We have found that many clients starting new branches of their business to qualify them under the L-1a category require additional services beyond standard immigration case processing. For that reason, RLG has partnered with select local businesspeople (including native Vietnamese speakers to provide special assistance for Vietnamese clients) to offer business consulting services to L-1a clients. We now oversee a full-service concierge service that takes up much of the early-stage organizational work of opening a business and allows our clients to focus on quickly growing their business once they arrive to the U.S. Our mission is to provide significant start-up assistance that will allow them to arrive to the U.S. to a viable, existing operation that they can immediately begin guiding towards success. We will be there at every step of the way with the clients and essentially lead the business until the beneficiary obtains the L-1a visa and is able to relocate to the United States and step into the approved executive position. Our goal is to set our clients up for short-term and long-term success by undertaking as much of the start-up work on these business as possible, ensuring a seamless transition for them once they arrive and are able to take over.
The first task where we work closely with our clients is business and industry selection. One key facet of the L-1a world is that the U.S. business need not be closely related to the foreign one; they may be in completely different industry. The reality is that people and businesses from all around the world regularly invest in the U.S. – while this is most commonly in real estate, it also often may be in businesses. Thus, it would not be unusual for a foreign business to begin making one or more investments in U.S. businesses.
When it comes to business and industry selection, this is a choice for the client. While we have connections in a number of industries, our first goal is to listen to the client’s interests and help guide him or her towards something that aligns with those. The key questions to assess at first are:
What is the investment budget?
What level of risk is acceptable?
Does the client wish to purchase an existing business, start a new stand-alone business, or work under the franchise model?
What industries does the client wish to target?
In which locations is the client interested?
The budget for opening an L-1a-supporting office must be sufficient to start and operate the business; of course, this amount will vary widely by industry (and, to a lesser extent, by location). There is not a specific threshold or minimum investment amount, like in some visa categories. Instead, we must develop a business plan that demonstrates the business will quickly become viable and be self-supporting and able to sustain the executive (or manager) position within one year. Of course, that requirement means time is of the essence and, for this reason, most clients choose to pursue either an existing business or the opening of a franchise, which typically is able to quickly provide and generate leads. Returning to the issue of budget, the investment necessary varies widely by industry. In some industries, the investment amounts will be quite high. These include restaurants and spas, because the cost of retail space where these businesses can thrive is just very expensive. On the other end of the spectrum, options such as cleaning or maintenance franchises require a far lower investment amount, both due to lower franchise fees as well as the ability to maintain the office in less costly industrial space.
In practically all cases, we can help match clients with a business opportunity in a location and at the budget they require.
Once the industry and business has been selected, we will undertake the work necessary to get it up and running for our clients. After business selection, we will register a company in the state where the business will be located. We will obtain a federal employer identification number and open a bank account. We will collaborate with the client to deliver the necessary legal documents for business formation such as operating or partnership agreements. To the extent possible, we will obtain all necessary insurance and certifications that will be required to open and run the business.
The bulk of our work for our clients comes in the form of opening and helping manage the early-stage operations of the business. In the franchise model, we work closely with the franchisor to understand the critical start-up tasks. One of the first tasks is locating a suitable physical location. Depending on location, we either know the market well enough to search for this space alone or, in some cases, we work with local real estate agents (at no added cost to the client). Another significant service we can provide, if requested, is to attend franchise training with client. This may range from 2 to 5 days, depending on the industry, and is done wherever the franchisor’s main office is located. If possible, the client should plan to attend this training before obtaining the L-1a visa, though we believe that attending such training promptly after arriving to the U.S. is probably considered an acceptable function for an executive.
We will work with the client and his or her business (and the franchisor, if applicable) to develop both a Business Plan to satisfy USCIS’ requirements for the business as well as a formal operations plan for the client to implement upon arriving to the U.S. to run the business. As a first step in the operations plan, we will locate an operations manager to begin the full operations of the business. So for example, in the house cleaning business example, the operations manager will hire the teams of cleaners, set the schedule, purchase and order supplies, and oversee personnel and staffing decisions. When the client arrives to the U.S., the business will already be up and running. A typical schedule for the executive might involve meeting at the office facility (usually a small space in an industrial area) early in the morning to greet staff and ensure everyone gets out to their locations properly. Then the rest of the day will be available for other related executive activities – managing the budget, following the marketing plan, analyzing additional local or regional activities. Our goal is to set the business up such that the client may focus exclusively on the executive role from Day 1, instead of needing to spend time on set-up and opening activities.