Starting a business in another country can be financially and emotionally rewarding if you do your homework, have realistic expectations for success, and avoid or compensate for the potential obstacles that inevitably accompany a new venture. All new businesses are inherently risky.
Swart & Associates provide strategic, unbiased and experience-based advisory services to clients requiring entry to international markets. We offer business and management consulting services to companies and organisations for the development and implementation of their business internationally, providing foreign market assistance, international trade expertise and business development services.
We typically cover the following basic principles when assisting our clients to set up business in a foreign country:
- Determine client expectations and desired outcome.
- Understand the environment of the country, i.e. politics, stability, regulatory climate, culture and more.
- Set a strict budget.
- Resolve logistic issues before setting up shop, i.e. warehousing, distribution and more.
- Find a reliable local agent/associate with a proven track record
- Establish an international banking relationship.
- Develop an exit strategy. If things go wrong, you will want to salvage as much of your investment as possible.
Swart & Associates Director Lukas Swart has extensive international experience in business development, having spent 17 years (2001 – 2017) in Europe working mainly within the financial sector. During 2011 and 2017 Lukas consulted for a German company to manage their business development throughout Europe, Turkey, and The Balkans. From 2014, Lukas and his team began to expand their operations by also concentrating on the African continent.
Consulting in his capacity as Business Development Manager included identifying suitable businesses for mergers or takeovers and presenting feasibility studies with recommendations to the Board of Directors for approval. New companies were also frequently set up to which Lukas often acted as Director because of his European citizenship.
Garnering valuable experience in international business development and foreign market expansion, Lukas has operated in the following countries:
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Ireland – Investment Projects
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UK – Medical Distribution
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Germany – Global Head Office
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Belgium – Supplier Liaison
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Poland – New Ventures, Medical Warehousing
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Macedonia – Various Business Ventures
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Serbia – Various Business Ventures
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Kosovo – New Ventures, Medical Distribution
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Croatia – Business Takeover, Medical Distribution
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Georgia – Dispute Resolutions
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Turkey, Istanbul and Ankara – Medical Distribution
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Nigeria – Distribution Business
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Ghana – New Distribution Business
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Mozambique – New Distribution Business
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Zimbabwe – New Distribution Business
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South Africa – Business & Manufacturing Takeover, Medical Distribution
- Ireland – Investment Projects
- UK – Medical Distribution
- Germany – Global Head Office
- Belgium – Supplier Liaison
- Poland – New Ventures, Medical Warehousing
- Macedonia – Various Business Ventures
- Serbia – Various Business Ventures
- Kosovo – New Ventures, Medical Distribution
- Croatia – Business Takeover, Medical Distribution
- Georgia – Dispute Resolutions
- Turkey, Istanbul and Ankara – Medical Distribution
Within Africa, new distribution businesses have been established in Nigeria (existing), Ghana (new), Mozambique (new), Zimbabwe (new), and South Africa (buy-out of existing medical distribution company and takeover of medical manufacturing plant).
