Are you considering expanding your UK business into Europe, but unsure of which best countries to start with? We’ve broken down three of the best countries you should be considering as part of your global expansion process - France, Germany, and Denmark. Our selection criteria based on a range of benefits includes key market information and quality of life.Which country is best for you will be dependent on your sector. If you’d like more information about expanding into over 150 international markets you can sign up to Centuro Connect FREE for detailed global expansion strategies.1. FranceIt can be easy to overlook the UK's closest neighbour for opportunities further afield, but France has one of the largest economies in the world. They also have world-leading electronics, manufacturing, health, education, and finance sectors, making it one of the best countries for business in those industries.The country has a population of  67 million and has access to the EU single market. There is a well-educated workforce, with 34% of 25-64-year-olds holding a degree making it a good job market as well."France is a top-ranked country in regards to its quality of roads, railways, ports, and other infrastructure."In regards to residing in France, there are notable benefits to be had from both a corporate and social standpoint. For example, residents’ work/social-life balance is important. The Labour Code forbids work on a Sunday and overtime has an impressive 25% bonus. Whilst these are largely employee benefits, it gives business owners insight as to the approach to the balanced work-life in France. With a good balance of work and social life comes higher levels of productivity from your workforce.In addition to the above, government policy is favourable to entrepreneurs. President Emmanuel Macron once stated that he wanted to make France “the start-up nation”. As a result, there is considerably less red tape to fight through when setting up in France as you may encounter in other nations. For example, there is such a thing as a French Tech Visa. This acts as a fast-track way to residency for foreign tech talent.2. GermanyGermany is home to a highly educated and multinational workforce - a key factor to consider when expanding abroad and recruiting locals. In fact, business is the most studied degree in Germany, closely followed by social sciences and engineering. Additionally, The nation's second most spoken language is English, spoken by over 56% of residents. Communications are a big factor to consider when going global, particularly if you don’t speak the local language yourself."Germany's corporation tax is only 15%."Setting up in Germany also requires less backing than many other locations in Europe. One notable benefit is that only one director and one shareholder are required to set up a company in the country.In terms of the marketability of your services or products, Germany’s population is 82 million. This makes it the biggest market in all of Western Europe. Logistically, the country is also well situated in central Europe. This allows excellent access to surrounding countries and, in turn, their markets too.There is a growing belief that as the UK leaves the European Union business owners will choose Germany instead. Germany will likely take advantage of this and as a result, there could be good incentives to expand here. For this reason, we’d recommend keeping a close eye on Germany and what it can offer your business.3. DenmarkDenmark has not only a strong economy but has also been listed as one of the best countries in the world for cross-border trade. This makes it ideally suited to support international businesses. It is well connected to the other countries in this article, positioned north of Germany & France, and is also well connected for international supply due to its long coastline.In terms of relocating you, your family, and/or your employees, the country has some of the highest living standards in the world. It is also recognised as having the second-highest levels of gender equality in all of Europe, second only to Sweden."There is no need to immigrate or relocate to Denmark when setting up a business there. Local law allows business owners to do this remotely which can significantly simplify your international expansion strategy."Getting started here is quick, taking only 3.5 days to register a company. It is 3rd on the rankings of the easiest countries to do business in the world - which incidentally makes it the best in Europe.Whilst commonly overlooked, Denmark is one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to expanding your business overseas from the UK.If you would like to know more about any of the countries on this list, why not take a look at our new AI-powered Centuro Connect platform? It has detailed timelines and strategies for your global business expansion from our leading team of expansion experts.If you need help finding connections in the country you would like to expand into, the platform helps you liaise with approved partners in order to help you on your journey.Click here to find out more about the Centuro Connect platform and sign up completely free!

