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E-2 Strategic Visa — $700K to $1.2M

A great acquisition, run with rigor.
From analysis to closing.

Complex deal, in-depth M&A analysis, high-quality visa business plan. A single point of contact coordinating everything — attorneys, CPA, immigration — on the ground.

Total acquisition and setup budget, excluding primary residence purchase.

Business acquisition and the E-2 visa process: two linked tracks whose timing must be coordinated. The general rule is that the visa application follows the business purchase. In all cases, the immigration attorney dictates the process. This point is structural: it shapes how the LOI is drafted, the exit clauses, and closing timing. The outcome of the visa application is the exclusive purview of your immigration attorney. I only work with attorneys duly licensed in the US and in good standing with their bar.
0

Getting started — step 1/2

Qualification & Orientation

45–60 min — free ▲

What we explore together

  • Is an immigration attorney already on board?
  • Investment budget and source of funds
  • Family situation, desired timeline
  • Motivation — what's the project beyond the acquisition itself
  • Capacity and availability to personally run the business — the E-2 requires you to actively grow and manage it, not remotely
  • Location: where in Florida? Awareness of socio-economic and cultural differences — open question or already decided?
  • Type of business targeted: specific sector, or open to a range of opportunities?
  • Transition profile: what seller handover period is envisioned? Any sector gaps to anticipate?
  • Deal structure: asset sale or corporate sale, immediate or deferred use of debt?
  • Current French-American situation: property owner, LLC, US bank account? Any tax points to watch?
  • Presentation of my service proposal and associated pricing

Partners involved

  • None at this stage

Financial commitment

  • Free, no commitment

Deliverable

Qualification memo sent within 48h: a recap of your situation, recommended direction, open questions to resolve. Go / No Go for the next step.

0

Getting started — step 2/2

Contracting

Free — no commitment ▼

Three-way validation with the immigration attorney

  • The two most important advisors for you will be the immigration attorney and your project lead. It's crucial that you trust both — and that a healthy working relationship forms between them
  • Share the qualification memo with the attorney
  • The attorney presents the E-2 requirements: majority control, active management of the business, hiring US employees, proportionality of the investment — and the specifics of your immigration situation
  • Initial visa timing framing: the attorney advises on the optimal moment to file relative to the acquisition
  • For you: continue qualifying the project, confirm the fit and professionalism of the team

Partners involved

  • Immigration attorney

Financial commitment

  • Free, no commitment

Deliverable

Validation of our partnership. Drafting and signing of the semi-exclusive buyer representation mandate — exclusivity limited to businesses presented. Our entire contractual and financial relationship runs through World Class Realty, governed by Florida Real Estate Broker law, the Florida Association of Realtors code of ethics, and Master Brokers Forum standards.

Retainer #1
1

Strategic Memo

1–2 weeks ▼

What I do

  • In-depth session (2h) — your project from every angle
  • Drafting the strategic memo: turns an idea into a project, and the project into scheduled areas, tasks, and decisions to make
  • Defining business targeting criteria: sector, area, revenue, structure — factoring in your active management capacity and E-2-compatible business profile
  • First visa timeline framing: E-2 filing timing relative to the acquisition — a decision made with the immigration attorney
  • Identifying the partners needed

Partners involved

  • Immigration attorney (E-2 orientation confirmation, timeline, documents needed)
  • Possibly a CPA if needed at this stage

Financial commitment

  • Retainer #1 — first installment (WCR)

Deliverable

Strategic memo (6–8 pages): investor profile, target business, E-2 strategy, priority areas, acquisition + visa timeline, team needed, risks identified.

2

Team Setup & Framing

1–2 weeks ▼

What I do

  • Setting up the partner network — those you've already chosen, those you'd like me to introduce
  • Pre-check E-2 eligibility of the targeted business types: majority control, feasible active management, ability to hire US employees, investment proportional to the type and size of the business
  • Gathering general market intelligence on Florida to validate the location / sector pairing before launching in-depth searches
  • Formalizing the search brief with the team

Partners involved

  • Immigration attorney: E-2 pre-eligibility of business type
  • CPA: French-American tax, purchase structure
  • Possibly a business attorney: initial legal orientation

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #1

Deliverable

Project team assembled. Validated search brief: sector, area, size, E-2 compatibility. Validated location / business type pairing. The selection funnel begins here.

