How to Launch Your Business in Foreign Countries

After working in Mexico City as a representative of the manufacturer for two years, Elizabeth Helsley thinking about back to his hometown of San Diego to start his own company. Then he ran the numbers and found that bootstrap their business in Mexico will greatly reduce the overhead costs. He decided to stay.

"The cost of living here is cheaper," said Helsley, who launched

Global Luxe

, A company that helps manufacturers to enter the Mexican market, this spring. "I recently moved to a really good place with three rooms, and I paid less than $ 800 in San Diego, where the same is $ 2000 per month ..."

But he only saves room and board. Also very low operating costs.

"Here, I can hire an accountant to $ 20 per month," says Helsley. Also more expensive: legal services, printing costs, trade costs and, most importantly, the corporate tax. (According to KPMG's latest

"Competitive Alternatives" report

, Mexican business tax is 40 percent less than in the United States.)

For Helsley, financial boon not only details that tipped the scale to support Mexico. He speaks the language, has a large network of professional contacts and had no trouble getting a long term visa.

Of course, not all regions of the roll out the red carpet for U.S. employers. Depending on your location, you may face difficulty in obtaining long-term visas, cut regulatory red tape and keep as much of your income as you want.

Emigration 101

Among the major concerns you have if you can legally emigrate to the country you are considering.

"Most countries are more advanced industries are unlikely to let people come in and set up shop," says Christopher Uzpen, a partner in the international tax group of the law firm

Withers Bergman LLP

.

In other words, unless you've lived first established by living or working in the country of your choice, nabbing long-term visa may be easier said than done.

Cory Kidd, co-founder and CEO

Intuitive Automata

, A medical startup Robotics based in Hong Kong, know this firsthand.

While getting a work visa first then do the legal structure of the company in the year 2008 was a snap, renewed each year are asked to jump through hoops.

"Hong Kong Immigration seems to be used for the provision of visas for employees of large, well-established companies but not for beginners," said Kidd - this despite the fact that his company deliver 11 man, received a $ 250,000 interest-free loan from the government, including business incubation programs locally and raised a small angel round of investment.

Be Lay Land (Foreign)

Resource for expats with hope

Competitive Alternatives 2010

: Recent KPMG study of international business taxation

Doing Business 2010

: Ranking easier doing business in 183 countries around the world

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

: A study of business activities around the world

Transparency International

: Resource in the international area subject to corruption

U.S. Commercial Service

: Global business information to exporters and importers

U.S. State Department

: Information for U.S. companies doing business abroad

China, India, Brazil, Russia and some parts of Africa is one of the startup locations more difficult for Americans, says Larry Harding, founder and president

High Street Partners

, An international company business services. And with the exception of Britain, he added, doing business in the EU can be expensive. (On the other hand, Harding calls started business in Hong Kong, Singapore or Japan "pretty easy.")

Even if a place does not welcome the foreign entrepreneurs, local infrastructure can not meet the standards of the U.S., especially in developing countries.

"Here, we take it for granted that our business is broken, we can call the police," said Bruce Bachenheimer, clinical professor and director of program management

Pace University Entrepreneurship program

. "But in other countries, the rule of law can not be what we expect."

Also, added Bachenheimer, some local, roads, electricity, telephone service, internet service, shipping company and the court system can be much more.

For Danny Wong, a partner at

Blank label

, Based in Shanghai dress custom shirt company, doing business in China means accepting that local governments restrict Internet access to many of the blogs and social media sites.

"We're fine that," says Wong, who originally came from Boston. "But if your business relies heavily on interaction with the blog, Twitter and Facebook, then China is not the perfect location for you."

Play Location Scout

Obviously, the reconstruction is required before you move should be. Embassies and trade missions in the United States is a good place to start. Thus Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. embassy in your target locations, many of them, you can mine for introductions to other business expatriates, as well as referrals to local attorneys, accountants, business advisers and banks.

But employers say nothing beats visiting your target and immerse yourself in the culture before making permanent measures.

"I came here three or four times before starting the company," said Kidd, who began to visit Hong Kong five years ago. "The first is the second holiday is to begin to consider the location of the startup ... I live in an apartment instead of a hotel to get a better feel of what it would be like to live here. Last visit or two is to set up corporate networks. '

Learning the local tongue can only help open doors to professional, said Helsley, who is fluent in Spanish.

