It takes a little courage to fight the crisis. But if the ideal conditions are found, everything is easier. And the right conditions are not always found in the countries that have the most advanced economies, quite often the opposite actually happens.
This is what emerges from a OECD report, according to which in order to start a business with the lowest possible costs and complications, it would be advisable to pack up and go to the other side of the world: they are Australia and, above all, New Zealand, the earthly paradises of startups, while only three countries with more advanced economies appear in the top ten.
These are France, the United Kingdom and the United States, while Italy, with its very high costs and alas known bureaucratic delays, is without surprise far behind in the ranking, drawn up on the 30 countries that adhere to the organization. If as regards the times, at least in theory, we are not in too bad shape (it takes an average of four days, excluding hitches), the real problem of the boot are the costs, where we are by far the most expensive country among those examined: 2.673 euros just to start, while in most European countries a few tens of euros are enough and in Slovenia and Denmark it is even free.
Not to mention the probable administrative complications, as indeed he observes the head of the OECD press office Matthias Rumpf: "If you spend all the time dealing with paperwork, it is obvious that there is less time to work on the business plan, to ship products, and to reach customers."
On the other hand, however, all continents are represented in the top ten: for entrepreneurs who like to travel and take risks, there is a choice in every corner of the planet. From Canada, in third place, to South Korea, seventh, up to Chile to close the ranking with the tenth position. Also passing by some surprises, such as Ireland and Portugal: Countries in serious crisis, from which citizens are fleeing but which in reality could prove to be very convenient – at least on paper – for starting a business.
To draw up the ranking the OECD has in fact taken into account various parameters: from the time required to launch a startup, to the number of procedures to be performed, from the cost of following up on these procedures compared to the per capita national income, to the minimum capital to invest, always as a percentage of per capita income.
And going to see the card of the Countries, the kiwi archipelago, which is also only in 21st place for employees in small companies, while it is third for employees in large groups (42% of the population works in companies with more than 250 employees, much more than the USA and the UK) would seem to be the paradise of small and medium-sized enterprises. And above all of simplification. Number of procedures required to start a business: one. Number of days required: one. It seems impossible, especially for those accustomed to long and exhausting bureaucratic contortions, but it's true: in Auckland and its surroundings, all you have to do is fill out an online form on the Corporate Office website, the reply will arrive via email within a few minutes and it costs only 127 dollars. All done in 24 hours, and no minimum starting capital is even required.
And the results are there for all to see: while entrepreneurs close up in the parts of the Old Continent, in New Zealand, in the midst of the international crisis, companies grew by 12,1% in 2007, by the same percentage the following year, and by 10% in 2009.
The most attractive European country would instead be Ireland, where starting a business requires only four procedures, for a total of 13 days and costs between 100 and 165 dollars. Dublin also rewards the most successful startups, giving them privileged access to funding. However, this figure turns out to be quite "on paper", since according to the Times the new companies created in 2010 were just 800, down from 2.800 in 2008.
Interesting then the case of South Korea: starting a new business requires only five steps for a total time of one week, and initially costs only $36. Even though it is cheap and fast, however, few Koreans feel inclined to do it: in 2011, only 11% of Koreans knew that there were favorable opportunities to start a company, while only 27% believed they had the skills to do it. But most of all, 45% of respondents indicated fear of failure as the main reason for not attempting the adventure. Because, in fact, in addition to the right conditions, it also takes a little courage.
