An EU scheme is bringing new and established entrepreneurs together across the continent.
We thought building an off-grid lodge in the Alentejo countryside was hard work, what with all the infrastructure, logistics and bureaucracy it entailed. But Spanish entrepreneur José Báez is planning to do all this and more – 1,700 metres up on an old volcano crater rim in the middle of Gran Canaria island … and that’s why he spent the summer working with us in southern Portugal. And the great thing is Europe has been footing the bill.
It turns out the Erasmus exchange scheme is not just for students to have experience studying in different countries, but it also includes a large programme for new entrepreneurs – to fund exchange programmes between countries and across the continent.
The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) scheme pairs up aspiring or newly-established entrepreneurs with experienced owner-managers who have been in business for more than three years. I guess that’s us! And there’s no age limit – José is 49 and brings with him decades of experience in sales and marketing in big companies.
He approached us out of the blue: “After learning about Valley of the Stars, I felt a strong alignment with the values and vision behind your project,” he said. “I am currently preparing to develop a rural tourism project focused on authentic cultural experiences, sustainability, and a deep connection with the local territory,” he wrote, asking if we’d like to collaborate. José has grand plans for the family farm and everyone from the solar panel installation workers to the builders will literally have mountains to climb.
Any exchange has to go through an “intermediary organisation” in each country, and here it was the British-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce (BPCC) who facilitated everything, while José went through the Instituto Tecnológico De Canarias. We chatted and realised we had a lot to learn from each other, and so agreed to a six-month partnership where José would work alongside us and do everything we do, from marketing and accounts to dishwashing and building … with his salary paid by the EU. He would learn about our off-grid systems, how newcomers to hospitality are trying to make a young business work, and, at the very least (hopefully), how not to make the same mistakes we have.
If we thought our dirt road was a challenge for the cement mixers and building-material trucks, then creating something so special on an Atlantic island at such an altitude sounds even more ambitious. And if we’re off the beaten track for tourists, his land is in another world of calm, peace and tranquillity. But not only is José’s family land stunning, it already has an established but amazing water system – and water has been our biggest off-grid challenge. His plan is to create “a rural tourism project focused on authentic cultural experiences, sustainability, and a deep connection with the local territory”, which is exactly what we have tried to do with off-grid “eco-luxe” (as we call it) in Odemira.
The six-month placement has just come to an end and we absolutely loved having José as part of our team. He seemed to enjoy it too. “You bet! If I find a place of unquestionable natural beauty, a welcoming atmosphere, and good people – and I enjoy the work and fit in well there, too – what more could I ask for?” he said.
“It has been incredibly useful for me. Although I have already developed my own business concept, seeing how others add their personal touch is truly enriching.
“Experiencing how the owners – Ana and Al – engage with their guests feels almost like staying at a friend’s house. There is so much conversation, sharing of ideas, life stories, learning and laughter. That personal stamp they put on the place was a real discovery for me – a different and improved way of experiencing travel.”
While one fair criticism is that we could have spent more time mentoring and going through all the backroom business, it was a huge help to have someone so hard-working and with such a range of ideas during the busy summer season.
It’s not just tourism entrepreneurs who have been helped by the EYE scheme.
The British-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce has been part of the programme for 12 years, linking up 193 exchanges between hosts and new entrepreneurs. “We have been very successful in recruiting hosts in Portugal and the number of exchanges we have been able to oversee here has exceeded all the targets set for us,” said Chris Barton, chief executive of the BPCC.
In total, the EU-funded programme, which provides monthly stipends of between €600 and €1,200, depending on the country, for between one and six months, has concluded more than 15,657 exchanges across 45 countries. “However, where we are struggling is to attract more new entrepreneurs from Portugal (nationality is not important so long as they have been here legally resident for a minimum of six months); and host entrepreneurs in the UK,” added Chris Barton.
Since BREXIT, there are no Intermediary Organisations (IOs) in the UK and the recruiting is all being done by the BPCC. So, if you know anyone in the UK who’d like to host an exchange partner in Portugal, or any new entrepreneurs in Portugal who’d like to learn from businesses in the UK, there’s loads of information online about the EYE project. Like the UK, the USA, Singapore and Canada are also part of the scheme, running exchanges for between one and three months.
José Perez enjoyed Odemira and his exchange programme so much he’s staying on a bit longer while he plans the big build in the mountains of Gran Canaria. “It’s a magnificent opportunity to open up to the world and discover other realities and other ways of doing things. Highly recommended. I am grateful for the opportunity to have done this; it has been incredibly useful to me.
“Anyone with a well-structured business idea – one that has been thoroughly thought through and backed by a business plan – can benefit. There are no age limits, so there are hardly any barriers. But I believe two things are important for a positive experience: overcoming one’s own fears and adaptability…the rest falls into place.”
Alastair Leithead is a former BBC foreign correspondent now living in Odemira, where he and his wife run @vale_das_estrelas, or the Valley of the Stars eco-luxe lodge. He blogs at Off-Grid and Entertaining in Portugal and podcasts Ana & Al’s Big Portuguese Wine Adventure in all the usual podcast places.
If you’d like more information about the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs scheme, this is a link to the General Programme flyer and the Programme Factsheet
If you’d like to participate as a host entrepreneur or a new entrepreneur in either the UK or in Portugal, you can email Chris Barton at the British-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce on c.barton@bpcc.pt
Main photo: Putting his back into it: José Perez working on a building project at Vale das Estrelas