"You definitely have a deeper understanding of the culture when you learn a language," he said. "You can take things that you would otherwise miss." For example, he says, "In Mexico, a lot of times when people say 'yes' they really mean 'no.'" ;

Adopting Local Business Practices

Along with the necessary permits, registration and business license, you need to suss the local labor laws and practices before.

"In some areas, relatively cheap labor, but the churn factor is 100 percent," said Harding.

For insider information, he suggests asking questions such as expatriate business: How challenging the enforcement of local people? Where is a good place to find them? What is the cost of labor? What is the turnover like?

"It's about finding out all the details and nuances - simple things like the structure of the agreement, how to recruit candidates, how to motivate employees and incentives," said Kidd.

Cultural attitudes and rules surrounding work-life balance is another consideration, said Harding. Working 80 hours a week to launch a startup can seem quite natural to you. However, the quality of life-conscious France, he said, expect many employees overtime does not fly.

Follow the Trail of Finance

Low overhead interested you to start your business in foreign countries will not do you much good if you sacrifice your savings unfavorable exchange rates, rules and regulations repatriation tax. For this reason, says expat Entrepreneurship, enlisting the services of a tax professional is very important areas.

"You have to pay taxes to a foreign country reduces the tax you pay to the United States whenever possible," said Uzpen. What's more, he adds, you want to keep your tax bill in mind when choosing a legal structure for your business, as the structure of your choice is likely to affect the amount you owe.

"In the end, you do not want taxes to drive how you do business," warned Uzpen. "But as an American, you have two ranges of worry, not many entrepreneurs from other countries."

Michelle Goodman

is a freelance writer and author of the so-called freelance my Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for hire.

Intel Takes On Chip Production King of Taiwan Semiconductor

Like most Silicon Valley chip design specialist, Altera (altr) have long embraced reliable formula: semiconductor design house, made in Asia. For the company's San Jose (California)-based, which sells telephone equipment processor, which means outsourcing production to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.. (TSM), current crop chipmaking save customers $ 4 billion or more to the cost of building their own. TSMC is the industry leader in contract manufacturing 39300000000 USD to chip called foundry business, took nearly $ 7 as of February sold.In end smartphone, though, Altera announced that taking advanced orders chip Intel (INTC), which has traditionally focused on making its own microprocessor instead of making another company. With PC sales in the doldrums, the world's largest chip maker needs to find new uses for surplus production capacity. Win business from Altera "is a big confidence boost for our team," said Sunit Rikhi, vice president of Intel pays business.Intel casting company also has to register as a small designer clients such as Tabula and Achronix Semiconductor. And it will make chips for Cisco Systems (CSCO), said two people with knowledge of the matter who was not authorized to discuss publicly. They won as Intel and TSMC foundry warm-up against the other for a much larger prize: Apple (AAPL). IPhone maker last year spent $ 3900000000 on custom chips from Samsung Electronics, according to data from IC Insights, and wanted to diversify to avoid chip that enrich archrival, said Steven Pelayo, an analyst with HSBC (HBC) in Hong Kong. Amount paid Apple Samsung to develop custom chips. It is likely that at least some other businesses to avoid enriching rivalTSMC early end smartphones as it leads to making chips in Apple's advanced technology needs, especially for mobile devices, said Javier. He estimated that nearly one-third spoon TSMC Chip Apple orders by percent by the end of the year and 50 thereafter. Intel will have a better shot in the next generation chip, which is about half the size. For Samsung, the No. 3 Foundry and the world's largest maker of smartphones is trying to expand its list of customers in the event of a decrease in orders from Apple. Business phone, making it one of the biggest buyers of parts, provide leverage in securing orders from foundry chipmakers, said Javier. "The less I scratch your back, you scratch mine." With heated competition between chip manufacturers, it is not clear how many others can grab the new Intel customers. Many major semiconductor designers compete with TSMC does not compete with Intel on the design of the contract, and that limits the field for Santa Clara (California)-based chip. "I do not expect NVIDIA (NVDA) or Qualcomm (QCOM) or Broadcom for (BRCM) look for opportunities to get into bed with Intel," said Steve Myers, an analyst in Tokyo at Ji Asia. "Most of the customer base is not necessarily interested in TSMC Intel." Intel Potential customers will also need assurances about long-term commitment to the U.S. chip maker to establish business. TSMC has a long track record of serving customers Outsourcing. Intel does not. When it comes to moving core microprocessor business, Intel has "tried many times and it's safe to say not as successful," said Anand Srinivasan, an analyst at Bloomberg Industries. The company has spent billions of dollars over more than a decade trying to get the processors in mobile phones. It ended 2012 with less than 1 percent of the market, which is dominated by Qualcomm. Intel Rikhi admits there is still a way to go to win the majority of foundry customers. Altera contract "is just a signature on a piece of paper," he said. "We need to convert silicon leadership." Bottom line: With a sluggish PC core business, Intel is trying to make a huge chunk of a $ 39300000000 chip-production.

