Thames Valley: RSM provides an educational American breakfast

America is a land of very big trading opportunities and our common language is a major business bonus – but remember that the USA is a foreign country.

That was the underlying message from the Doing Business with the USA breakfast seminar staged by The Business Magazine today (April 8) in association with global audit, tax and consulting network RSM.

The USA and Americans are actually very different.  Obviously, the country is huge – nearly 40 times the size of the UK and with four times zones – but more than 50 business professionals also learned that informed awareness of the American business mindset, social culture, and the country’s complex taxation and employment legislation are just as vital as having a great product or service to sell.

Providing experienced professional advice to help those fortunate delegates attending the Royal Berkshire Conference Centre in Reading to reap the rewards of trading with the USA were four expert speakers.

International marketing expert Allyson Stewart-Allen revealed the ‘US rules of the business game’ – among them, keeping things factual and forward-looking, and avoiding irony in conversations.

RSM director Julia Summerville revealed that there are thousands of potential taxation jurisdications among the complex national, and different state legislatures. Getting professional help was essential.

David Griffiths CEO of the Thames Valley’s Fiscal Technologies spoke from personal experience having set up business in North Carolina, while Owen Jones, partner at lawyers Doyle Clayton, revealed the legal immigration intricacies of bring US talent to work in the UK.

Read our full article in the May edition of the Thames Valley Business Magazine.