Clients frequently ask for a checklist, and I understand why — a sequence feels more manageable than a strategy document. The honest version of that checklist is shorter than most consultants make it, but each item deserves real attention rather than a quick sign-off.
1. Decide the legal structure before you decide anything else
Subsidiary, branch, or joint venture — and within that, which state. Delaware is the default answer for good reason, but it is not automatically correct for every business model, particularly those with a heavy physical or regulatory footprint in a specific state.
2. Open the banking relationship early
U.S. banks have become considerably more cautious about onboarding foreign-owned entities since increased anti-money-laundering scrutiny took hold. Start this process months, not weeks, before you need the account operational.
3. Confirm tax registration and treaty position
Whether your home country has a tax treaty with the U.S., and how your entity is classified under it, materially changes your effective tax burden. This is not a step to delegate entirely to a junior accountant on either side of the Pacific.
4. Build one real local partnership before you build ten introductions
A single operating partner who understands the local market, and who has genuine incentive alignment with you, is worth more than a stack of business cards from a trade mission. Depth beats breadth in the first eighteen months.
5. Put risk and insurance review on the calendar, not just the to-do list
Cross-border operations carry exposures that a domestic-only policy simply does not anticipate. This deserves its own dedicated review — we cover it in more depth in our companion piece on risk and insurance considerations.
Followed in sequence, with genuine attention at each step rather than a rushed sign-off, this checklist has served client after client well. Skipped or reordered under deadline pressure, it becomes the source of nearly every avoidable problem I see in year two.
