Setting up a Business in France | A New Life in the Charente

Last updated on April 18th, 2025 at 10:46 am

For many people, setting up a business in France is the easiest way to support themselves when considering relocating.

If you don’t speak French, getting any type of job is pretty hard, and if you’re going to rural France, there aren’t that many jobs available.

My interview today is with Katrina Wylie, who took the plunge over twenty years ago and moved to France with her husband, leaving the hustle and bustle of London for a new life in the Charente, and started a brand new business.

And I take my hat off to her, as she did all this before the days of mainstream Internet relying on good old Royal Mail to deliver her property details. And lots of telephone calls back and forth with agents.

But that’s not all. She did this whilst expecting her first child.

Making the move to a new country is one thing, but doing it while pregnant adds another level of difficulty.

Katrina, you’ve been living in France for over two decades. What enticed you about life in rural France?

Like many people, my husband and I lived in London and had a busy life.

I, being a Flight Attendant, and my husband, a Pilot (and no, not the same Airline), sometimes didn’t see each other for days.

It was all great until we decided to start a family and realized that something had to change. We always liked France, so we decided to be a bit crazy and start a new life by moving here.

So, the house hunting started.

A new life in the Charente

And how did you end up in Poullignac in the beautiful Charente?

Well, house hunting was a bit different at the time. (I guess I am showing my age.)

With no modern equipment like mobile phones or the internet, as we know it now, I had to speak to Estate Agents and request details by post.

Then the wait started, as it normally took a week to get all the details. I remember waking up in the morning and looking out for the Postman…..?

We requested properties close to an airport or a train station. I decided to continue flying out of Paris, and my husband quit his job to look after our baby, as I had fallen pregnant in the meantime.

So, after about two trips to France, we narrowed down the area, and on our fourth trip, we found our beautiful house in Poullignac in the Charente.

We arrived here in March 2001. I was 7 months pregnant, and our new life began.

I must ask how you have adapted to French village life, and what you love about living here?

After living in London and being surrounded by noise all day, it was bliss to wake up in the morning to nothing, no noise, just the birds or chickens.

I found it very easy to adapt, as we have lovely, welcoming neighbours, and the whole village, about 75 people at the time, made us feel so welcome.

I think it helped that I was pregnant, bringing new life into the village.

After 22 years, I still love it here. It feels safe, there is a great community, there is so much space, and the summers are still long and hot.

Of course, things have changed, but I’ve made it my home now. Mind you, sometimes it’s great to return to London for a long weekend and soak in some packed bars and restaurants.

The ups and downs of setting up a business in France

You have a great business making soaps. How hard was it to set up the business, and what’s your journey as an entrepreneur in France been like?

Setting up a business in France is not easy, as the French love their paperwork. Also, working in the cosmetic business involves a whole lot of different rules, and I have to admit that sometimes I thought I should not open a business.

But I continued, and with some help from the Chambre de Metiers, I was able to set up my business. It’s necessary to have a fairly good understanding of the French language. So, the journey has been full of paperwork and inspections, but I don’t regret it, as I love my soap-making business.

Tell me more about the inspiration behind Pure RoK.

I was always quite interested in natural products, but when my son was a baby, he suffered badly from eczema. I started to do some research into soap products.

My son always wanted the shower gel in the fancy Disney bottles, and I noticed that his eczema worsened every time he used it.

I then looked at the ingredients in soap and shower gel and realized that maybe I could do better.

I started doing research with a friend, and so Pure RoK was born. We worked as partners for a few years, but I now run the company alone.

Your range of soaps is amazing. I was looking at one called Sweet Crush, which is new to the collection. How do you come up with these soap creations?

That is a very good question. I normally start by thinking that I need to create something new and wonderfully fragranced. I then decide if it should be citrusy or maybe herb-oriented.

Once I come up with a fragrance, I research which oils mix well with the base fragrance. When I finally decide, I order some samples and experiment with fragrance, colour, and design. I love this part!

From setting up a business in France to fitting into the local community

Living and working in France is very different from doing the same in the UK. What would you say has been your biggest achievement, or a moment where you felt it was all worth it, and you were finally part of the community?

Luckily, I felt part of our community shortly after we arrived. As I mentioned before, I am very lucky to live in a great village. We used to have a Patois festival in our village, and we all got together and helped. These moments were great, as I really felt at home and totally accepted.

Apart from that, it was a big achievement to get my company off the ground and have local support.

And how is your French? 

My French is certainly not perfect, but I can talk to authorities and teachers and just chat with people, and that is not a problem.

My grammar might be all over the place, but I know French people appreciate it if you try. I learned most of my French at the school gates when my kids were in the local village school.

Quite often, I got involved with school projects to talk French all day.

Is there anything you miss from your life in the UK?

Sometimes, I miss dressing up and going out on the town for a night. Over here, it seems that people don’t dress up so much, and I love dressing up.

But really, that is just a very small thing. Otherwise, there is not much I miss.

Katrina’s advice for others setting up a business in France and pursuing rural French life

What would be your biggest piece of advice to others looking to pursue a life in Rural France?

My biggest advice is to do a lot of research before you make the change. Also, make sure you bring your work with you, as it is hard to get a job here.

Try to learn to speak at least some French.

Don’t get defeated by all the ‘lovely’ paperwork.

To find out more about Katrina and her range of gorgeous soaps, use the links below:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• TikTok