Doing business in Brazil requires both trust and verification. It’s not unlike doing business in other parts of the world. Would you ever buy a property in the US without doing a title search? Would you invest in a company without reviewing its financials? What about hiring an employee without running a background check? Of course not.

The same is true for doing business in Brazil. The only difference is that most Americans don’t know how to verify. So instead, they need to work with trusted partners - people they can rely on to ensure their best interests are being protected.

We say it all the time, but it’s worth repeating: do your due diligence. If you can’t do it, then get someone else to do it for you. Far too often investments are made only to find out the business venture is a fraud, title isn’t clean, or the company just isn’t financially sound. 

As the great musician Tom Jobim used to say: “Brazil isn’t for beginners.” Take, for example, taxes. Even experienced tax lawyers often struggle to understand the more than 4 million federal, state, and municipal tax laws. You can’t expect yourself to be a Brazilian tax expert, but you can find someone who is.

Before you jump into a business venture in Brazil, do your research. Understand what the process entails and what you’ll need to do each step of the way. And most importantly, get help from an experienced business advisor who can verify for you.