The Hidden Costs of Getting U.S. Expansion Wrong
What UK Companies Need to Know Before They Launch
Includes Your Complimentary US Expansion Health Check (Value: £2,500)
LONDON - 17th March | BIRMINGHAM - 18th March | MANCHESTER - 19th March
Complimentary for qualified UK scaleups.
Only 15 seats available per city. Central locations.
Only 15 seats available per city. Central locations.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
The 8 Structural Decisions That Determine Success or Failure
The US market represents extraordinary opportunity, but operational complexity and regulatory fragmentation derail more UK expansions than competitive pressure ever will. Navigating 50 tax regimes, understanding why your UK employment contracts could trigger million-dollar liabilities, and knowing whether your structure will make your UK parent a US taxpayer - these aren't details to figure out later.
In fact, most companies discover critical gaps 12-18 months post-launch, after capital is deployed, entities are formed, and commitments are made. By then, correction is expensive and highly disruptive.
These clinics bring US-based specialists to the UK so you can validate your strategy, stress-test your assumptions, and identify structural vulnerabilities before you commit resources to plans built on incomplete knowledge or UK approaches that don't translate. Here are just a few of the considerations:
In fact, most companies discover critical gaps 12-18 months post-launch, after capital is deployed, entities are formed, and commitments are made. By then, correction is expensive and highly disruptive.
These clinics bring US-based specialists to the UK so you can validate your strategy, stress-test your assumptions, and identify structural vulnerabilities before you commit resources to plans built on incomplete knowledge or UK approaches that don't translate. Here are just a few of the considerations:
Understand why Delaware is almost always the answer, how your entity choice affects everything from liability protection to state tax obligations, and the timing sequence that prevents costly mistakes.
⚠️ Get This Wrong:
Choosing the wrong state or entity type can add $50,000+ annually (dependent on circumstances) in unnecessary compliance costs and limit your operational flexibility.
Learn how a single employee, inventory storage, or installation visit can trigger tax obligations across 13,000+ jurisdictions, and why "we'll figure it out later" can mean six-figure penalty exposure.
⚠️ Get This Wrong:
Companies discover too late they've created nexus in 15 states and face back-tax assessments, penalties, and expensive voluntary disclosure negotiations.
Discover why your UK trademark offers zero protection in the US, how to secure your IP before someone else does, and what distributor agreements must contain to prevent losing control of your brand.
⚠️ Get This Wrong:
Lose your trademark to a squatter or distributor, and you may need to rebrand entirely or buy back your own name at an inflated price.
Understand how IP ownership location affects tariffs, why brand value is your secret weapon, and how proper transfer pricing documentation protects you from 40% penalties.
⚠️ Get This Wrong:
Improper transfer pricing structures can result in double taxation, IRS penalties of up to 40% of tax understatements, and years of costly audit defense.
Navigate economic nexus thresholds, understand why sales tax rates vary from 0% to 11.5%+ even within states, and learn the entity structure decisions that minimise your exposure.
⚠️ Get This Wrong:
Undisclosed nexus discovered during an audit can trigger retroactive assessments, penalties, interest, and mandatory registration in dozens of jurisdictions.
Learn why misclassifying workers can cost you years of back taxes, benefits, and penalties—and how US at-will employment differs fundamentally from UK contracts.
⚠️ Get This Wrong:
A single misclassified contractor can trigger an IRS audit revealing systematic violations, resulting in reclassification of all workers, payroll tax assessments, and penalties exceeding $1 million.
Discover how employee activities in the US can accidentally make your UK company a US taxpayer, and the protective filings that prevent retroactive tax bills.
⚠️ Get This Wrong:
Without proper treaty position documentation, your UK parent could face IRS assertions that it's been operating a US trade or business for years, triggering massive tax liabilities and penalties.
Understand why US salaries are 30-40% higher than UK equivalents before benefits, how health insurance replaces pensions, and the visa strategies that actually work for getting your team in place.
⚠️ Get This Wrong:
Underestimating total compensation costs or visa timelines can derail your launch, leave you understaffed during critical growth periods, or force you to hire less qualified candidates.
Complimentary for qualified UK scaleups.
Only 15 seats available per city. Central locations.
Only 15 seats available per city. Central locations.
YOUR COMPLIMENTARY US EXPANSION HEALTH CHECK
Included with Registration (Value: £2,500)
Before the event, receive a high-level review of your US expansion plan that spots potential issues and flags areas requiring deeper examination. Read on ...
What We Review:
What You Recieve:
A written assessment identifying specific areas of concern, observations on common gaps we've seen in similar situations, and questions you should be asking as you refine your approach.
The Value:
Come to the clinic with a clearer picture of where your plan needs attention. Use your Health Check findings to prioritise your questions for the expert presentations and make the most of your optional 1-to-1 sessions with specialists who can address your specific issues.
Free Health Checks are available for confirmed event attendees only. Allentra will conduct your Health Check consultation during a 30 minute call online. We'll send you a calendar link to select a convenient time once your place has been confirmed.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
This clinic is designed for founders, CEOs, finance directors, and senior operational leaders directly responsible for US expansion strategy and delivery - whether you're validating feasibility, finalising structure, fixing early-stage issues, or scaling operations.
