged to follow a rigorous code of conduct that guarantees confidentiality and client oriented service. 

Everyone can call themselves coaches these days as this industry is not regulated, but not everyone can call themselves ICF certified coaches.

Most coaches offer a free discovery call where you can ask questions about their services and check if the chemistry is right for you to spend time with them. 

I also recommend you consider a Swiss based financial advisor or a mentor.An advisor based outside Switzerland may not necessarily be familiar with the practicalities of tax laws here.

You can’t ignore your future in the name of following your passion! Take your financial future in control.

I joined a group program focused on the subject of investing by Aysha van de Paer in 2020 and have stayed a member of her program since then. She is familiar with the challenges of investing as an expat or local in Switzerland, Europe and the UK.

So far she is the most knowledgeable advisor I have came across in this field.

She has a free webinar and a free mini course. (These links are affiliate links)

Help me keep this list updated

There are definitely more resources I can add to this list. I tried to name resources that I am familiar with as a user.

If you offer services for entrepreneurs in Switzerland but your business is not listed here feel free to get in touch and let me know how your services can support business professional women entrepreneurs. 

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