Our Business Development services

  • Sometimes the best China strategy is not to go to China. Yes, China offers a tremendous market, with a growing middle class population that now numbers in the hundreds of millions and boasts increasing purchasing power.

    But it’s also hyper competitive with domestic brands on the rise and multinational already well-established. Carving out your slice of the market could be time and capital-intensive.

    We help you make an informed decision about whether or not you should enter the Chinese market. If we see opportunities for your company and products, we will create a market entry strategy with our industry experts. We will help you avoid the pitfalls, save you time and money.

    Services:

    • Market, customer and competitor research

    • Market entry strategy ( full business and

    • China business plan( financial plan to be presented to the board/ key stakeholders)

  • China is not a uniform and homogeneous market. It’s very unlikely your Shenzhen-based business parter has a huge reach and market understanding of what’s happening in Beijing.

    We set up and manage a network of regional sales agents, distributors and importers. We even help you hire your own sales team. We get you to your first million euro of turnover in the Chinese market.

    Our services:

    • Business development

    • Sales channels selection and set-up

    • Distributor/ agent/ importer selection and management

  • It’s not 2014 anymore when building up business in China was the core focus and objective for many European companies.

    Yet the market still offers opportunities and your company needs to be present there in order to grow your business in the country.

    We step in and represent your company in China allowing your team to keep their focus on other, high priority markets .

    We attend trade shows and negotiate with Chinese business partners on your behalf. We identify and solve the problems in the cooperation with Chinese business partners.

    • Onsite negotiation and crisis management

    • Trade show attendance and representation

    • Customer visits

Our Corporate Management Services

  • We set up your company in China, allowing you do business in China and hire local staff. We pick the most suitable legal entity and local jurisdiction for you and open your corporate bank account at one of China’s leading banks. Fixed fees, fixed timelines and zero surprises.

    • Company formation Mainland China/ Hong Kong

    • Banking set-up

    • Payroll solutions

    • Visa and permits

    • Profit repatriation strategies

  • We take care of the full operational management of your company. We make sure your taxes are filed, you are 100% compliant with Chinese tax and labor laws, we hire your staff and make sure their salaries and social contributions are paid. We help you lower your tax burden and repatriate your profits back to you HQ.

    • Bookkeeping & accounting compliance

    • Banking

    • Financial management

    • Interim COO-CFO

    • Payroll& employment services

Our sourcing and supply chain services

  • China is a powerhouse when it comes to offering competitive sourcing solutions. Chinese manufacturers are still cost effective, used to compete on a global level, flexible in scaling and can make use of an excellent domestic and international logistics network.

    China always needs to be considered and evaluated when the aim is to set up cost effective and high quality supply chain.

    How we help:

    • Survey potential suppliers to obtain the best available products

    • Research the overall market in China and list the key players, their pricing and current export volumes.

    • Set up a framework with parameters to evaluate the capability and capacity of potential suppliers

    • Shortlist potential suppliers and enter into negotiation with them

  • There are many horror stories out there of international trade deals with Chinese suppliers that have gone totally wrong. Stolen deposits, fading quality over time or blatant fraud. The root cause of these failed business deals can in all cases be traced back to a lack of experienced people on the ground in China who manage the sourcing proces locally. We help by doing the following:

    • Do site visits at the selected potential suppliers

    • Arrange quality checks at China-based labs and purchase samples

    • Negotiate the most favorable pricing with the chosen suppliers

    • Draft a legally binding contract with the supplier that protect the interest of the buyer

    • Set up the full supply chain with the help of freight forwarders

  • We will continuously check the quality of the goods and set up and enforce sampling and quality check protocols. Before loading the containers and upon shipment. We make sure the terms of agreements are followed and renegotiate the deal if needed.

  • The China+1 strategy is an approach where companies diversify their manufacturing and supply chain operations by adding one or more countries outside of China to mitigate risks and optimize production. As global dynamics shift, the importance of not putting all eggs in one basket has become evident. Our service supports businesses in seamlessly implementing a China+1 strategy, ensuring they maintain a strong presence in China while expanding operations into alternative locations such as Southeast Asia and India. This dual approach safeguards supply chains, enhances resilience, and capitalizes on cost efficiencies, maintaining growth while reducing potential disruptions.

Why choose to work with us?

  • Local expertise

    We have been in business in China for +10 years. Over the years we built up a unique expertise and network, which we use to get your business of the ground in China.

  • Speed and agility

    We are a small, but super dedicated team to manage your business here. We are very responsive, work at China-speed and can easily switch gears when needed.

  • Long-term focus

    Achieving success in China does not happen overnight. We are in it for the long haul, flexible in terms of partnership models and willing to co-invest in the China-based business of our clients.

Some of the problems we solve for our clients.

  • We will give you a clear overview of the legal, financial and operational implications of starting a business in China. We give advice on shareholder and director’s responsibilities, the costs of running a company in China, the relevant taxation and how to repatriate profits back the mother company. Clear answers so there are no surprises later. We also set up the company and can take care of the operational management.

  • We will meet with the Chinese business partner in person and represent our client. We find out what the problems are from the Chinese side and initiate negotiations under supervision of the European client. We list potential solutions, finalize negotiations and most importantly, follow up on the actual execution of the contract.

  • We conduct market research and provide a full overview of the potential of your products or services on the Chinese market. If we do not see a gap/ niche in the market or the cost to acquire market share is too high, we inform you about this at the start of the project. We create business forecasts for your business in China and look for potential clients.

  • We can take care of the full operational management of the company in China so the expat/local sales staff can focus on developing the business. Services include: opening and management of the Chinese bank account, payment of social contributions and payroll management, headhunting and recruiting the local team, invoicing Chinese clients and tax payment compliance. Do not hesitate to ask us for references from other European clients.

Reach out

  • Reach out to us via email or the contact form and feel free to connect on LinkedIn.

    pieter@serval.management

  • Pieter Verstraete provides commentary on actual China related political, business and economics news. Please reach out directly mentioning the topic, required number characters and deadline. pieter@serval.management