After a couple of really iffy days today is sunny and bright woo hoo.
If you are just about to head to Nerja for a spring break here is something you don’t want to see on the flight to Malaga!

(thanks to Sue Harwood for the pic)

A sudden downpour last night meant a couple of weary travellers were caught un-prepared, but the Boatyard provided them with survival equipment to get them home safely.

This is the second of a series of interviews with successful local companies. This week we talked to Cooltec Services, a Torrox based refrigeration and heating business.
Read the full interview Business Focus

I love Nerja during the low season ( apart from the recent bad weather LOL) when you can get the best seats at the bar and enjoy the best Tapas, and Nerja is still great value if you wander a bit off the beaten track.  Although a lot of places have closed for their well earned annual holidays there are still hundreds of places to choose from, and while a lot of places are relatively expensive especially if you are from the GBP zone there are still really cheap places and quite a bit going on. A beer and a tapas for 1 euro?
Brilliant, three or four beers or glasses of wine and I’ve had my dinner!
The work that is ongoing in the town especially on The Blacon and Plaza Cavanna looks set to be complete by easter when both the weather and the number of tourists usually starts to change for the better.
What we know as the Costa del Sol (Sunny Coast) used to be called Costa del Viento (Windy Coast) and the winds that accompany the name have already started and will also continue through March, let’s hope they blow the rain away.
The weather forecast for the next week or so gives an indication of things starting to get back to normal, but in the meantime get wrapped up, get out and about and explore some of the slightly hidden away places in Nerja.

Very short notice but Naill and friends will be entertaining in Irish Annie’s bar this afternoon from 4.30ish.

Work has started on C/Andalucia and there is a great big hole just a bit further down from the hotel Villa Flamenca

It really looks as if the work on Plaza Cavanna will be ready by Easter, there were loads of workmen on site this morning, and the south side of the plaza should be open in the next day or so.

This a the first of a series of articles focusing on starting a new business maybe in Nerja.
Nerjanow interviewed a series successful local businesses & asked some questions about their business.
If you would like to have your business considered to be featured drop me an email at admin@nerjanow.com

Many people dream of moving to Spain to start a new business, the Spanish lifestyle and the weather here being two huge attractions, but what is the reality?
The cold hard fact is that here  like anywhere else, staring a new business is fraught with pitfalls and a very high percentage of new businesses fail within their first year of trading.
Your idea for your new business might seem infallible to you but will it really work in the real world?
Ask everyone you know and not just your family and close friends who might just agree with you to be nice.
Look at the number of people that try to win competitions like the x factor and when they fail at the auditions their families all cry foul…”what do the judges know”, “they are so wrong!” He/she is a star etc.
The reality is that they shouldn’t have entered in the first place because they are rubbish, but no doubt were urged on by family and friends who made them think that they were brilliant!

Try and find people who are already in the business you choose and ask some questions.
When Richard Branson first thought about setting up Virgin airlines the very first thing he did was invite Sir Freddie Laker for lunch and ask him the hard question, what  did he do wrong, why did Laker Airlines fail!
You must have a passion and knowledge of what you want to do.
The last thing you should do is try to re-invent the wheel, learning about a new product or service will take you loads of valuable time.
You need to know that people will not flood to your door with work for you. Right now we are in a recession and people are spending less on everything, the new kitchen/car/extension etc will simply have to wait.
There is an upside to a recession, suppliers will negotiate on prices, and landlords will negotiate on rents.
OK so you have a product or a service to sell, then you need to ask yourself some questions:
Who will your customers be and how will you reach them.

Who already offers the same thing in the area you want to reach.
How many people have tried and failed?

Research is the keyword here and that may be difficult if you haven’t moved here yet.
If you already live here you need to grab every free and paid newspaper and magazine and see who is doing what and where.
If the market is already full of people doing the same thing as you, when you start your new business you will be a little fish in a big pond.
Be totally honest, what will make you succeed where others aren’t. is the really big question.

Nerjanow has asked local businesses some questions, the answers may help anyone thinking of starting a new business:

The first company is Blue Sky  a Nerja based real estate agent.
Read the interview at:  Business Focus