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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

miniempresita

English translation:

micro business

    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2016-11-16 21:54:07 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
Nov 13, 2016 18:15
7 yrs ago
Spanish term

miniempresita

Spanish to English Bus/Financial Marketing / Market Research Fashion
Is there an official terminology for this terminology please?
Would it be a mini company/mini enterprise/mini business or is there another term that anyone knows please?
I can't find anything related to such an expression online.

Thank ou for any help.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +2 micro business
4 +1 mini-company/start-up
4 +1 micro business
4 micro (and small) enterprise
4 offshoot

Discussion

Charles Davis Nov 14, 2016:
Not nec. LAm? But in any case not a formal term It's a small business, that's obvious, but I don't think we've any way of knowing whether it's small or micro. That being so I'd be reluctant, personally, to specify micro, which (as stated before) is an official term and definitely means it has fewer than 10 employees. That may not be so. "Small" would be safer. But since "mini" is an informal term I still think "mini-company" would be better. Or maybe "little company" would capture the diminutive.

Here's an interesting blog on a Spanish PYME referring to itself as a "miniempresita" ("nuevo término que nunca había escuchado", says the consultant) and advising it not to, because it fails to convey power and confidence.
http://jordysgonzalez.com/la-importancia-de-prestar-atencion...
Eileen Brophy (asker) Nov 14, 2016:
From more of the text I have found that the term is used for small companies that supply materials and products to the big companies different brand names. It seems to me that they are outsourcing the production of some of their garments.
Helena Chavarria Nov 13, 2016:
It's guesswork but it sounds as though they're companies within the large company.
Charles Davis Nov 13, 2016:
Well, maybe But from the little we know it doesn't really sound like outsourcing. Eileen says it's the heading of a section on how a big Spanish multinational company works with personnel (its own, I presume). In the discussion area she's quoted a passage, presumably referring to this "miniempresita", which says it has different departments and assists the stores (i.e. shops, rather than warehouses?) in their work. Whether the term is Latin American we don't know. It could be, but Latin American Spanish doesn't have a monopoly of diminutives.

All I'm saying, really, is that from the information given doesn't really sound like a microbusiness to me. It sounds a bit bigger than that. Maybe it would be better to call it a "mini-company", which is not a technical term.
Helena Chavarria Nov 13, 2016:
@Charles But 'microempresita' sounds very South American. I thought perhaps the parent company outsourced work to small companies.

Years ago I knew a carpenter who had the opportunity to supply furniture to Spain's well-known department store. He had to make an initial investment in tools and machinery but because he had no way of knowing how long he would work for the store, he decided not to accept the offer.
Charles Davis Nov 13, 2016:
The standard term in Spain for a microbusiness, a company smaller than a small business, is microempresa.
Charles Davis Nov 13, 2016:
@Eileen Do you mean that is how the "miniempresita" is defined? I take it your text is in Spanish. It doesn't sound like the definition of a microbusiness, the normal term for a business with fewer than 10 employees, which wouldn't normally have different departments. That definition you've quoted seems to indicate a sort of company within the company.

If it's a Spanish company, as your note to Margarida indicates, the following definition of "microempresa" from the Ley 14/2013, de 27 de septiembre, de apoyo a los emprendedores y su internacionalización might conceivably be relevant:

"Disposición adicional novena. Miniempresa o empresa de estudiantes.
1. La miniempresa o empresa de estudiantes se reconoce como herramienta pedagógica. [...]"
https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2013-10074
Eileen Brophy (asker) Nov 13, 2016:
Definition of micro business in the text. This is how the "micro business" is defined in the text I am translating, so it would appear that it is indeed a "micro business." "The micro business consists of different departments to assist the stores in their work and ensure that we satisfy our customers’ needs." Thank you very much for all your help.

Proposed translations

+2
31 mins
Selected

micro business

Micro businesses can and often do play a vital role in maintaining the economic viability and social cohesion of many regions in the UK, particularly rural and deprived urban communities. The lack of support for these groups of businesses specifically stems from the inability to find a consistent definition of what a micro business is. The definition devised by the European Union states it is any business employing less than 10 members of staff and has a turnover or balance sheet of less than €2 million (£1.7 million). The problem with this definition is it encompasses 96 per cent of all UK businesses, representing approximately 19.5 per cent of economic activity. The size of this group is too large and too diverse to be able to make effective policies targeted at the very smallest enterprises. The UK could follow in the footsteps of countries such as Australia, Japan and South Korea who have already acknowledged this issue and reduced the size of businesses within their definition of micro businesses making support a lot easier.

http://www.experian.co.uk/blogs/latest-thinking/micro-busine...

na micro empresa o microempresa es una empresa de tamaño pequeño. Su definición varía de acuerdo a cada país, aunque, en general, puede decirse que una microempresa cuenta con un máximo de diez empleados y una facturación acotada. Por otra parte, el dueño de la microempresa suele trabajar en la misma.

