Almost five years ago, Javier Santos and Marcelo Vázquez launched what is today the largest online community specifically for the self-employed, with more than 145,000 users, which is certainly no small figure.
Javier stands out for his work supporting entrepreneurs and new businesses ever since he began his career at Granada City Council in 2000. For four years he was fully devoted to helping companies from every sector develop their business plans so they could become established.
He spent another four years supporting businesses, mainly SMEs, and entrepreneurs in Andalusia at the consultancy Estudios y Proyectos Dinámika. Without a doubt, this advisory work over eight years is what he enjoys most, since he has never stopped doing it and still offers it today as a freelancer.
It was at the end of 2009 that the time came to launch Infoautónomos as the go-to portal for the self-employed, a site where they will find absolutely all the information that makes their day-to-day life easier. It’s a useful website whether you’re already self-employed or intend to become so, since in the latter case they accompany you on the adventure of going it alone with all the key information through various guides, details of grants and so on.
I’m convinced that one of the main reasons businesses fail is that their founders “go it alone” and don’t get proper advice before they start; they don’t draw up a roadmap or seek all the support they need to lay good “foundations” for their business.
With Infoautónomos you’ll certainly find all the basic steps for getting your business up and running, whether you’re going solo or setting up a limited company (S.L.) or another type of company. It has enough content to take you from the idea, through the business plan and financing, to incorporating your company.
As soon as I set up my own S.L., I didn’t hesitate and signed up to get access to their guides. But it’s not just guides: you can also access a good number of offers from service companies (health insurance, telephony, fuel…), courses and, most useful of all, a series of templates for business letters, quotes and contracts, some of which I asked Javier for to include in my book ¡Quiero ser emprendedor! (“I Want to Be an Entrepreneur!”)
Javier is also a good networker, a basic skill for any good executive, because when you’re at the helm of a company you have to be visible, attend events such as Salón Mi Empresa and Iniciador, or give talks and workshops, and be an active part of the ecosystem.
In their drive to keep developing their portal, on top of the Infoautónomos Club, the supplier directory, the guides, the courses and telephone consultancy, they’ve ventured into organising face-to-face networking meetings, which I applaud, as it’s the perfect extra for an online community.
I think they’ve chosen the perfect place, since garAJE will be the venue for their 1st Networking Meeting in Madrid.
If you want to make the most of everything I’ve told you, be sure to register on their website. If you’re a company whose target market is SMEs and the self-employed, get in touch and I’ll tell you how to get the most out of it, and if you’re a freelancer, here are some more tips in another post I wrote a few months ago.
Categories