How can businesses grow beyond restrictions imposed by COVID-19?In a world where an enterprise is still held hostage by pandemic restraints, international growth might seem an impossible endeavour.Certainly, organic growth has been challenging in these times. The challenges posed by business internationalisation are more complex than ever, due to restrictions on travel, conducting due diligence and establishing operational collateral in foreign geographies. In tandem, the pandemic shook the foundations of every international market, upheaving long-founded supply chains and regulations for expanding businesses.Above all, the impact of the global health crisis exposed vulnerabilities in the way business mitigate social and economic threats; particularly those caused by conventional framings of development and global growth. According to a KPMG white paper, the companies that could not sustain operations throughout the pandemic were those that failed to ‘seize opportunities offered by digital or hybrid solutions. The KPMG analysts advise executives to look beyond conventional means of survival:‘Companies need to shift their focus to new opportunities. Companies on the lookout for emerging opportunities early on may find opportunities to create added value’COVID-19 proved the need for organisations to outgrow existing operational fragilities, and to go digital. Several long-standing organisations that failed to adopt next-generation capacities faltered under pandemic pressure. They faced barriers that could have otherwise been avoided by more interconnected approaches.In light of last year’s events, businesses need to pre-empt the success of newer approaches to internationalisation. Nominally, they need to consider the benefits of hybrid service offerings and product platforms that will ease the expansion progress for them.Zain Ali, CEO of global expansion company Centuro Global, believes that businesses will succeed by adhering to platform-based approaches to internationalisation. He identifies the trends and potential roadblocks that expanding organisations might face in the short and long-term, and how expansion solutions like Centuro Global’s ‘Go Global’ and ‘Centuro Connect’ offerings could remediate these bottlenecks.Read The Full Conversation Here.

The Middle East is a complex region and not the easiest place to operate. If you wish to scale a business into the Middle East, it is undeniably advantageous to operate across multiple countries.However, as a region diverse in geography, ethnicity, religion, and culture, the heterogeneity of the Arab world means it is necessary to delve into the details of the economy and culture of each individual country.You may wish to launch your business in the UAE due to its friendly business practices, before seeking wider commercial opportunities in Saudia Arabia, whilst tapping into more cost-effective talent from nations such as Egypt will help you manage costs.Watch our webinar below, deciphering the secrets for success when scaling into the Middle East.HOST:Zain Ali is the CEO of Centuro Global and a solicitor by background. He has spent most of his career advising large multinational corporates and tech startups alike on protecting their IP, managing disputes, and implementing global expansion projects.Having worked both for an international law firm and in house, as well as living in 3 countries on 3 continents, Zain is well aware of the key challenges businesses face on the international stage.SPEAKERS:1. Sarah Hildersley, International Trade Advisor at the Department for International Trade, will be taking the stage for the keynote and will discuss opportunities in the region as well as security, risk and the female perspective in the Middle East.Sarah has served as a British diplomat in the Middle East and has extensive experience advising companies on their strategic approach to selling in complex markets. She now works with the UK's largest Chambers of Commerce and has had exceptional success in helping companies accelerate international sales2. Fiona Chamberlain, ITA and Commercial Attaché for UKDIT in Qatar, is bringing her experience and will offer some truly great insights on the keynote.Fiona Chamberlain spent three years as a Commercial Attaché in the UK’s Department for International Trade based in Qatar. She was responsible for identifying, supporting and developing opportunities for new and existent British companies seeking to enter or expand in the Qatari market. In her current role as an International Trade Advisor, she continues to promote international trade for UK companies.3. Nihal Othman is a UAE based market entry specialist for the MENA region. Her extensive career working for Nasdaq, CNBC Universal and Baker & Mckenzie before taking on a COO role at Abou Naja IP, equips her to tackle a wide array of client requirements.She has built up an extensive network of decision-makers within the region over the past decade and can advise on company setup, marketing, procurement, IP and overcoming cultural hurdles in the region.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has announced that he will be stepping down as CEO of the Seattle-based eCommerce giant this summer. As part of a group of leading business and entrepreneurial figures in the UK, Our CEO, Zain Ali shares his opinion on this transition in an article for Business Leader Magazine. “From starting as an online bookstore to becoming the world’s most valuable company, Jeff Bezos’ reign as founder and CEO of Amazon has been an overwhelming success. Whilst there are a number of question marks surrounding ethics relating to anti-trust and worker conditions, which should not be ignored, the most remarkable features of Amazon have to be its innovation. Under Bezos’ management, Amazon has always been one step ahead, pioneering online retail when people did not know what the internet was, building up mass revenues from behind the scenes with cloud computing, and now dominating the AI smart device market with Alexa. The way Amazon has also tackled international expansion and adapted to local markets such as offering in-store credits for the unbanked to deposit cash in developing regions has always been striking. Bezos’ grit for problem-solving and focusing on the end consumer is a big contributor to the company’s success.The fact that Bezos is stepping down to focus on new ventures may actually mean there is even more innovation to come from Amazon, with time potentially freed up for more creative thinking. Having slogged for almost three decades, and achieved sales exceeding $386 billion in 2020, now is as good a time as any to take a step back, enjoy the success and focus on other passions. It will be interesting to see how Bezos manages to transition from out of a role of absolute control and power after so many years and how his successor will fare.”Read the full article here.

