What this site is all about

My site is aimed primarily at freelancers and the owners of small businesses in Germany. There is also more general information which is relevant for anybody coming to live and work in Germany.

The bureaucracy involved with living and working in Germany can be high. And all the more so if you are not a German speaker. At the same time you have your business to run and you want it to be successful.

Here’s what I’m doing to help you about it:

1. WORK

There are topics which are of interest to anyone who is working in Germany. I aim to support you in getting your freelance or small business up and running in Germany as quickly as possible.

I’ll provide you with the information and advice you need to understand the system. You cannot ignore the bureaucracy but you can deal with it easily and efficiently.

2. LIFE

I aim to help you with the day-to-day practical things you need to deal with when living in Germany. You need to feel at ease in your surroundings and understand the German culture.

3. BUSINESS

As a finance person by trade with a lot of experience in Germany, I can support you in your business. As well as blogging on relevant business topics, I am available to support you directly with your business. Please contact me HERE.

About me

My name is Andrew Cross.

I am British. About ten years ago, I applied for German citizenship as well. It seemed to me to be the right thing to do since I had long since decided to make Germany my home. I speak German fluently with not much of an accent although I still make a few mistakes with my grammar sometimes.

As a committed European I really couldn’t believe that a majority of the British people had decided to turn their backs on the rest of Europe in the Brexit Referendum.

I am a Chartered Accountant by trade. After training in the UK I headed off to Frankfurt to work for one of the big auditing companies. I left the auditing profession to go and work on the other side of the fence.

Since then I have worked in finance jobs for American, British, French and Chinese companies based in Germany. In the course of that time, I have accumulated a lot of other knowledge relating to all aspects of running a business here in Germany.

When I first came to Germany, the cold war was still in full swing. Berlin was a city divided by a pretty ugly wall right through the middle. The Deutschmark had not yet been replaced by the Euro. But now all that has changed. I’ve lived in Berlin, Frankfurt, Erlangen (in Bavaria) and I am now based in Hamm, close to Dortmund at the eastern end of the Ruhr Region.

I have my own small decluttering and organisation business, ORDNUNGSFROH. This has helped me learn a lot about what needs to be done when setting up a small business in Germany.

I look forward to working with you!