Ex-Goldman Employee Claims Arbitration There he

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.. (GS) Gender Bias to persuade

a federal appeals court to rule that the former management of women

directors should pursue cases of gender discrimination by

arbitration and not in court. Yesterday, the New York-based panel ruled that Lisa Parisi,

One in three women who sued the company in 2010 claiming they

charged for pay and promotion discrimination, can not maintain

his case to federal court. Employment contracts contain

clause requiring disputes to be resolved by arbitration. Parisi's lawyers argued their client has the right under

federal law to press his claim to Goldman Sachs has a pattern and

discrimination against managing directors

women, and that such claims can only be litigated in the context of

a class action, or group, lawsuit. A lower court judge agreed, rejecting demands by Goldman Sachs

He ordered the case to arbitration Parisi. "Because we do not agree that the important legal right to

pursue the claim patterns or practices exist, we reverse, "the U.S.

Circuit Judge Barrington Parker wrote for the unanimous three-

Judges panel. Participating Judge Gerard Lynch him and Reena Raggi. Implementation of the agreement citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the panel says

High Court continuous mapapakahulugan Federal Arbitration

Acting as a support to the implementation of the agreement, "even

the claim at issue claim of federal law, "absent some

Contrary congressional command. The appeals court said Parisi to attend

jury evidence of discriminatory practices or policies

Goldman Sachs affecting their work. Adam Klein, an attorney for Parisi, not immediately

yesterday to respond to a phone message seeking comment on

court decisions. Michael DuVally, a spokesman for Goldman Sachs,

an e-mail stating that the company is satisfied with the court

decision. Case Parisi v. Goldman Sachs & Co, U.S. Second

Five Signs On Leave

Corporate governance is not a cakewalk these days, the competitors are biting your heels and customers, vendors and investors clamoring for your attention to your star employee ever. As a leader, you have multiple sources of reward in addition to salary. (After all, when you have the time to spend it?) One aspect of the job of leadership is often cited as a source of satisfaction is the ability to process the shade (or more than one). It's interesting to watch someone on your team will develop a seasoned pro, to help employees get wings for management, or to see one become a subject-matter expert. Satisfying moments make a profitable investment of time and energy into your star employees. That's why for a leader, there are few things more frustrating than walking to work on Monday morning to find your star employees give two weeks notice 'when you do not know her job hunt. People need a new challenge and a new environment, to be sure. However, a manager who has mentored up-and-comers may hold hope that when the shade shift career plans, because they will turn out for a new experience, an executive who has developed her may be one of the first to know. It does not always work that way. Here are five signs that most people hope that one day you will be successful in your work with other plans.1. No more complaints daily irritation. If you are singing star always give you an earful about the slow arrival of cost-reimbursement checks or corporate social media strategies excited and stop days of complaining, you're the problem. People stop complaining when they realize most of their energy is invested in other places and they started sending résumés.2. Key employees apparently fanatical network. When the star of your team, who are always too busy to outside networks, the coffee began to fill the scheduled date, find. A reliable sign of the most sought elsewhere.3 science careers. Stars sing from asking about statistics. When you work in a company, the people around you know your reputation. When you start your job hunt under-the-radar, people do not know you and you need facts and figures to make your case. So, when your star employee started to ask where to find last year's sales by region, or profits calculated on a product that he works with, pay attention. Continue someone get update.4. Intended subject facing backward. If you work your stars sang mainly concerned with internal affairs, and he showed an unusual interest in your organization's customer and vendor facing the project, note. If you do not understand why suddenly overloaded managers will attend every trade show where your company participates, keep in mind that the trade show is a great place for job-searching networking.5. Superstar raised and do not care about the benefits. There is no mantra "Stealth Job Search" as a sudden lack of interest in long-term compensation and career knowledge. If your company plans to pay bonuses only those who are still with the company on the date the payment is made, your star employees might lose interest once the bonus plan to get a job has started. What to do? Talk regularly with your employees, not just superstars, about job satisfaction and their career plans, or at least once every quarter. There's nothing wrong with people moving along okay. After all, leaders and team members worked well together in the shop will tend to group together in recent years. Shame on dark lonely valued employees. Avoided only if you have nothing to do with the team's star employee and you are given.

