Working in Spain

I don’t know about the rest of the world but for many years now the UK TV programmers have been obsessed with the idea of living abroad.  Great idea, and after being drip fed this for a few years we took the plunge and moved to Spain. 

The thing they DON’T tell you when showing programme after programme of people “living the dream!” is how to make a living!  Some of the programmes are about people who move abroad and start a business but not many.  So I thought I would do a little comparison here of what is available.

Here in Spain if you don’t speak much Spanish and do not have a useful trade such as plumber, electrician etc, your options can be quite limited.  You can possibly find work in a bar or waiting table, do telesales or work for yourself.

Another option is to train for a trade and here are just three of the options available on the Costa del Sol

Course	Cost	Equipment Cost	Length of course
Holistic Therapy	€1,500*	€500 (approx)	4 months basic course
Dog Grooming	€1,600	€1,500 (approx)	10 days
Hairdressing	€6,500	Unknown	52 weeks – 4 days per week

(*I did this course and added Hot Stone massage and two levels of Reiki to the basic course and spent another €1,000 on top of the basic)

These are just a few options – all require a build up of clientele after the course.  The ease of this will often depend on the area you live.  So you really need to think ahead – well ahead! 

If I were to start over I think I would definitely go for the Home Business option and become an internet marketer which is what I do now alongside my Holistic Therapy. 

For me the costs make sense and the earning potential is limitless.  With a network marketing business opportunity you have your initial outlay of product and usually there are different levels at which you can invest, and then you really only have your marketing costs.  Now different opportunities will have different levels of training and support but you definitely want to pick one with exceptional training because this will cut your marketing costs hugely.

So if you live abroad and are starting to think you need to make a living and you would like it to be a substantial living then do your research!  There are lots of options out there!

Home Based Business Online from your home in Spain!

Imagine how many people moved to Spain with the idea of retiring!  Every year you hear of more and more people leaving the UK and moving not just to Spain but to various European Countries to "get out of the rat race".  But one wonders if its out of the frying pan and into the fire!

At the moment many people who rushed out to Spain over the last 10-15 years with the intention of kicking back, doing a little part-time work and living the dream, are now rushing in the opposite direction because they can't make ends meet here in Spain.

We also moved out here with rose coloured glasses firmly perched on our noses, although it was never my intention to retire but I was intending to find the nice little part-time job to keep me off the streets and stop me from going doolally from boredom.  Some research into the economy of Andalucia would probably have been beneficial as we discovered very soon that Andalucia has a huge unemployment problem and that part-time jobs are fought for and usually won by those speaking Spanish and some by those speaking both Spanish and English.

This is why you find so many of the expat community doing the markets (see previous blog).  There are so many non-Spanish markets out here now selling everything from handmade goods to UK food products and Marks and Spencer clothing!  Some people do the markets to themselves out of the house, meet people and make a bit of pocket money.  But for some this is their only means of support and as the competition for the punters' money is fierce there are more and more people feeling the pinch.

So what other options are there when you are an expat wanting to make a living?  Well there are several MLM opportunities out there such as the Aloe Vera products, Herbal Life and Bioflow - which immediately spring to mind.  However, all of these options also require the franchise owner to "do" the markets to sell their products and market their opportunity.  From my point of view I prefer the "no stocking of products" option available in the Internet Marketing Opportunities.  Mind you I had a couple of go's before I found the opportunity that really got me going.

I am now with an opportunity that not only puts money in my pocket but supports Environmental and Humanitarian projects worldwide.  For me the mission was very important but realistically I had to be able to earn good money too!

So what exactly is Network Marketing?  The simplest explanation is that it is a method of marketing that utilises independent representatives to reach potential customers that a company otherwise would not reach with traditional marketing methods.

Network marketing is definitely an option for people living abroad and needing an income.  There is plenty of money to be made, even in a recession and there is no requirement to learn another language (although I would always advocate learning the language of the country in which you live).

If Network Marketing is route you choose make sure that it fits your requirements, ticks all the boxes and delivers in every way.

If you are interested in more information on the Opportunity that I am with then please contact me!