3

Market Discovery

2–4 weeks ▼

What I do

  • Broad sourcing — on-market (platforms, brokers) and off-market (network)
  • E-2 pre-filter: feasibility of active management by the buyer, fit with the investor profile, proportionality of the investment
  • Presenting a wide range of options to sharpen your real preferences — no purchase intent at this stage
  • Goal: build your "like / don't like" list from concrete cases

Partners involved

  • Broker network in selected areas

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #1

Deliverable

Discovery catalog: summary sheets on 10 to 20 opportunities (price, sector, area, profile). No in-depth financial analysis — this is an orientation phase. Criteria refined by the end.

4

Shortlist & In-Depth Analysis

2–4 weeks ▼

Work performed

  • NDA signature, references, resume and proof of funds submitted — required to access real financial data
  • Full P&L recasting: EBITDA, real SDE, add-backs, owner benefit, normalization
  • Analysis of tangible and intangible assets / debt / working capital / real free cash flow
  • Marketing analysis: brand, product/market mix, pricing, know-how
  • Commercial analysis: customers, turnover, channels, seasonality
  • Contract analysis: lease, key suppliers
  • HR analysis: organization, hiring and retention policy, salaries, bonuses and benefits
  • Management structure analysis: can the buyer run the business? Dependency on the current owner, profile of existing managers, transition risk
  • Hiring potential analysis: current employees, hiring needs — the E-2 requires the business to employ US staff beyond the investor alone
  • Analysis of total seller compensation
  • Initial valuation exercise (multiples and comps) / gap versus asking price

Partners involved

  • CPA (tax review if complex)
  • Immigration attorney (E-2 eligibility confirmation before commitment)

Financial commitment

  • Included in Retainer #1. End of Retainer #1.

Deliverable

Reasoned recommendation narrowing to a shortlist of 3 to 5 opportunities. Analysis report per target (6–10 pages): full financial recasting, justified valuation, E-2 eligibility analysis, strengths and risks, go/no-go recommendation with target price. This is where bad deals get eliminated.

Retainer #2
5

Pre-Negotiation & LOI

1–3 weeks ▼

What I do

  • Non-binding pre-negotiation on hot topics (price, structure, financing, transition) — keeping the funnel open without committing to a single target
  • Parallel non-exclusive negotiations if multiple targets remain
  • Selection of a final target — moving to exclusive negotiation
  • Drafting the LOI's commercial terms: price, structure, terms, seller financing, potential earnout, timeline, mutual commitments
  • Binding LOI with exit clauses on objective criteria (DD, financing) — the visa clause is structured per the immigration attorney's recommendations: conditional or unconditional purchase relative to the E-2 filing
  • Coordination with the business attorney for legal drafting

Partners involved

  • Business attorney (LOI drafting)
  • CPA (tax validation of the structure)
  • Immigration attorney (drafting the visa clause in the LOI)
  • Lender (if financing)

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #2

Deliverable

Signed LOI with exclusivity period. Validated deal structure. Financing plan established. Visa clause drafted. Exit conditions defined.

6

Due Diligence & Legal Structure

3–6 weeks ▼

Work performed

  • Financial due diligence: 3 years of tax returns, bank statements, payroll, AR/AP
  • Operational due diligence: site visits, interviews with key staff, suppliers
  • Coordination of legal DD (attorney) and tax DD (CPA)
  • Immigration DD: verifying the business structure meets E-2 requirements — majority control, feasible active management, ability to hire US employees, proportionality of the investment
  • Legal structure choice: asset acquisition via majority-controlled LLC — the E-2 requires direct and effective control, no dilutive structuring
  • Go / renegotiate / no-go summary

Partners involved

  • Business attorney: contracts, licenses, lease, disputes
  • CPA: tax validation, accounting red flags
  • Immigration attorney: E-2 structure compliance
  • Others as needed — e.g. insurance broker for coverage assessment

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #2

Deliverable

Consolidated DD report: financial summary, legal points resolved, license status, E-2 compliance. Legal structure finalized. Any price adjustments negotiated.

