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Interim Management
Definition of Marketing Strategies
Selection of Distribution Networks
Recruitment of key Personnel throughout Europe
Creation of Legal Entities
Selection of optimum location for European Headquarters
Interface with the local Authorities for negociation of Grants and Tax Concessions

Interim Management

Very often the burden of running an organisation on another continent with the associated time difference, can seriously over-stretch a small company. The ability to be able to call upon a trusted, experienced and accountable manager to ‘get things started’ can be a critical success factor. We can offer our clients access to such resources on a part and full time interim basis, with a clearly defined succession strategy in place right from the outset.

Definition of Marketing Strategies

The decision to establish a Sales and Marketing organisation in Europe is an obvious step for a new company looking to maximise its opportunities in this major economic region. However, many options are available to maximise the business potential without draining limited cash and resources. Such options include: setting-up a base to be used as a European HQ, creation of local sales offices, defining the best mix of direct sales and distributor networks. Having gone through this process a number of times, we can help our clients understand the pros and cons related to the various approaches, so that they can lay out a clear path to achieve the corporate objectives.

Selection of Distribution Networks

A network of motivated distributors can be a cost-effective solution for companies looking to penetrate specific markets. However, distributors have their own agendas, not necessarily synchronised with those of the companies that they represent. The selection of a distributor in a territory is an important decision, which, if done without adequate research and verification, can seriously impact the path to profits. We help our clients define the key attributes of an ideal distributor and then methodically identify the best candidates. The final step is the negotiation of the distribution contract and the launching of the product or service through this new channel and the implications on such considerations as: languagisation of marketing material, training sessions for the distributor sales staff, attendance at exhibitions, etc. Our experience in the big and small picture will seriously lessen the burden on the client organisation and ensure a rapid and successful business launch in the territory.

Recruitment of key personnel throughout Europe

The importance of having ‘the right person in the right position’ cannot be overestimated for a small company. For example, finding the Country Manager for Germany who has experience in domain of the clients products and services, who understands the culture of the mother company, who can operate efficiently within his own market without daily management, who is resourceful enough to find solutions to the introduction of new technology or concepts into this wary but lucrative market, is no small undertaking. A mistake can cost more than wasted salary and separation costs, it can add years to the cycle of building the business to profitability by undermining the potential customer’s confidence in the reliability of the company. Our experience in Executive Search will enable us to find that ‘needle in a haystack’ that will ensure our clients future success.

Creation of legal entities

When the decision to enter the European market has been made and the various marketing strategies defined, the practical side of creating legal entities in each different country must be dealt with. What is the best solution for Germany, an AG or GmbH, or for France, an S.A. or a Sarl or maybe a ‘Branch office’ ? All of these solutions have their advantages and disadvantages according to the business model and the tax efficiencies sought. We can help clients find their way through this maze of complexity so that the organisational structure is adapted to the companies objectives

Selection of optimum location for a European Headquarters

If the corporate strategy is to establish a headquarter operation in Europe, there are many pros and cons to selecting the best location. Issues such as: language skills, cultural compatibility, political stability, local market growth potential, government subsidies, infrastructure costs, etc all play their part in the decision to set-up shop in the ‘ideal’ location. With careful analysis of the clients business objectives, the best location can be identified and the best deals negotiated with the local authorities.

Interface with local authorities for negotiation of Grants and Tax Concessions

Many countries or regions offer interesting grants to incoming companies. However nothing is ever totally ‘for free’. There may be good reasons to stay away from the big grant regions due to a variety of less-than-obvious reasons, such as: difficulty in finding skilled labour, high overall corporate taxation or social costs, restrictive labour practices, etc. The same applies to the various tax concessions available for inward investment into certain regions; definitely worth looking at; but they must be weighed against the inevitable strings that are attached. We can help our clients to navigate through these rocky issues and chose the best mix of grants/tax concessions versus freedom-to-do-business.

 

 

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