Lee todo en: Definición de micro empresa - Qué es, Significado y Concepto http://definicion.de/micro-empresa/#ixzz4Pur0twSH

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Note added at 35 mins (2016-11-13 18:50:21 GMT)
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La micro empresa: Sus dueños laboran en las misma, el número de trabajadores no excede de 10 (trabajadores y empleados) el valor total de las ventas no excede de las 12 UIT.

Leer más: http://www.monografias.com/trabajos11/pymes/pymes.shtml#ixzz...



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Note added at 42 mins (2016-11-13 18:57:28 GMT)
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I'm not 100% sure it's right.
I googled "sizes of business" and obtained the following information:

1-9 (Micro)
10-49 (Small)
50-249 (Medium)
250+ (Large)

I had previously found 'Very Small Business (VSB)', but I thought 'micro business' was a better translation.

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Note added at 50 mins (2016-11-13 19:05:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I admit that I've never heard of a 'miniempresita'. It might be South American Spanish.
Note from asker:
Thank you very much Helena, I obviously did not use the right method for searching.
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : As I've said, I'm not sure this is the right term here, but what we can't have is an agree for a later identical answer with no useful explanation and no agree for this one with an excellent explanation.
13 hrs
Thank you, Charles :-)
agree writeaway : your answer seems to have inspired others to post the same or nearly the same thing
15 hrs
Thank you, writeaway :-)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "This what I have most found when searching again, thank you for your help and information."
+1
19 mins

mini-company/start-up

http://www.linguee.com/english-spanish/search?query=miniempr...

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Note added at 20 mins (2016-11-13 18:35:33 GMT)
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More context would be helpful. though

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2016-11-13 19:31:49 GMT)
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You're welcome :)
Note from asker:
All I can tell you Margarida is that it is a big multinational Spanish fashion company, due to confidentiality I can't give any more information and it is simply a subtitle about how the company works with personnel. Thank you very much for your answer.
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : I think "mini-company" would actually be the best option here. But not start-up; we've not reason to think it means that.
14 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

micro business

Undoubtedly LatAm Spanish, the diminutive ending -ita is used widely, I've heard it alot in Mexico.
Peer comment(s):
agree Rosa Paredes
7 hrs
Something went wrong...
1 hr

micro (and small) enterprise

By investing in infrastructure, housing, tourist, health and education services, credit granting to micro and small enterprises, where employment is generated.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 Stunde (2016-11-13 20:15:01 GMT)
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-enterpris
A micro-enterprise (or microenterprise) is generally defined as a small business employing nine people or fewer, and having a balance sheet or turnover less ...
‎History of the concept · ‎Global definitions · ‎Contributions to the larger ... · ‎Financing
EUR-Lex - n26026 - EN - EUR-Lex
eur-lex.europa.eu › ... › EU law and publications › EUR-Lex
11.01.2016 - micro enterprise: fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover (the amount of money taken in a particular period) or balance sheet (a ...
Note from asker:
Thank you very much Ellen, I need to learn more about searching for these terms on the Internet :-0((
Something went wrong...
15 hrs

offshoot

In other words, "an offshoot of the parent compan"

"Enfield India Ltd is set up as an offshoot of the parent company, making complete bikes under licence."

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Note added at 15 hrs (2016-11-14 09:26:15 GMT)
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NB: Use of the prefix "mini-" is causing some controversy in Spain, and the affix -ita effectively renders it "a wee tiny microbusiness" (which is patently nonsense).
So, one option to consider could be "offshoot", if it's a subsidiary or branch.

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Note added at 15 hrs (2016-11-14 09:27:13 GMT)
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A Google search for "an offshoot of the parent company" gets 43.900hits....

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Note added at 15 hrs (2016-11-14 09:28:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Inditex has plans to expand the outlet offshoot. With prices averaging at around a third cheaper than Zara, ...
http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/fashion/fashion-news/news/a26...
Reference:

https://books.google.es/books?id=2d2-_t4j9SQC&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=%22an+offshoot+of+the+parent+company%22&source=bl&ots=8St0WnoFRm&sig=pXz74

Note from asker:
Yessss, thank you nielmac, a very good alternative.
Something went wrong...
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