Running your own business gives you freedom to make decisions, choose your direction and build something that matters to you. It also means being the person responsible when a client pays late, a tax bill arrives or you need to decide what to charge.
A new report from Remote Work Europe, The State of Freelancing in Spain 2026, explores that experience through a survey of 407 freelancers registered as autónomos. Its findings raise useful questions for anyone building a business in Mallorca.
The pressure behind the paperwork
Among respondents, 77% reported background anxiety about getting something wrong with Hacienda, while 80% said they could not manage the paperwork without paying for help. Just 15% trusted that an honest mistake would be treated fairly.
These findings suggest that professional support and peace of mind do not necessarily go together. For a business owner, a useful conversation with an adviser needs to cover more than what must be submitted. Understanding what you owe, when it is due and what to do if circumstances change can make planning feel more manageable.
Knowing your worth, and charging for it
The survey also found that 63% struggled to charge what they believed they were worth.
Pricing can feel particularly personal when you are selling your own skills, experience or creative work. Yet a sustainable price needs to account for the whole business: preparation, administration, equipment, professional fees and the time spent finding clients, as well as delivering the work.
Talking openly with other business owners can help you examine those decisions. The aim is to understand your costs, explain the value you offer and recognise when an arrangement no longer makes commercial sense.
Where community comes in
Only 25% of respondents felt part of a community of people doing similar work.
That finding is especially relevant to Mallorca Entrepreneurs. A business community can give you somewhere to ask a question you have been sitting on for weeks, compare experiences and hear how somebody else approached a difficult decision.
Networking can lead to introductions and new work. It can also give you a relationship with someone who remembers your business, asks how things are going and understands why a seemingly small setback has taken up your entire morning.
Those connections develop through showing up, listening and taking an interest in other people’s businesses.
A starting point for conversation
The report has clear limits. Respondents chose to participate, and the sample largely comprises international freelancers. It does not represent all autónomos in Spain or establish what business owners in Mallorca experience.
It does, however, offer a useful starting point for discussion. What would help you feel more confident running your business? Clearer advice? A fresh look at pricing? Someone to exchange ideas with?
At Mallorca Entrepreneurs, we believe those conversations deserve space.
Come along to an upcoming event, meet other business owners and tell us what you are working on. Visit our events page to find your next opportunity to connect.
Source: The State of Freelancing in Spain 2026, Remote Work Europe.