We can help you develop strategies to lawfully move anywhere from R5 million to R500 million out of South Africa and invest this offshore. Exchange control considerations and movement of capital are critical considerations for almost all affluent South Africans. In addition, many visa requirements oblige you to move significant funds to Australia within defined time lines. We assist with all elements of developing a foreign investment strategy suited to your particular needs.

We perform a full feasibility analysis to help assess whether there is a viable market for your proposed business operations in Australia. This contextualizes the market intelligence using real financial data and scenario modeling. The analysis also considers critical aspects of your competitive advantage and how this will shield you from the competition, enable you to sustain a price or cost advantage and build barriers to entry for others. If the initial data indicates that market entry is feasible, then this lays the groundwork for a deeper market analysis and the development of your strategic market entry plan. We view this as the minimum data you need to make an educated assessment before investing significant funds in any Australian venture.

This service expands on the initial market intelligence to determine general feasibility to build a comprehensive evaluation of how your business will plan for a successful market entry. We help you analyze competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, identify and understand the factors most critical to customer uptake and help you develop a strategy to differentiate your business from the existing competition in the Australian marketplace. We also provide a full financial analysis and feasibility study service to ensure you make your important business decisions with the benefit of the relevant market and financial information.

With the benefit of the above market intelligence and financial understanding, we then identify prospective clients, and actively generate leads, identify key decision makers, and engage with them to explain why they should use your company. We can then introduce you to the decision makers in companies that are interested in your services and even assist with the negotiation process.

If you prefer to purchase an existing business in Australia, we can assist with the search for a business to suit your budget and expertise. We access high quality businesses through our extensive network of accountants, lawyers, bankers and other professionals, enabling us to gain knowledge of the history of the business to aid with verifying all of the important due diligence requirements. We can also independently value the business to confirm that it is competitively priced. Once you decide to proceed, we will assist with the deal making, negotiation, finance and legal documentation of the transaction.

Australia has complex licensing requirements for many businesses which are unregulated in South Africa. We help you navigate the licensing requirements for your business and plan appropriately. Australia also treats trusts and companies very differently to South Africa. There are significant financial, estate planning and tax benefits from starting out with the right corporate structuring. Planning the appropriate corporate structure, registering the entities, opening bank accounts and everything to get you ready to do business are all within our realm of expertise.

We have the capability to conduct or oversee a full due diligence of any business being acquired. Our due diligence process uses methodologies that are relevant to the specific industry and Australian business environment. We can assist you to identify risks that may not be obvious and help you to ensure the price you pay for the business is market related and offers fair value given the status of the business and industry involved.

The Australian tax system is complex and daunting for the uninitiated. How you invest in Australia and the corporate structures you use have important taxation implications. This normally needs to be considered well before you move substantial funds into Australia, once done it cannot be undone. Migrants are prone to making expensive mistakes if they don’t get timely and appropriate tax advice from professionals with specific expertise in this area. We work with experienced specialists in this area that will help you avoid making costly mistakes.

We provide you with access to experienced financial advisers who can assist you with safely investing your funds in Australia. These investments can be long term or short term, in assets anywhere from shares through to property. Where relevant, Pacific Counsel can also help ensure your investments meet the requisite visa criteria.

We have in house legal counsel as well as external solicitors and barristers to provide you with the security and peace of mind of overseeing the various agreements entered into when setting up or acquiring a new business in Australia. In addition, we have dealmakers with international Merger and Acquisition experience who can negotiate on your behalf, or simply provide a sounding board and advise you during the negotiation process.

We have in house international experience and an excellent knowledge of the venture capital market, as well as established relationships with experienced financial services providers to assist with advising on all elements of the financing of your business operations.

We understand that emigration is a major decision and appreciate the difficulty of leaving a successful business at home to take on the uncertainties of a foreign market. If your product or service is suitable for an explorative market entry, Pacific Counsel can assist you to set up initial operations in Australia including a local address, key services such as telephone reception, financial management and a base for when you are in Australia. You can leverage our presence to provide the image of critical mass for your new business. We also provide recruitment services and can even pre-screen staff on your behalf. This facility can be set up in any major city, enabling you to gain a head start before arriving in Australia, or even test the Australian market before committing to the visa process.

We have specialist marketing consultants who are well experienced in the nuances of the Australian marketplace. Supporting Australian owned or managed companies has a significant influence on purchasing decisions in certain market segments. We run short workshops to help you understand and clarify your marketing approach, segment the market appropriately and then design cost effective campaigns to access the identified market segments. We also provide turnkey services to develop reseller strategies and sales packs for resellers and representatives to maximize customer conversion rates. Our capability extends to developing your entire on-line strategy from website through to web marketing campaigns.

Various incentives and programs exist from both Commonwealth and State governments offering direct financial incentives and other support to qualifying businesses. For example: R&D is supported by way of cash refunds of up to 175% of eligible R&D expenses; export market development encourages small and medium-sized Australian businesses to develop export markets by reimbursing up to 50% of eligible export promotion expenses. Pacific Counsel can help ensure your business makes the most of the government incentives and support available.

We are well experienced in the technology commercialization and provide access to the requisite expert advice on intellectual property protection, licensing, acquisition and disposal.

We can advise on import and export laws, developing an import/export planing including assessment of customs and quarantine requirements etc.

We can provide full analysis of suburb demographics for commercial and residential property markets across Australia. In addition, we are able to supply the full historic sales data on any single property. We can help ensure that you are fully informed before you make any property purchasing decisions and even provide a buying agent if required.  In addition, we provide access to tailored investments in both small scale industrial and residential property schemes through a variety of structures.

For business migrants, franchises often provide a lower risk market entry option. We help you navigate the plethora of franchising opportunities available in Australia and select the option best suited to your needs. In addition, we provide the financial analysis and market intelligence to help you make an informed decision. If you are seeking to fulfill visa requirements, the purchasing of a franchise must be done very judiciously, as DIAC does not consider all franchises to be eligible business investments that meet the criteria for permanent residency visas.

Public indemnity insurance is an imperative for most businesses in Australia; there are various other insurances relevant to conducting business here. We provide access to a network of trusted financial planners to assist you with implementing the appropriate risk mitigation strategies.