Grow — The AfroSwissters Toolbox
Money &
Enterprise
Where AfroSwissters turns ambition into structure.
Here we learn how to budget without shame, build side projects without burnout, price our work with dignity, understand Swiss entrepreneurship and find funding. This is not about becoming rich for the sake of it. It is about self-determination, community capacity, cultural participation, economic confidence and the right to build on our own terms.
Five tools. Swiss-specific. Every resource sourced and linked.
Questions, additions or corrections? Write to contact@afroswissters.ch
01 Budgeting Basics
The AfroSwissters Money Map
Budgeting is not about shame or restriction. It is about seeing clearly: what comes in, what goes out, what is expected of you — and what you are quietly carrying for others.
Use this for: personal money clarity · moving to Switzerland · starting over · preparing for self-employment · managing family support · avoiding debt spirals.
01Fixed costs
Rent, health insurance, phone, transport, subscriptions. The bills that arrive whether you look at them or not.
02Variable costs
Food, clothing, social life, beauty, culture, travel. The part of the budget that responds to attention.
03Swiss-specific costs
Taxes, the health insurance deductible (Franchise), Serafe, deposits, and the annual bills that arrive once a year and hit hard if unplanned. Divide yearly amounts by twelve and set them aside monthly.
04Care costs
Children, family abroad, remittances, emergency support for others. Naming this as a real budget category — not an invisible leak — is an act of clarity, not coldness.
05Debt & obligations
Open invoices, Betreibungen, credit cards, payment plans. If this category feels heavy, free and confidential help exists — see the resources below. Acting early widens your options.
06Future money
Emergency fund, pension (Säule 3a if self-employed), education, business setup. Even a small protected amount counts.
07Joy & belonging
Culture, rest, community, celebration. This belongs in the budget too. A plan that erases joy will not survive contact with real life.
Use these resources
The 30-Minute Money Check
Ask yourself once a month:
- What did I earn?
- What did I spend?
- What bill is coming that I keep forgetting?
- What support did I give to others?
- What support do I need?
- What can I say no to without guilt?
- What small amount can I protect for future me?
02 Entrepreneurship in Switzerland
The Swiss Enterprise
Starter Path
Starting something in Switzerland can be simple — but the rules matter. Seven steps, each with the official source behind it.
01Clarify your activity
Are you freelancing, consulting, selling products, building a startup, creating a non-profit project, or testing a community initiative? A side project becomes a business the moment you sell publicly, invoice, carry financial risk, work with clients and present yourself as independent.
02Choose your form
Common routes: sole proprietorship (Einzelfirma), GmbH, AG, cooperative or association (Verein). For many early side projects the sole proprietorship is the simplest first step — no minimum capital, minimal formalities. For non-profit community initiatives, an association can make sense.
ch.ch — Self-employment in Switzerland walks through legal forms, insurance and pension questions in plain language.
03Register as self-employed
Self-employed status is recognised by the compensation office (Ausgleichskasse). You may be asked for evidence such as invoices, contracts, offers, stationery, a lease or insurance. Get your status recognised within the first months of activity.
SME Portal — Self-employment guidelines · in Zürich, register via SVA Zürich, which also handles AHV / IV / EO and family allowances for the self-employed.
04Use EasyGov & the SME Portal
EasyGov.swiss is SECO’s free online desk for company administration — founding, registrations, mutations. The SME Portal (kmu.admin.ch) is the official knowledge base for everything from legal forms to taxes.
05Know the register & VAT thresholds
For sole proprietorships, entry in the commercial register becomes mandatory at CHF 100,000 turnover. Most businesses become VAT-liable from CHF 100,000 turnover; non-profit, voluntarily run sporting or cultural associations and charitable institutions have a CHF 250,000 threshold.
06Register social insurance correctly
After taking up self-employed work you register with the compensation office and submit documents proving self-employment. As a self-employed person you handle AHV, IV, EO and family allowances through the compensation office — and you carry your own pension responsibility (Pillar 2 is optional; Pillar 3a is your friend).
07Build a plan before asking for money
A business plan and financial plan are the basis for bank discussions, grant applications and investor meetings. The SME Portal provides free templates and examples; the Canton of Zürich financing guide explains the funding landscape step by step. For free founding advice in Zürich (and micro-loans up to CHF 40,000), see Ahead Zürich.
Before You Register, Answer This
- What exactly am I selling?
- Who pays?
- Why would they pay now?
- What proof do I already have?
- What costs come before revenue?
- Do I need permission, licensing, insurance or a regulated-profession check?
- Am I building a business, a non-profit project, or a temporary initiative?
Prefer step-by-step guidance?
These seven steps also exist as an interactive tool — with a route finder, threshold checks, a pricing calculator, plain-language explanations and a personal action plan you can download. Open the interactive Swiss Enterprise Starter Path.
03 Grants & Funding
The AfroSwissters Funding Ladder
Not every project needs investors. Many AfroSwissters ideas are better funded through revenue, grants, sponsorship, partnerships, paid pilots or community-backed models. Start on the lowest rung that gets you moving.
Key resources
The Grant Fit Filter
Before applying, check:
- Is this for an individual, association, company, researcher or startup?
- Does the funder pay before, during or after the project?
- Do they fund salaries, production, rent, travel, communication — or only direct project costs?
- Do they require non-profit status?
- Do they require co-funding?
- What ownership, visibility or reporting do they expect?
- Can you deliver without harming yourself?
04 Building a Side Project
The 90-Day Side Project Sprint
A side project should not become unpaid labour with a logo. It needs a clear offer, a simple budget, a timeline — and a decision point. Free business-plan templates live on the SME Portal; the Canton of Zürich explains why a financial plan showing expenses, revenue and liquidity comes before any funding conversation.
Stop Doing Free Work When…
- The organisation has a budget.
- They are asking for strategy, not “advice.”
- They will use your language, network, concept or cultural access.
- You are creating visibility for them, but no value returns to you.
- You are asked to represent a community without compensation or consent.
- The meeting requires preparation, emotional labour or reputational risk.
05 Pricing Your Work
The Fair Price Formula
Pricing is not only about the market. It is about sustainability, dignity, skill, risk and ownership. Your price must cover:
Benchmark first: use Salarium, the Federal Statistical Office’s salary calculator, to see what comparable employed work earns in Switzerland — then adjust upward, because freelancers and founders pay for their own admin, acquisition, tools, unpaid time and risk.
Five pricing models
01Hourly rate
Good for unclear or open-ended work. Protect yourself with minimum hours.
02Day rate
Good for workshops, moderation, strategy days, facilitation, shoots, trainings.
03Project fee
Good when the outcome is clear. Include scope, timeline, revisions and deliverables in writing.
04Retainer
Good for ongoing advisory, communications, community, partnership or strategy support.
05Licensing / usage fee
Good when someone uses your concept, text, image, workshop, method, deck, research or community access beyond one delivery.
“My fee reflects the preparation, delivery, expertise, cultural context, emotional labour, follow-up and usage rights involved. I’m happy to adapt the scope — but not erase the value.”
Resource Directory
Where to start
Twenty needs, twenty trusted starting points — every link verified and live.
All links checked and current as of July 2026. Programmes, thresholds and deadlines change — always confirm details on the official page before applying.
Talk to us
Something unclear? A resource we should add? A broken link? A funding door you found that others should know about? Write to us — this toolbox grows with our network.
Email contact@afroswissters.ch