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If you are running a digital side business (Nebenerwerb) in Germany, your mailbox is about to get busy. Weeks after my initial registration paperwork arrived, a second envelope landed from the IHK Chemnitz (Chamber of Industry and Commerce). Here’s a pixelated picture of their welcome letter: By law, the trade office immediately forwards your setup…
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It felt like a strange twist of digital irony. I had just finished writing and publishing my personal take on the latest issue of the Wirtschaft Südwestsachsen business newspaper. The publication featured a prominent warning about the rising wave of cyberattacks targeting small enterprises. As soon as I hit publish and looked back at my…
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Starting a business in Germany comes with a mountain of paperwork. You fill out forms, hit “send” on ELSTER, and then you wait. You expect silence, or maybe an automated, official letter from the tax office. Instead, a few days ago, I opened my mailbox and found a thick, colorful magazine waiting for me. On…