Why to start business in UkraineWritten by Arthur Nitsevych
UkraineGeneral information Total area: 603,700 sq. km Population: ~48 million Principal cities: Kyiv (Kiev), Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya (Zaporozhye), Dnipropetrovsk (Dnepropetrovsk), Kharkiv (Kharkov), Lviv (Lvov), Odesa (Odessa) Official language: Ukrainian (although in business Russian is mainly used) Neighbouring states: Russia, Moldova, Belarus, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary Currency: Hryvnia (UAH) Ukraine has focused long ago on closer integration with rest of world while preserving its traditional links with countries of former Soviet Union. Reflecting its importance and size, Ukraine is a member of United Nations, IMF, World Bank, EBRD, etc. Investment policy and investment possibilities •Foreign ownership of most types of business is permitted. •Foreign investments are welcome, especially, those ones involving technology transfer and capital. •Similar regime of investment and business activity is applicable to local and foreign investors. •Protection of foreign investments is available under Ukrainian legislation and international treaties. •As of January 1, 2002 foreign investors can own non-agricultural land in Ukraine. •Special economic zones grant significant tax concessions for investments. Possible business structures and corresponding regulations •The corporate and management structure is relatively flexible. •A joint stock company is a legal entity whose capital is divided into a specified number of shares. There are two types of joint stock companies: "open" joint stock company and "closed" joint stock company. Shares of joint stock companies must be registered with State Commission for Securities and Stock Exchange. •Limited liability companies require less complex structure. A limited liability company does not have shares. Participants in company own a percentage of company’s capital. •To establish a presence in Ukraine representative offices are used although they can be engaged in business activities. The representative office does not constitute a legal entity. •A joint venture can take form of a company which has a distinct legal personality or an un-incorporated entity which does not. •Concessions are allowed in certain fields for period up to 50 years. •Preliminary approval from Antimonopoly Committee may be required for certain acquisitions of shares or assets. •There is no ceiling regarding amount of capital a foreign company invests into a Ukrainian company. •Foreign investments must be registered with local authorities. Tax planning •Ukraine has developed a wide double tax treaty network. •Domestic tax treatment applies to foreign corporations and expatriate personnel. •Dividends, interest and royalties may be freely repatriated. •Withholding tax of 15% applies to dividends, interest and royalties, but domestic tax law is subordinated to international tax treaties. •The principal taxes in Ukraine are corporate profits tax, personal income tax, VAT, payroll taxes, excise tax, land tax, tax on owners of motor vehicles and import duties. There are also other taxes and different local taxes that may be levied by local authorities.
| | How to Discover your Primary MarketWritten by Judy Cullins
How to Discover your Primary Market and Where to Find Them Judy Cullins c. 2004 All Rights ReservedWhether you market online or offline, you already know shot-gun approach to marketing brings few results. You will sell more products and services when you step back and set up a strategy to reach your targeted market. Approaches That Set you Up to Pull Customer Orders One: Develop a Specific Customer Profile It's good to know whether your customers are primarily women or men. Remember, women buy 70% of books published. Then, figure out age range of your customer. One 25-year-old male coaching client aimed his motivational book at his age group. He had a lot of insight already because of his age. You may want to know marital status. Is your customer married, single, divorced or separated? Does religion or cultural affiliation play an important part in their lives? Location may matter, but remember to think about vast market Online. These people subscribe to ezines and visit web sites for all kinds of information. Your product or service can easily be just right for them. It's good to know as many details from these listings as possible. Here's a Check List for your Target Audience: ---What are these people's biggest concerns/challenges? ---What do these people need and want to have a better life? ---Where does this person work? ---Where does this person live? ---Where does this person play? ---What type of store does this person buy from? ---What magazines or ezines does this person read? ---What newspapers does this person read? ---What radio stations does this person listen to? ---What TV programs does this person watch? ---What organizations does this person belong go? ---What kind of events does this person attend? ---Where does this person go to learn a new skill? ---Is this person teleclass savvy? ---Do these people attend seminars? ---What do these people spend money on? ---Does this person surf internet? ---Does this person buy online? Two. Send a Casual Market Survey to your Friends and Associates Make sure you don't pose more than 8 questions to this group. Reward them for taking time to respond to your survey. Give them a free eBook or report or a 1/2 hour free session on your service. What important information do they know about your audience? If they are already your audience, ask them to pick top 8 questions and answer them in a sentence or two. This creative brainstorming can save you so much time later! Once I applied this in my ezine, I found what questions my clients wanted answered.
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