Latin America presents a fantastic growth opportunity for scaling companies in their global expansion journey. The region is yet to be saturated with software like many other territories, it has one of the highest predicted GDP growth rates for 2021 in the world, and there is a high-skill talent pool to be tapped into. Infrastructure has also rapidly developed across the continent and the region has also become more politically stable in recent years. Nonetheless, doing business in Latin America also comes with a host of challenges. Access the webinar below.Our panel of local experts shared vital initial decision-making information to give you a competitive advantage in your expansion journey.They discussed everything you need to know around:• Conducting market assessments• Cultural Adaptations• Determining the best market entry options• Corporate & Employment law• Tax requirements• Managing your HR and payrollWebinar Host: Asma BashirAsma is a former founder of Newland Chase and current Chairman of Centuro Global. She is a mentor on the Mayor's International Business Programme as well as a Senator of the World Business Angel Forum.Speakers:Neil MontgomeryNeil is the Founding and Managing Partner of Montgomery & Associados. He is a lecturer on Doing Business in Brazil at the renowned Brazilian business school Fundação Getúlio Vargas – FGV) and author of several published articles on Brazilian aviation, corporate and international law, arbitration, labour and employment and gaming law.Juan Daniel Rodríguez CardosoJuan Daniel Rodriguez is a Managing Partner at Rodríguez Rueda, S.C., in Mexico City. With several degrees ranging from Law to telecommunications, Daniel is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, International Technology Law Association, International Bar Association and Barra Mexicana, Colegio De Abogados, A.C. Arnaud BleuezArnaud Bleuez is Partner & Director at BPC Partners in Brazil. He has worked with several large European companies including PWC and is currently the author of a book on Brazilian Taxes, intended for International Companies doing business in Brazil. "Brazilian taxes: what you need to know".Bjorn ReynoldsBjorn Reynolds is the Founder and CEO of Safeguard Global. Bjorn has been at the forefront of transitioning businesses and creating successful value propositions for customers, shareholders, and employees alike. He was recognized in 2016 as Payroll World’s “Top 50 Most Influential People in Payroll, ″ and as a “Game Changer” by Workforce Magazine.Jorge FerrariJorge is the Founder and CEO of Aurora International Education. With over 26 years of international experience, Jorge focuses on the education sector and most recently co-founded Galileo Global Education (GGE) in 2011. GGE is a company focused on higher education which now has over 100,000 students in 8 countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa.   Go Global by Centuro GlobalFor those looking to expand their business into Latin America, Go Global is a FREE revolutionary new global expansion platform that empowers companies with the knowledge and expertise to trade in any jurisdiction globally.Our easy to use, self-service portal will grant access to a database of business expansion blueprints, a global network of experts & actionable support. Sign up for your free account and start your global expansion journey today.

