Who to trust in Ibiza: why your network is worth more than your capital

Ibiza is a small island. It may seem like a geographical detail, but it's the key to everything. Here people know each other, talk to each other, do each other favours. And those who arrive from outside, with no contacts, enter a system whose rules they don't know.

After more than ten years on the island I can say it with certainty: in Ibiza the right contact is worth more than capital.

The price of knowing nobody

Those who arrive without references rely on whoever they meet first. And whoever you meet first is often exactly the person waiting for people like you.

Improvised middlemen promising premises "on an exclusive basis". Inflated quotes because it's obvious straight away that you're new. Consultants who tell you what you want to hear. Easy promises that melt away at the first difficulty.

You don't have to be naive to fall for it. It's enough to have nobody to ask.

The people you really need

To open or invest in Ibiza you need a few key figures, and they need to be the right ones.

An accountant who truly knows the Spanish system and the particularities of the Balearics. A gestoría that handles the paperwork without making you lose months. A lawyer who reads the contracts before you sign them. Agencies that show you the right premises, not the ones they need to shift. Reliable suppliers who respect deadlines and agreements.

Each of these people can save you time and money. Each of them, if they're the wrong one, can make you lose both.

How I choose the people in my network

My network isn't an address book. It's made of people I've worked with, whom I've seen in action, whose way of doing things I know. People who have shown over time that they're serious.

I keep only a few, on purpose. Because when I put you in touch with someone, I put my name on it. If that person gets it wrong, the problem is mine too.

Why I make it available

When I arrived in Ibiza in 2014 I didn't know anyone. I built everything one step at a time, making mistakes and learning. Today I make that network available to anyone who wants to open or invest on the island, to spare them the years of trial and error I went through.

I won't find you a house and I won't sell you premises. I open the right doors for you. The rest is your decision, but you make it knowing who you're talking to.