Starting a business in a country other than the country of origin may have several obstacles, difficulties and issues to overcome, either in the legislative, cultural or monetary part. Amanda Escobar, Administrative Coordinator of STT in Brazil commented on what is needed to start a business in a foreign country, tips for adapting to new cultures; how to make the company more successful and how to keep a good communication among branches.

Here are some important points to consider when opening an international company:

Legislation

The legislation in the country in which you want to open a Branch can often be different or even more complicated than what you are used to. That is why it is necessary to study it to increase knowledge about the laws, mainly to meet the legal requirements of the field in which it operates. 

It is also necessary to have legal and immigration advice to start any process of opening a business and bank accounts.

On the other hand, to create a business execution project, the process may not be much different than opening a company in your home country, however, you must take into account the considerations of the region in which you intend to open, for example, in Brazil being such a big country, there are differences in the subject of taxes from one state to the other.

Cultural

It is important to find groups of expats and groups of the same nationality or obtain information of people that can share experiences they lived when opening a business in a new country, for faster and more efficient cultural adaptation. This advice doesn’t have to be only related to work, there is other relevant knowledge about gastronomy in the region, tips about housing and education, if you have children or you want to be even more professional.    

Find the most frequented places by the local population to get to know more about the culture, its customs, gastronomic tastes, and hobbies.

Find cultural or religious groups that allow you to create friendships centered on your same values or principles.

The language is also a great obstacle, either at the time of socializing or to employ people in the country, so the ability to be fluent in the language at issue is important for greater ease of cultural adaptation.

Tips

• Know the market to be able to grow and position yourself in the industry in a new country.
• Attend job fairs and chambers of commerce, as well as make use of employment platforms.
• Create a strategy to increase your presence in the market of the region.
• Always maintain respect for the new culture, as well as for clients and foreign employees. 
• Create a corporate culture based on a good communication among areas and collaboration between teams.
• When hiring your team in the chosen country, consider the employees´ commitment and the people suitable for each position.
• Management based on objectives and goals.
• Monitor the working time of all the people involved in your business.