4. Starting a (your own) company in Switzerland. Starting your own business. Yes, the step to independence. Friendliness and hostility of Swiss environment to entrepreneurial activity for all those thinking about that step to freedom.

Switzerland may be a dab hand at facilitating business startups with its rather chummy corporate culture, but don't be fooled—it's not all chocolate and cuckoo clocks. While setting up a one-man band or limited company is straightforward enough, the red tape multiplies faster than rabbits once your enterprise expands.

The past decade has seen Swiss financial and industrial policies tighten their grip on small businesses and entrepreneurs like a banker clutching his last franc. Recent corporate law revisions have been about as helpful to entrepreneurs as a chocolate teapot.

Compared to the economic doldrums of the EU—with Germany particularly down in the dumps—Switzerland maintains steady growth.