Shiva Karimi is an Immigration lawyer and Managing Director for McLane Middleton’s Boston Office. She is experienced in navigating complex U.S. Immigration issues and advises businesses on hiring key personnel and helps foreign investors and buyers navigate the purchasing process of a business on U.S. soil. In this episode, Shiva breaks down what it takes to qualify for an E2 investment visa, what business owners should be aware of when working with a foreign buyer, and how to best handle an international transaction like this.

Key Points

[3:20] What do business owners need to be aware of when working with foreign investors/buyers?

[5:00] What type of businesses qualify under the E2 visa?

[6:00] What’s the minimum amount a buyer has to invest under the E2 visa?

[7:20] Shiva breaks down the process of how to qualify for an E2 visa.

[11:00] This is not a visa you can do on your own. It is complex and you will need professional and legal help.

[13:10] Why would a business owner sell to a foreign buyer?

[16:00] What do business owners need to be aware of when hiring a foreign national?

[18:00] What happens if you have illegal immigrants working in your company and you’re trying to sell your business?

[20:00] What is an i-99 audit? What should employers be aware of?

[27:50] What is an H1 visa?

[29:30] Shiva also breaks down what an L1 visa is and how to qualify for it.

Tip of the Day:

Complete your I-99 audit and understand who is working within your company and who exactly wants to buy your company.

Mentioned in this Episode

Tworld.com/locations/boston

Riw.com

Transactiontalk.com

Shiva Karimi

LinkedIn

Shiva’s bio

Mclane.com

Email: shiva.karimi@mclane.com

Phone: 617-523-7937

Disclaimer:

The material on this site may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This site is solely for informational purposes and provides general information only. Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice or consultation either generally or in a particular case. Neither the receipt nor the distribution of materials constitutes the formation of an attorney-client relationship.

Quotes

“You do have to show sources of funds; where did that money come from? And you need a five-year business plan.”

“If half of the workforce is not authorized to work in the United States, if buyers want to take on that liability, fine, but oftentimes, they are not willing to proceed with the sale.”

“You never want to take on someone else’s liability. You don’t know what they’ve done or how they've done it.”

Diane Hartz-Warsoff is the President of Exit Factor of the SLC & Utah County branch. She is focused on helping business owners maximize their company’s value and prepare it for an exit. With over 8 years of experience, Diane shares her wisdom on this week’s podcast and talks about her role as an exit advisor, a business owner’s value to a company, and letting go of control.

Key Points

[3:50] You should start/think of your exit plan when you start your business.

[4:45] You want to document each element or department of your business one at a time. It can feel overwhelming doing it all at once.

[7:20] What is your legacy? Is it financial? Community? You need to define this.

[12:15] What is the role of an exit advisor?

[14:10] What should business owners be thinking about/preparing for?

[17:35] Getting any business owner to let go of control and let others do it is a very difficult mental shift.

[23:45] A prospective buyer is going to pay you for the work you've done and the business you’ve built, not for what the business has potential for.

[27:00] If you can get other people to put out the fires, then you become a much more valuable business.

[29:20] Interested in working with Diane? Reach out!

Tip of the Day:

It’s never too early to plan your exit and it’s a holistic decision for yourself and where you are in life.

Mentioned in this Episode

Tworld.com/locations/boston

Riw.com

Transactiontalk.com

Diane Hartz-Warsoff

Exit Factor

LinkedIn

Diane’s bio

Diane’s info at Transworld

Email: dhartzwarsoff@tworld.com

Phone: (385) 342-3692

Disclaimer:

The material on this site may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This site is solely for informational purposes and provides general information only. Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice or consultation either generally or in a particular case. Neither the receipt nor the distribution of materials constitutes the formation of an attorney-client relationship.

Quotes

“Any business where they are the business or integral to the business, it really has the negative impact on their value.”

“We have tools to help you with growth, and at the same time, know the right people to put in front of you to ensure your personal, financial, and your business are taken care of..”

“As you grow your business, a buyer is going to buy your business because they think they can improve on it and grow it. They’re going to pay you based on what you’ve done.”

Join Aaron Fox, Managing Director at Transworld Boston, as he shares his profound insights into the unique challenges and strategies involved in selling or exiting a family business. With personal experience in successfully selling his third-generation family business, Aaron brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. In this episode, he discusses the intricacies of keeping sales confidential, the dynamics of family involvement in the business during a sale, and the importance of succession planning within family enterprises.

Key Points

[2:30] What makes selling/exiting a family business different from traditional businesses?

[3:15] Should you keep the sale of the family business confidential?

[3:30] Aaron has unique experience in this; having had to sell his father’s business that had, at one point, 18 family members working in the business.

[5:05] Do buyers want multiple family members still working in the business?

[7:35] How did Aaron’s father take over the family business?

[8:50] What does a succession plan look like within a family business?

[13:25] The ability to tap into your elder family members’ knowledge base is invaluable. They’ve been through recessions, wars, and economic uncertainty.

[18:00] Aaron has been through this process personally, so it makes advising clients in similar family businesses a lot easier because he knows some of the things they’re not automatically thinking about.

[21:55] There’s no better way to show accountability and ownership by opening up your wallet and buying the business.

Tip of the Day:

Write down everything! Write it all down! You’re going to revisit it and you need to know what you’re getting involved in.

Mentioned in this Episode

Tworld.com/locations/boston

Riw.com

Transactiontalk.com

Aaron Fox

LinkedIn

Aaron’s bio

Email: aaron@tworld.com

Disclaimer:

The material on this site may be considered advertising under the rules of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. This site is solely for informational purposes and provides general information only. Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice or consultation either generally or in a particular case. Neither the receipt nor the distribution of materials constitutes the formation of an attorney-client relationship.

Quotes

“When it’s family, you always want to help. The experience of some of the senior family members; they’ve been through recessions, ups and downs, wars. The business survived.”

“I strongly believe you should buy the business from that family. If it involves taking out an SBA loan, do it. Pay the money.”

“We want to show there’s a clear transition of that business and there’s no better way to show ownership by opening up your wallet.”