Need business advisor/lawyer -> small business doing well

Business Entrepreneurship
1

A couple of months ago I started a small business with a couple of locals. It’s actually a Taiwanese product. Rather unexpectedly it succeeded better than expected to the point some bigger businesses want to do something with us.

I need some advice in negotiating all this as I don’t have any real business experience so am out of my depth not to mention being a foreigner.

Either a business advisor or business minded lawyer to discuss everything with and possibly help negotiate in our best interest. My local partners aren’t much help unfortunately.

Are there government organisations which help with this sort of thing? Otherwise any suggestions on companies that do this sort of thing without charging a fortune?

Thank you

2

Can you give any more details - even general ones? Like what sector we are talking about here. If this is highly technical or specialised product, a retired veteran can be brought in for some kind of consulting/perspective

For lawyers - how much English do you need? We can ask people to give you a referral to local lawyers (private practices) since budget seems to be an issue

3

Thanks for your reply. It’s in the food industry. English is more for me and any contracts as I don’t have any Chinese skills.
Really we are tiny with minimal cash available and the possibility of being copied is real and will probably occur sometime so we just need protect ourselves the best way we can.
In the end it might be better to sell the concept while its still fresh before it’s copied which is why I need to ensure we are ready and know what to do if the opportunity presents itself.

4

Your case sounds ideal for Founders Squad


“Every month, we hold structured, founders-only meetings where we take turns at addressing our most challenging business situations together. We share what we have learned from each other’s priceless experiences. We take the time to dig to the root and identify the right questions – before finding the right solutions and decisions. Together, we help each other in a non-judgmental environment that fosters unparalleled trust and collaboration.”

I haven’t had the pleasure of attending a meeting yet myself, but it sounds like just the support circle you need

And they happen to meet at the offices of a highly regarded firm, Pamir Law run by Nicolas Chen https://linkedin.com/in/nicholasvchen

http://www.pamirlaw.com/files/logo.jpg

(Nick and Pamir were key supporters of my friend Christine Hsu and major stakeholders in ORIENTED after Chris and I went separate ways in 2002. You may already know that Chris and I founded a website called ORIENTED.org in 1998 - she kept the name and I kept the website that I ultimately renamed to Forumosa.com)

And, of course, there is Elias Ek of Enspyre.com - Elias literally wrote the book on starting up in Taiwan http://www.startabusinessintaiwan.tw/

So I would reach out to him for, at least, general advice.
http://www.enspyre.com/en/Contact-Us/Contact-Enspyre

It was Elias who once explained to me that the French Chamber of Commerce http://www.ccift.org.tw/services-in-taiwan/set-up-in-taiwan/ (used to?) specifically focus on small businesses. So, whether or not you are French, it will likely pay off for you to schmooze with some of the people who attend or organize those events


http://www.ccift.org.tw/events/

I did a quick search for a MasterMind Group in Taiwan. I only found some posts on Reddit from a year ago of people also looking to form such groups. If you do wind up joining or starting one, please remember to post about it here in Forumosa.

And, finally, if I were in your position in Taipei, I would be on the look out fellow entrepreneurs who set up in any of the incubators or co-working spaces supported by angel investors around the city. I know a few, so PM me if you want me to introduce you – take note that the guys I know tend to be in IT related fields, not food tech or manufacturing. Nevertheless, it may be useful to network with them, take them out for a cup of coffee in exchange for some war stories.