If I want to start a small retailer which will import products from the far east and sell them in a small store in Switzerland, what do I need to do? I am not a resident of CH but I have the right to enter on my (US non-diplomatic) passport.
How can I rent a space if I am not a resident of the country but have right to enter as a tourist?) Are there any contracting issues for someone without residency.
Founding businesses is a legally regulated topic. Consult with an actual lawyer, rather than fully relying on information from the internet.
In Switzerland, as in most countries, you cannot do business under a tourist visa (this applies even if there is a visa waiver program in place).
You therefore have two options: Either you obtain a residency and a work permit in Switzerland, and found your company that way, or you have a Swiss person found the company and invest in their company.
The Swiss Federal Department of Economics (SECO) provides a site for small and medium enterprises ("Kleine und Mittlere Unternehmen, KMU"), with links to useful topics like founding a company and import/export. The sites are either in German, French, or Italian. Unless you want to make use of consulting by companies specialized in assisting founding companies (such as this one), I highly recommend mastering one of the three languages sufficiently well to be able to work through legal texts.
To rent a place, you will also need a residency permit that covers the duration of the contract.