Top U.S. law firm Fighting Chevron in Pollution Case

The epic litigation over how to clean up oil pollution in the Ecuadorean rain forest more grim anniversary approached, with no end in sight and no improvement on the ground in the forest. Instead, the now-global legal battle against Chevron (CVX) submitted to the bloodshed between the two most famous odd corporate law firms in the United States: Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Patton Boggs.Nearly two years ago, in February 2011, provincial court in Lago Agrio oil frontier cities impose record-breaking $ 18200000000 verdict against Chevron. Verdict Contamination fears that oil production is accompanied by Texaco from the mid-1960s until 1990. Chevron, based in San Ramon, California, acquired Texaco in 2001 and with it, the answer to the rainforest legacy.Chevron swore would never pay a dime of the judgment, which now exceeds $ 19 billion. The oil company, with no assets to speak in Ecuador, the complainant claimed that the lawyers', Steven Donziger led by New York, obtaining a very large judgment with false evidence and process in Ecuador corrupt, deny allegations that Donziger. Rather than negotiate some kind of settlement, Chevron to launch a counterattack against Donziger nuclear power in federal court in New York, where, who, making conflict less between Gibson Dunn, the lead law firm Chevron, and Patton Boggs, who entered the fray in 2010 by complainants' side.The only to appreciate the swamp Dickensian be starting from scratch. A team of American lawyers, including Donziger, filed a lawsuit in 1993 in New York on behalf of thousands of farmers and native Indian hybrid. American lawyers found their client can not get a fair trial in Ecuador, the courts, they said, did not accept to hear mass and will be susceptible to the influence of U.S. oil policy in the U.S. case industry.Texaco struggled for nine years in the jurisdiction, insisting that Ecuador court enough. In the end, the oil companies win, in the U.S. case was dismissed, and Chevron executives, the new acquirer Texaco, assume they are made by Ecuador. On the last point, they wrong.Donziger, a solo practitioner great power, Lago Agrio case filed back in 2003. The oil companies got what they asked for: a test closer to the location of the alleged error. The test, however, did not go as Chevron's Lago Agrio court rejected several defense firms liked.The:it cleared some of the contaminated sites in exchange for a release from liability in 1998 the government of Ecuador, the remaining pollution is not really so bad, that any effect of pollution is actually caused Petroecuador, the national oil company to take over the oil fields, and each is responsible for the situation in the forest, Donziger failed to produce hard scientific evidence linking people illness.No contamination, said the Ecuador court in February 2011: oily in land and in the water, the sick, and the deep-pocketed U.S. oil companies have to do something about it, to the tune of billions dollars.Unfortunately to Ecuador complainant, creative techniques used to dominate Donziger Lago Agrio leaving him vulnerable to counterattack Chevron Attack in federal court in New York. Gibson Dunn has gathered evidence that Donziger has claimed showed compromised Ecuadorian judge, filed false reports of experts, and implement critical court papers ghostwritten by consultants who are paid by the U.S.. Packaged as a civil racketeering lawsuit, the allegations put Donziger in defense of their own country and make Ecuador judgment enforcement in the United States is not possible. A trial on charges of extortion Chevron is scheduled to fall.Meanwhile, Gibson Dunn and Patton Boggs each other neck. Patton Boggs entered the case to help Donziger try Ecuadorian judgment in third countries where Chevron has assets. Enforcement actions are now pending against the oil company in Canada, Brazil, and Argentina. Chevron, surprisingly, struggled all U.S. efforts.In, Gibson Dunn Patton Boggs accused of helping Donziger New "fraudulent scheme.", Gibson Dunn is suspected in a confrontation January 7 in federal court in New York Patton Boggs "major player" in a deceptive campaign to collect money from the UK-based Hedge funds, which in turn will invest $ 4 million lawsuit claimants' in exchange for the promise of a part of any recovery. To support this allegation, Gibson Dunn made public Set. 29, 2011, letter written by Burford Capital, Hedge funds that Donziger accused of "multi-month scheme to defraud and mislead in order to secure much needed funds." Do not shed a tear for every Burford. It said shareholders sold $ 4,000,000 "participation" in an unnamed investors, while retaining the upside interests in Ecuador pollution case.Patton Boggs, who, for his part, around some files lawsuit against Gibson Dunn, said they were wrongly accused. "Patton Boggs obviously angry at attempts by Chevron advisory letter one of Burford Group Patton perfect commit fraud," said law firm based in Washington in a written statement. "Chevron plans to feature Burford advisory letter in a court filing responding to the recent issues that are not related but recent efforts to Chevron to distract from the fact that it has $ 19000000000 judgment against it. "Karen Hinton, a spokeswoman for Donziger and the Ecuadorian complainant, had added:" Burford writing itself nothing more than a fraudulent attempt to avoid their obligations to fund Ecuador. As a result of undue pressure by Chevron, Burford tried to remove himself from the case, but still shares the Ecuadorian judgment at the same time. Chevron to false accusations of fraud against Ecuador and their advisers will always expressed in Burford and is available via a simple Google search of public documents. "Perfect Burford Hinton calls" nonsense. "What should clean oil stained river in the rainforest? Not much. Teeth of justice grind slowly.

