Founding a Company in Germany: €9,600, 152 Days, and I Still Can’t Send an Invoice

I started founding my second company in Germany in late January. It is now late June. In that time, the state, two courts, a notary, a law firm, a tax firm, and software vendors have all found a way to bill me. Every single one of them, on time. I have spent more than 9,600 euros to start a company: a little over 7,600 in fees and bills, plus 2,000 in share capital frozen in an account I am not allowed to touch. And after five months, here is what I have to show for it: I have not been able to send a single invoice of my own. Not one. The work is happening. The clients are real. The one thing the state exists to let me do, bill them cleanly, is the one thing I still can’t. The timeline Jan2323 JanFirst call with a law firm to set up the company. The clock and the hourly billing start.Feb55 FebI sign the mandate and send my ID. Drafting begins.Feb1818 FebThe structure is set: PlentyLabs UG & Co. KG, technically two companies. The name is a saga of its own.about 1 month of draftingMar66…