7

Legal Structuring & Visa Business Plan

3–4 weeks — in parallel with the end of DD ▼

What I do

  • Coordination of entity formation (majority-controlled LLC) with the business attorney and CPA
  • Opening the commercial bank account (foreign KYC)
  • Contribution to the business plan for the E-2 visa file — by this stage all financial and operational data is available, which significantly speeds up drafting and improves quality: the business plan demonstrates that you will actively manage the business, that it will employ US staff, and that the investment is proportional to the business's value and needs. An E-2 business plan outsourced to a specialized firm typically costs a few thousand dollars: this service is included in your engagement.
  • Coordination with the immigration attorney on filing timing and format (consulate or status adjustment)
  • Financing coordination if applicable (FR or US real estate collateral)
  • Coordination of required insurance coverage

Partners involved

  • Business attorney: LLC, operating agreement, EIN
  • Immigration attorney: E-2 visa file, immigration business plan
  • Commercial bank: account, KYC, possible financing
  • Insurance broker: coverage before closing

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #2

Deliverable

Entity formed with EIN. Bank account opened. Business plan written for the E-2 visa file. Financing confirmed. Insurance in place. Everything is ready for closing.

8

Closing

1–2 weeks ▼

What I do

  • Coordination of closing across all parties
  • Verification that all conditions precedent are satisfied
  • Presence or representation at closing — you can be remote
  • Follow-up on immediate post-closing transfers: licenses, contracts, inventory

Partners involved

  • Closing attorney: APA, bill of sale, closing statement
  • Title company: escrow, UCC search, payoff
  • Attorney: lease assignment, license transfer
  • Bank: wire transfer of funds

Financial commitment

  • Buyer commission + WCR co-brokerage at closing, net of retainers already paid (WCR)

Deliverable

Signed Asset Purchase Agreement. Full transfer of assets, licenses, inventory. Keys handed over.

E-2 Point of Attention

The E-2 is a non-immigrant visa: it does not lead to a green card and must be renewed periodically. Its issuance and renewal depend exclusively on the file prepared by your immigration attorney and the decision of the consulate or USCIS. The business acquisition is final upon signing the APA. Structuring visa-related exit clauses in the LOI — and the timing of the filing relative to closing — are decisions made with your immigration attorney starting in Phase 00.

Partner fees (attorney, CPA, immigration attorney, insurance broker…) are billed directly by each provider. I can negotiate on your behalf, recommend, or even choose for you. I take no margin on their services and have no referral fee arrangement.
Fees

What this mandate costs

Two entities, two logics: advisory fees before closing (not contingent) · World Class Realty at closing (contingent).

Advisory Fees — Before closing
Retainer #1
$5,000
Retainer #2
$7,500
Total before closing
$12,500
World Class Realty — At closing
Buyer commission
2.5%
on the transaction price
Co-brokerage
~2.5% covered by the seller's agent — no additional cost to the buyer

Worked example — $900,000 business

Retainers #1 + #2 (paid before closing) $12,500
Buyer commission at closing (2.5% × $900,000) $22,500
— of which retainers already paid − $12,500
Balance due at closing $10,000
Total cost to the buyer $22,500

On my end, the seller's agent shares back ~2–2.5% under a private agreement — with no impact on your cost. If the deal doesn't close, the retainers remain earned for the work completed together.

I take no margin on partner fees — attorney, CPA, immigration attorney — who bill you directly. You know their cost before you commit.

Your project deserves a dedicated, competent, trustworthy team.

Every phase described in this roadmap is direct proof of that — regardless of whether you choose me as your advisor.

Book the Qualification Call