Economic Crisis Spain Soccer

Spain survive both the debt crisis and the highest unemployment lives EU does not have much to celebrate in recent years among exploitation soccer star Iker Casillas and Xavi Hernández . Spanish national team won the 2008 European Championship and 2010 World Cup. Now Spanish announcer said they may not be able to pay for the TV rights to future soccer matches.Antena 3 de Television and COMUNICACION Mediaset España, Spain largest commercial TV station, said that when the rights to broadcast the weekly game football next season coming up for sale In June, they will not bid unless prices fall by half. Rival station La sexta, Antena 3 will participate, paid about € 60 million ($ 79 million) last year, or € 1.6 million for each of the 38 games, according to the broadcaster Antena 3.Spanish resistance to change their country's success field into a profitable business. A 15-year Spanish law requires a big game a week shown free on broadcast TV, the rest went to cable and satellite pay-TV operator. That dearth of sports programs for conventional broadcasting has helped push the price they have to pay to broadcast the weekly game, which can be a huge ratings draw. Pay TV operators will suffer because they lose revenue from subscription content fans to watch a game in a week for free, Spanish League Soccer said. "The problem with sports is good for ratings, but it is financially catastrophic," says Chief Executive Officer Antena 3 prospect Silvio González.The lower TV revenue threatens the financial viability of the Spanish club and their ability to slow the exodus of star players in the English Premier League, where the club is bankrolled by Russian oligarchs, Middle Eastern oil sheiks and the Indian food company. Player is concerned about how the Spanish team to honor the contract if there is a fall in the value of TV rights, says Rodrigo García, a lawyer in Madrid to handle negotiations for multiple players in La Liga. "You do not pay for 100 percent certain," she says.While Spanish league, which generates about € 600 million in annual revenue flat, track league in total revenue, the superstar of the highest paid players in the world. France Football Magazine predicted that Barcelona's Lionel Messi is the No. 1 football recruiting with an annual income of € 33 million cost, including base salary, bonuses and endorsement deals. Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid is not. 3 to € 29 million, the publication said. Representatives for refusing to comment.Players the player to leave the country in the last two years the Spanish national team player David Silva and Juan Mata, who left Valencia to Manchester City and Chelsea, according to the order. Valencia Bank stopped lending money, and at one point it was late in paying salaries to players.European media is abuzz with speculation that other stars can go to the north. Manchester City, owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Abu Dhabi Zayed Al Nahyan, may make an offer of 42 million ($ 67 million) pounds for the striker Radamel Falcao to, who scored more than 25 goals for Spain Atletico Madrid this season, the Sun reported on 29 March. Chelsea, controlled by billionaire Roman Abramovich, can pay £ 80 million for Ronaldo and Real Madrid teammate Gonzalo Higuain, Daily Telegraph said on March 26. Representatives for the club refused comment.In English Premier League, La Liga biggest rival, no games will be shown live on free TV. British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSY), a pay-TV company who hold exclusive rights to the game top English football since 1992, has more than 10 million customers and is one of the most profitable business of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NWSA) Although the team admits there is little hope of the Spanish government will end the free-to-air TV rules in the current economic environment, it does not stop them from crying foul. "It is not mandatory to put movies on free television or theater in Spain," said league spokesman Juan Carlos Santamaria. "So why should it for football?" Bottom line: Spanish football generates $ 792 million per year in TV revenue. Forerunner say they can not pay the heavy TV rights.