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I think that's because there is no real "open signup" for starting a company here, either. It's not like people here are legally allowed to try out a business

I think that's because there is no real "open signup" for starting a company here, either. It's not like people here are legally allowed to try out a business before officially starting it - that would be highly illegal. In the US, you can spin up and spin down businesses the way you would an AWS VM. That, and Germans value contracts/stability over many other things - including the customers themselves.

junon 5y ago
None of what you said about companies is true in Germany. You're able to sign up for a company Steuernummer easier than in the US, in fact.
- trh0awayman 5y ago
  A tax ID is not a company. I've started companies in both countries - the burden and costs of starting and running one in Germany is far higher. In the US, I can start selling muffins, wooden furniture, whatever to my friends, family, and neighbors without doing anything. I can walk into a local grocery store and convince the owner to carry my products. I can test out markets and use Stripe, Paypal, Patreon: any payment service I want without doing a single thing. At most, I just have to pay my taxes at the very end of the year. I can do all that while working 1, even 2 jobs if I want. I can pick up a shift at Uber, then work on my business. You can't just start an Etsy store here. None of those things are possible here and are all underlined by ones appetite for risk. Handling VAT is a literal nightmare. Monthly invoices, dealing with the Finanzamt on a monthly basis for the first year or two. Everything comes with stipulations/exceptions and requires a careful reading of the law - which of course, is impossible for anyone to understand, so you're forced to hire a lawyer. It costs like 20 bucks to dissolve an LLC. How much does it cost to dissolve an UG? I wasn't trying to insinuate that one country is better than another. With the burdens comes stability. My company is rock solid here. There will basically never be a competitor for me, because the burden is too high for anyone to stomach.

junon 5y ago

None of what you said about companies is true in Germany. You're able to sign up for a company Steuernummer easier than in the US, in fact.

trh0awayman 5y ago
A tax ID is not a company. I've started companies in both countries - the burden and costs of starting and running one in Germany is far higher. In the US, I can start selling muffins, wooden furniture, whatever to my friends, family, and neighbors without doing anything. I can walk into a local grocery store and convince the owner to carry my products. I can test out markets and use Stripe, Paypal, Patreon: any payment service I want without doing a single thing. At most, I just have to pay my taxes at the very end of the year. I can do all that while working 1, even 2 jobs if I want. I can pick up a shift at Uber, then work on my business. You can't just start an Etsy store here. None of those things are possible here and are all underlined by ones appetite for risk. Handling VAT is a literal nightmare. Monthly invoices, dealing with the Finanzamt on a monthly basis for the first year or two. Everything comes with stipulations/exceptions and requires a careful reading of the law - which of course, is impossible for anyone to understand, so you're forced to hire a lawyer. It costs like 20 bucks to dissolve an LLC. How much does it cost to dissolve an UG? I wasn't trying to insinuate that one country is better than another. With the burdens comes stability. My company is rock solid here. There will basically never be a competitor for me, because the burden is too high for anyone to stomach.