Many of the best business ideas are born from looking for a service which is not currently available and this is exactly what inspired these foreign women to set-up service businesses to fulfill customers' needs.
The Balearics as a major tourist zone is paradise for service providers. With an innovative spirit, stamina and a lot of hard work and persistence it is possible to establish a successful service business on the island. Around 48,000 companies are registered in the Social Security System (Seguridad Social) of the Balearics. Of this 30,000 belong to the services sector. Comparing the Balearics to other European economies, manufacturing accounts for a very small part of the market. Only 20% of employees registered for Social Security work in industry, the rest (around 280,000 people in Mallorca) are employed in the service sector.
In total 55,000 self-employed people were registered in the service sector in 2005. Many of which are lone fighters, as there are only a few large companies in the Balearics. Only around 40 companies have more than 500 employees compared to 80,000 companies with less than 5 employees.
There is a new breed of ex-pat female entrepreneurs who are seeking to fulfil customer demands and provide high quality services not easily found on the island in the past.
Petit Tresor
A new address for toys opened last December. It is a paradise for children with a wide selection of toys from renowned brands such as Haba, Käthe Kruse or Green Gate. The idea for the shop was born from the demand for traditional handcrafted toys. Katerine Noack was asked many times to bring handmade toys from Germany when she was visiting friends with children. Nine years ago she moved to Mallorca with her husband and was suddenly facing the same problem. Whenever she was looking for a souvenir to bring back to Germany, the search turned into a marathon, as she was looking for something other than plastic toys. The toys for her husbands medical centre, who is a paediatrician in Clinica Picasso, were imported from Germany and this sowed the seeds for the idea to open a toy shop on the island. The right moment came with the birth of Katerine's daughter, when she decided to resign from her job in tourism management. A bit later she happened to come across premises in Palma which seemed to be perfect for a toy shop and the idea became reality. When she met Katerine Christensson, she had also found the right associate for the shop. Both are mothers and share the work and both are surprised about the high acceptance among the locals, which account for around 80 % of their clients. The selection of toys is regularly adapted to the customer demands and the shop has quickly developed into an information centre as well. Mothers from all countries and backgrounds enjoy coming here to exchange their experience, addresses and tips and to buy those high quality handcrafted toys they were always looking for.
Petit Tresor
c/Costa d'en Brossa 12
Palma
T: 971 726883
I love Fabrics
Jeannette Brown and Claire Bertorelli from the UK realised very quickly that taste can be quite different. When it came to interior design they had a very clear idea of which colours, fabrics and style they wanted and found it impossible to accept that tailor-made curtains turned out to be too short and were hanging shapelessly from the poles. To provide solutions for others having the same problems, they opened their shop in Son Caliu three years ago. The customers can choose from a wide selection of fabrics from international suppliers and recently they have added an interior line of ready made decoration articles. Since setting-up the business they have gain the confidence of their clients and it happens quite frequently that the owners of a holiday home hand over their keys, so that they can work on curtains or upholster the sofas during the owner's absence. The two business women do everything connected to fabrics and upholstery. Their service starts with custom-made cushions and ends with the realisation of entire interior design concepts. The offer of fabrics is huge and whatever the client's heart desires, Jeannette and Claire will usually be able to provide it.
I love Fabrics
c. Miguel Machado, 3 ext.
Son Caliu
T: 971 681 740
Happyyoga
Jeanne Lurie realised her dream in 2006 when she opened her yoga studio on the Paseo Marítimo. Even though there are a lot of studios around, Jeanne Lurie had a clear idea of what her focus should be: Kundalini Yoga, which is said to be the mother of all forms of Yoga. Jeanne Lurie has been living on Mallorca for 30 years and had been practicing yoga for a very long time. She used to work as a dancer in Titos, then she became the first personal trainer on the island, at a time when this concept was widely unknown here. She believes that Kundalini Yoga is the most complete form of Yoga and knows that results can be achieved quickly. Yoga can provide emotional and mental relieve and can improve your health and general wellbeing. With her new studio Jeanne wants to give everybody access to Yoga. Therefore, she is offering open classes for everybody who wants to make a first experience with Yoga. Yoga needs a bit of discipline and not everybody has this at the beginning. Therefore, she offers open classes in the afternoon, where people can join straight after work. Similar top a gym, membership fees are paid monthly and customers can choose themselves, when and how often they would like to participate. This is an important factor for her international clientele, who are used to a relaxed way of life and for whom the flexibility is a priority.
Happyyoga
Paseo Marítimo 14, 1 B
Palma
T: 636 46 25 44
www.happyyoga.com
Sun Search Recruitment
For different reasons finding the right candidate can be more stressful on the Balearics than in the rest of Europe. Internationality plays an important role, the variety of jobs mainly in the service sector and the fact that many jobs are seasonal. Sun Search Recruitment has specialised in saving their customer precious time. Companies simply file their requirements and the agency which is based in Port de Sóller starts looking for the right candidate to fill the position. The agency is also a good address if you are looking for a job. Job seekers will be interviewed personally. The agency is acting European-wide and has another office in the UK. Most job offers are based in the Balearics. The variety of jobs is wide and ranges from executive positions to jobs in vacation clubs. Sun Search Recruitment is part of the company Team-Sales and is also offering training for job seekers, which helps them to appreciate their profile.
Sun Search Recruitment
Camí Des Cingle
Port de Sóller
T: 971 633545
www.sunsearchrecruitment.com
By Dagmar Riefler