As the transition period for the UK leaving the EU is drawing to a close, are you Brexit ready?Understanding the importance of effective Brexit planning will help UK & European companies avoid a challenging and costly post-Brexit transition.We brought together experts from around Europe for an interactive roundtable discussion with exclusive insights and advice into what business must consider when preparing for the end of the transition period.We will cover topics including the implications of Brexit on:Immigration, staff mobility and hiring between the UK and the EUEntity Setup and the need for a European presence to continue tradingSocial security and taxBusiness visitor requirementsIntellectual PropertyOur host: Asma Bashir is a legal professional with over 20 years’ experience in expanding businesses across the world. She has significant experience in law and policy across Europe having advised multinational companies on changing legislation. She is a mentor and board member of several businesses and Chairwoman at Centuro Global.Speakers:Tomáš PetyovskýTomáš is a co-founding Partner of Petyovský & Partners and Attorney-at-Law, specialising in immigration and legal services. He also participates on policy development of the Czech immigration legislation as a member of American Chamber of Commerce, Work Group for Economic Migration at the Ministry of Industry and Trade in the Czech Republic and is working on policy development directly with the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. He lectures at various training and seminars for clients, students and universities.Michael Møller NielsenMichael heads the employment law department of Lund Elmer Sandager in Denmark. He advises on all types of employment law challenges including executive service agreements, collective bargaining agreement issues, anti-competitive agreements and individual employment matters. Michael has extensive experience within data protection law and M&A and has written several publications on employment law matters.Fiona Mougenot Fiona Mougenot is a British national who has lived and worked in France longer than in her native country. Her professional experiences, in the areas of marketing, tax and international human resources consulting, have been with multi-national companies such as IBM, TRW, Barclays, Europace, and KPMG LLP. She founded Expat Partners in 2003 to provide full immigration services to the Global Mobility Directors seeking assistance. Fiona is regularly invited as a guest speaker at Global Mobility functions, sharing her knowledge and insight on immigration matters.Greg YoungGreg Young is HR Manager at Manor Renewable Energy Ltd. Greg has worked for a number of multinational companies within the oil and gas industry and has specialist expertise with international assignment management. He holds a post-graduate diploma in personnel management and merit from the University of Portsmouth.

We start this week’s episode by case studying Starbucks' expansion into Australia and then delve into the US presidential elections 2020. Get our thoughts and opinions on the candidates, issues and battleground states.

The CEO Publication, a unique print & digital platform featuring the industry experts who have created ripples across various areas of expertise has acknowledged Zain Ali, CEO of Centuro Global—assisting businesses in entering and scaling into new markets—one among the “Top 20 Dynamic CEOs of 2020 in the UK″ who is transforming the industry with his unique solutions. The CEO Publication has been become pioneering magazine owing to their unique coverage of news, articles & industry leaders concentrating on transforming various arenas. Owing to the innovative approach adapted by Zain Ali, CEO of Centuro Global, he is being featured in the “Top 20 Dynamic CEOs of 2020 in the UK″ edition. The company takes care of every step of the international expansion journey from tax, legal, immigration to HR and Payroll allowing their clients to trade in any jurisdiction globally with ease and efficiency. Adam Patrick, Managing Editor of The CEO Publication says, “It is an honor to recognize Zain Ali, CEO of Centuro Global as one among the Top 20 Dynamic CEOs of 2020 in the UK who is a true inspiration. Centuro’s solutions come integrated in a fantastic online platform that democratise access to information and advisory services. Designed to help clients connect, communicate and collaborate with global experts remotely; it simplifies the complex global expansion process with a clear strategy, roadmap, tools and a trusted network; all at your fingertips.” Zain Ali, CEO of Centuro Global said, “Companies frequently struggle to make critical decisions during the global expansion process. Our platform equips you with the knowledge and power to make these decisions quickly and efficiently.” To read the full feature on Zain Ali and Centuro Global, follow the link: https://www.theceomag.com/transforming-the-delivery-of-professional-services-worldwide-zain-ali/

Do you know the difference between trade marks, copyright, design rights and patents?How can you protect your personal or company's intellectual assets?IP makes up a significant value of a company's assets and can be valuable both as an asset but also monetised to generate recurring revenue. On the flip side, certain activities you undertake may infringe others' IP if you are not careful and could result in costly rebrands or lawsuits. To help you get to grips with all things IP we have created a handy IP Basics Guide. Download the guide here: https://www.centuroglobal.com/ip-basics

What do Robert Downey Junior, Mark Cuban, Ciara and the CEO of Uber all have in common? Tune in to this week's episode of Coffee with Centuro to find out!This week Zain, Ben & Seraj discuss topics ranging from Facebook's threat to quit Europe, LVMH's proposed takover of Tiffany, Toilet Paper VC, and analyse the proposed smart city in Senegal AKON CITY.