Christmas Markets in the Sun

From now till Christmas you could shop till you dropped and never enter a shop!!

Its a legacy of living in this part of Spain (cant speak for other areas) that for those who cant find work but need an income settle on becoming a marketeer!! I have done it myself in the past and still do attend the odd one as I cant stop painting T Shirts and so they have to go somewhere.

It can be a lot of fun.  You get to know people from different areas some travelling the length of the Costa del Sol from Nerja down to Gibralter and many miles inland too.  Most people are really friendly and sometimes end up being your best customers depending on what you sell.

On a quiet or cold day the most popular marketeers tend to be those selling food - things like sausage rolls,  Cornish pasties and quiche are really alluring when you are bored and/or cold.  Then there are the scones, buns and chocolate fudge cakes  mmmmmm!!  When I did the markets regularly I had to be strict and take my fruit and rice cakes with me or I would have ended up eating all day.

However, as I rarely do markets now, since I have been running my Network Marketing Business, it was a treat last Saturday to indulge in a little snacking.  The heavens opened for a little market in the Benhavista Country Club.  When I say the heavens opened I mean they really opened.  I went with Michelle from Designs of Asia and we couldn't find the place.  Then we couldn't park anywhere near so we were running with heavy boxes of her candles and massive bags of cushions through torrential rain.  Not fun.  When the rain cleared from my eyes I noticed we were next to the cake and pasty stall - disaster!!!  The rain continued unabated for most of the day and the clientèle stayed exactly where I wished I was - namely home by the fire.  I had taken soup but the sausage rolls and mince pies waved at me each time I looked.  We succumbed big style - but it made the day go easier although it was a relief to leave and an even bigger relief to arrive home to a warm, dry house.

AmandArt at Swans Schools

Those kinds of days though are fairly extreme.  Yesterday for instance was at the other end of the scale.  Again down on the coast this time at Swan's School.  We were early for this one - amazingly enough - which is probably just as well as the hike from car to table was probably 4 times as long as Saturday's.  However, the day could not have been more different.  There was not a cloud in the sky - wall to wall blue with a lovely warm sun.  We were in a huge quadrangle type area surrounded by the school buildings and it was warm enough that after traipsing backwards and forwards to the car a few times (Michelle did manage to commandeer a supermarket trolley and a pupil from somewhere so we had assistance) people were stripping off layers of clothing.

All venues bring a different variety of people and spending doesn't seem to be high at any of them but the amount of people at Swan's School was very encouraging and the buzz was loud and convivial!  I thoroughly enjoyed my day despite spending more than I made!!

Our stall and general view

AmandaArt Handcrafted Christmas Crackers

There are also a number of exhibitions of varying sizes which I have done in the past.  I shared a stand with Posh Pets Spain a couple of years ago at the Over 50's Exhibition in Estepona.  That was a two day exhibition and we had a load of fun.  We took cava and nibbles ensuring that our stand was extremely popular and we did a roaring trade (not just in cava and nibbles either!).

For those of you on the Costa del Sol there is now a Facebook Page for Markets which some enterprising person set up - well done them!! It can be useful if you are a marketeer or if you are looking for one to go to!!  Another great source of local information is In Malaga Today and not just about markets either - its a great resource for all local information and news!

Don't forget you will get unique and handcrafted items at these markets.  Anyone can shop on the High Street or in that mainstay store that originates in Ireland (they can afford to do their own advertising!)  but how much nicer to go and browse - have a snack and quite often a mulled wine or whatever takes your fancy.  Often you can chat with the person who has made the item you are interested in and sometimes place an order so that the gift is completely unique.  For those items that you can buy elsewhere, the markets are normally much cheaper as stallholders only have to pay for their stall on the day not premises for 365 days with all the associated costs of staff, insurance, electricity etc.

Its fun, its cheaper, its individual and its very Costa del Sol!!

Facebook Phenomenon

Is it just me or as Facebook reached a new dimension? It seems that everywhere I look/listen/watch someone somewhere is using facebook whether it be to advertise to encourage to vilify or ................... play games!!!

