How to succeed in starting a business in Switzerland?

First things first

The path to self-employment starts not only with the actual founding, but already with the business idea, the business model, the target group, the financing and the appropriate legal form. Only when these points are clarified is the foundation prepared in a clean and robust way. The IFJ accompanies this process before, during and after the founding with advice, courses, tools and the actual founding service.

At IFJ we repeatedly see the same pattern in practice: those who think about the formal founding too early often have to correct later. Contrary to the assumption that registration is the actual starting point, it is often the preparation phase that determines whether a venture is viable. This is exactly why IFJ places the path in a clear order.

Where does company formation in Switzerland start?

In the beginning, it is not the form, but the idea with a comprehensible business model. For beginners this means: who should buy, what problem is solved and how will money be earned? Only after that does it make sense to plan the legal form, financing and the next registrations carefully.

What prerequisites should be clarified before the start?

Topic	What matters	Why it is important
Business idea	Clear benefit for a defined target group	Without clear benefit implementation becomes unclear quickly
Business model	How revenue and service fit together	Shows whether the venture can be economically viable
Financing	Realistic funds for the start	Too little budget often leads to delays
Legal form	Suitable for activity, risk and future plans	Shapes liability, organization and later processes
Planning	Business plan with vision, analysis, strategy, measures and finances	This turns the idea into a structured decision

Before the founding: The most important clarifications at a glance

Many underestimate the bureaucracy, financing and lack of experience. From our work at IFJ it is clear: not the idea alone is the bottleneck, but often the combination of too little preparatory work and overly optimistic assumptions.

How does the founding at IFJ unfold in sequence?

Sharpen the business idea and vision
Develop the business model and business plan
Clarify financing
Choose a suitable legal form
Found the company
Then address insurances, accounting, social security and VAT

With a very small budget you should first use the free options consistently and only spend money where it is really necessary for your business model.
— Simon May, Co-Geschäftsführer IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen AG

This is exactly where IFJ offers a broad pre-foundation program: advice, courses, events, expert lectures, checklists and tools help to take the steps in the right order. This is especially helpful when there is already an idea but the most important decisions are still open.

What mistakes do we see most before founding?

The business idea was not examined enough
The legal form does not fit the activity or the risk
Financing is unclear
Liquidity was planned too optimistically
Social insurances are underestimated
Clear agreements are missing among the participants

The most common misconception: Only after founding does it become clear what is really missing. In practice, most delays arise earlier because assumptions are treated too quickly as facts. Clarifying these points early saves later corrections, time loss and unnecessary extra steps.

Do it yourself or use support?

Situation	Do it yourself	With support
Very clear idea and few open questions	Possible, but with higher risk of gaps	Helpful for controlling the sequence and documents
Unclear legal form	Often time-consuming and error-prone	Faster to a clean classification
Small budget	Cost-conscious, so use free offers first	Sensible, because invest where needed
Multiple stakeholders	Approvals quickly become complex	Clear structure helps with roles and agreements

When support becomes sensible

IFJ supports aspiring founders Switzerland-wide with locations in St. Gallen, Schlieren, Lausanne and Lugano. Annually IFJ accompanies over 3,000 company formations, supports about 20,000 aspiring founders in total, and since 1989 has guided 200,000 founders.

Frequently asked questions

How early should I get advice before founding?

Best as early as possible so you can freely review the idea, the business model and the suitable legal form. The earlier the advice begins, the more expensive corrections can be avoided. This is especially true when starting with a small budget.

Do I need a finished business plan before seeking support?

No, an initial draft is often sufficient. A business plan is a working document and includes vision, analysis, strategy, measures and finances. These points can be sharpened in the consultation.

What if I am still deciding between several legal forms?

Then you should not decide by feeling, but by activity, risk and future plans. Especially with liability and organization, the wrong choice can cause later effort. An early classification usually saves more time than later adjustments.

Is free support in the startup phase really useful?

Yes, especially if you first want to check whether your venture is viable. Free offers help you clarify the basic questions before you invest money in the wrong places. This is especially useful when the budget is tight.

Those who set up the company formation in Switzerland cleanly think first about idea, model, financing and legal form, then about the formal registration. This sequence makes the difference between a quick formation and a solid start. If you don’t want to sort the next steps alone, IFJ is the right entry point.

Jetzt die Firmengründung sauber vorbereiten

IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen AG, St. Gallen

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