Hi!
In many European countries, having a business as a sole proprietor or a company, means many of your details are publicly searchable by your business id/VAT number or your first and last name.
The information exposed varies, but often includes your phone number - and as a sole proprietor your registered address is your home address more often than not. In some countries, registering your business under virtual adress/PO box address is not legal.
You could limit exposure by getting a phone number and disposing of it just for this purpose, but there is still an unsettling amount of information on you that would be publicly available. Business registers will often hide this information for you if you can prove damages, basically when it’s too late.
What are ways I can operate a business as privately as possible? I have heard of anonymous LLCs, but information on setting these up in the EU is sparse.
I’d do crypto only, but you lose 95% (made that number up) of your potential customer base and your tax story is a nightmare.
If you’ve been previously stalked at all, especially by someone unknown to authorities, the entire endeavor of publicly owning a business becomes too scary a proposition, and you are much too easily fucked with given the information available.
I do not mean to evade taxes, or have my professional dealings be hidden from government or authorities. I just like my privacy.
Any experience to share?