On the games front I have to say I find them annoying only insofar as I am not interested in whether you build a new barn on your farm, make cakes for your cafe, shoot people in your wars etc so I would prefer that I didnt get the notifications that such momentous events have occurred. Having said that if thats what people want to do and they enjoy thats great. If I started I would probably get hooked and waste all my time planting, cooking and killing .......hmmmm ....... well something like that anyway.

Of course, the original idea of Facebook was for people to keep in contact and have a "chat" no matter where they were in the world - hence "Social Media". And I do use it for that too. As we live in Spain and have family in other parts of Europe particularly the UK and friends all over the world - Facebook is just great for keeping in touch without writing the email which sometimes takes away the spontaneity of the chat.

If you are a private person then perhaps Facebook is not the way forward. You can "private message" people but then you could probably just as easily email them. But if you have a business of any description, then you would be foolish to dismiss the power of FaceBook. In fact it is probably one of the most powerful marketing tools you can use.  It doesnt have to be an online business - I have an online business, a T Shirt Painting business and I am a Holistic Therapist

Just recently a friend and mentor posted a video he had made showing people how to put a Facebook "like" button on their own website. You will notice that I have put one on this blog. Such a simple thing but so powerful. Probably its not Facebook that has taken a step forward but me!!! Finally I am learning how to use these tools and enjoy doing it.

Of course, its not all good. There are a lot of people who feel that their privacy has been invaded and they feel exposed. That is why its such a good marketing tool. There is a movie just released about the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg - "The Social Network" which I believe premièred yesterday. According to the press, the movie does him no favours although sources for the material of the movie apparently do have an axe to grind so who knows. You are not going to reach the dizzy heights of wealth that this young man has (only 26 years old!!!) without making a few enemies on the way.

The thing is - even if we all decided that he was a terrible person would we ALL leave Facebook?

From Facebook's own statistics page

• More than 500 million active users 
• 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day 
• Average user has 130 friends 
• People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook 

And if something or someone persuaded all those 500 million users to leave, would we be stepping out of the frying pan and into the fire!!

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Snoozing and reading in the shade is for WIMPS!!

I know, I know – another weather orientated blog but read on because it is and it isn’t – if you get my drift!!

Technicolour Sun - Courtesy of NASA

Now here we all are in Spain trying very hard NOT to moan about the heat. Yes the weather is just as much a topic of conversation here as it is in the UK and probably in most parts of the world. The last couple of days the temperatures have been getting silly with no respite after the sun goes down because there has been no breeze whatsoever.

But isnt it sad that we tend to wish our lives away saying "oh I cant wait for September". I think our biggest problem as expat Brits in a Southern European country in the height of summer is that we try to continue as normal. We are not used to flopping out for the afternoon and keeping cool as possible.

Heavens NO!!!! We must build that wall, prune those trees, wash that car and sweep those terraces – stiff upper lip and all that jazz. Snoozing and reading in the shade is for WIMPS!!! We Brits are not comfortable with that sensible approach to coping with summer in a hot country.

When I was in Abu Dhabi I used to start work in the morning at 7am and finish at 2pm and that was in air-conditioned offices all the year round. It was like having 2 days in one - great. But you see even with air-conditioning people are "conditioned" to that siesta time and we Brits are "conditioned" to that 9-5 work routine - when will we change?

Of course there are many people here who don’t have air-conditioning. We only have AC in the bedrooms for instance (I am not nice if I don’t get a good nights sleep). We don’t really want it in the rest of the house as it would mean keeping the doors closed and we would hate that. (Mind you we wouldn’t have said no to bit of AC during the last couple of days!!)

For me now I have the best of both worlds because I am self-employed and my main occupation is with my internet marketing business, I can start early when its cool and feel that by 2pm I have done enough so its pool and shade for me! And then I am happy to do some more at about 7pm when its slightly cooler. Flexibility is the key!!

I think its maybe a case of allowing ourselves to go with the flow more. We need to get over our mental conditioning (puns are ALWAYS intended by the way!) lighten up and relax!

ITS SUMMER after all and traditionally a holiday time - so chill, relax and Enjoy!!!