If you're accountable for any aspect of your US market-entry or growth, this is for you.
If you're accountable for any aspect of your US market-entry or growth, this is for you.
EVENT FORMAT
A half-day intensive clinic designed to move you from uncertainty to clarity
BONUS: Pre-Booked 1-2-1 Expert Consultations
08:30 - 10:00 and during and after lunch 12:00 - 15:00
Confidential 30-minute private sessions with US legal, tax, or HR specialists addressing your specific challenges - scheduled based on priorities identified in your pre-event Health Check.
These aren't sales pitches. They're diagnostic sessions where specialists familiar with your situation provide tailored guidance on your most pressing questions.
Only 9 pre-bookable 1-to-1 slots available per advisor - allocated on first-come, first-served basis.
10:00 – 10:30 | Networking & Coffee
Connect with fellow founders and senior leaders navigating similar US expansion challenges.
These informal conversations often surface questions you hadn't thought to ask.
These informal conversations often surface questions you hadn't thought to ask.
10:30 – 11:30 | Expert Presentations (3 × 20 minutes)
Walk away knowing exactly which decisions to make now, which to defer, and what mistakes to avoid.
Understand your entity formation options, how to protect your UK parent from US tax exposure, and the IP protection sequence that prevents costly mistakes.
Know which states you'll trigger nexus in, how to structure transfer pricing to minimise tariff impact, and the compliance filings that prevent penalties.
Build realistic hiring budgets, understand visa options for your UK team, and avoid the contractor misclassification trap.
11:30 – 12:00 | Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A
The real value: Get all three specialists answering YOUR specific questions simultaneously. Pressure-test your assumptions, explore edge cases unique to your business model, and understand how legal, tax, and talent decisions interact. This is where theory meets your reality.
12:00 – 14:00 | Lunch & Networking
Continued networking plus additional 1-2-1 sessions with specialists - including optional meetings with vetted ecosystem partners covering US sales execution, market validation research, FX/banking, and insurance (TBC).
VENUES:
London - Tue17 March
Keltie LLC
No. 1 London Bridge
London SE1 9BA
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Birmingham - Wed18 March
Ebury Birmingham Office
103 Colmore Row
Birmingham B3 3AG
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Manchester - Thu 19 March
Bloc - Bruntwood SciTech
17 Marble Street
Manchester M2 3AW
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HOW TO PREPARE:
Before the Event
On the Day
Complimentary for qualified UK scaleups.
Only 15 seats available per city. Central locations.
Only 15 seats available per city. Central locations.
MEET THE EXPERTS
US tax strategist specializing in multi-state compliance, transfer pricing, and cross-border structuring for UK companies. Gabriel helps you navigate IRS requirements, minimise nexus exposure, and build tax-efficient operating models that don't create future liabilities.
Why he matters:
Getting your tax foundation wrong means paying twice - once to the IRS, again to fix it.
Gabriel Guillaud
Partner - International Management SolutionsCorporate attorney focused on entity formation, IP protection, employment law, and permanent establishment risk for international companies entering the US. Tom structures operations to protect your UK parent while enabling scalable US growth.
Why he matters:
The wrong entity structure or IP misstep can cost you £500K+ in avoidable compliance or lost trademark rights.
Tom Thorelli
US Attorney - Thorelli & AssociatesUS talent acquisition specialist helping UK companies build competitive hiring strategies, navigate visa requirements, and avoid contractor misclassification traps. Chris ensures your compensation models attract top talent without breaking your budget.
Why he matters:
Underestimating US comp structures by 30% derails hiring plans and leaves you understaffed during critical growth phases.
Chris Hornby
Managing Partner - Vega Search
Complimentary for qualified UK scaleups.
Only 15 seats available per city. Central locations.
Only 15 seats available per city. Central locations.
ABOUT ALLENTRA
After guiding 3,500+ companies through international expansion, one pattern emerged: growth doesn't fail because products are weak - it stalls because commercial strategy, legal structure, tax positioning, and operational foundations aren't aligned from day one.
Allentra acts as your single point of contact for US market entry and scale - think "McKinsey for US expansion," with one difference: we don't stop at recommendations. We stay involved to translate strategy into working reality across the interdependent decisions that determine success.
Allentra acts as your single point of contact for US market entry and scale - think "McKinsey for US expansion," with one difference: we don't stop at recommendations. We stay involved to translate strategy into working reality across the interdependent decisions that determine success.
ABOUT BRUNTWOOD SCITECH
Bruntwood SciTech is the UK's leading developer of city-wide innovation ecosystems, specialising in environments and workspaces that empower science, tech and innovative companies to form, scale, and grow. Its network connects the UK's most ambitious cities, regions and innovation communities through collaboration and a unique public, private, academic, clinical partner network.
Allentra is grateful for the Bruntwood SciTech team's support in providing such a wonderful event space.
Allentra is grateful for the Bruntwood SciTech team's support in providing such a wonderful event space.