tunnyx

Hi all. My first post and early days in our potential emigration!

My family and I have decided that a move to Oz is the way to go. Were tired of working to pay the bills, having no opportunity to improve our quality of life coz of the stupid UK housing market and never actually seeming to get anywhere at all!

I'm an AAT qualified accountant, with strong IT skills, and my wife is a chef. As we are both undecided about our careers so far, we thought that buying a business over in Oz would be a great way to have a fresh start.

Does anyone have any practical advice on buying a business within Oz. We havent made our minds up on the type of business, but being in the accountancy industry allows me to spot a potentially good business and what to ignore.

We want something that suits both of us, and we are tempted by retail or wholesale, although not yet sure which particular market would be good to get into.

Basically, my questions are:

1) How 'easy' is it to buy a business in Oz when you are migrating?
2) Is business finance fairly straightforward or can this be difficult to get?
3) Are there any reputable companies out there who deal with business sales?
4) Are there particular banks that are better to deal with from a business point of view?

Thanks for any answers in advance

Carruss

We were looking for shops to let/buy the other day and came across this in Queensland. Not for us but your wife is a chef and you get you home too!

Just take a look at the bathroom.....very special ! ! !

I cannot believe anyone would buy this place looking like that.

They say they only work mornings so should give you some free time, maybe. Free time to completely renovate the place that is.

http://www.ljhooker.com.au/property_...l&category=buy

R.

Helium Kid

I'm just going through the process myself and have done tons of research.
Fortunately I am able to finance the business myself (Thanks to the crazy UK house market) and I'm going the retail route.

I wont go for a freehold business at first. My favoured option is to buy a going concern and then take on the lease etc. Effectively I am paying for the trade and customer base and then hopefully taking it forward by putting my own stamp on it.

Obviously you have to meet certain criteria as part of the business visa and to me, buying an established business is less of a risk than starting from scratch. Ideally mine will already exceed the criteria when I buy it.

I would say just do as much research as possible from here. There are lots of sites that have businesses for sale sections with an abundance of opportunities and choice.

Where are you looking to re-locate too?

tunnyx

Thanks for that Carruss. Not really what were after coz we both fancy as complete a change as possible (and she's sick of cooking for ungrateful gits in the UK ).

Havent really started looking at precise businesses just yet, we just want some ideas/general sites etc to give us something to plan around. More interested in financing, as we may have to take a loan to get the business we want and obviously that would leave us with little capital left for a house (looks like we will probably rent rather than buy initially).

We're hoping to bring £70k over with us (approx $175k) and looking at any business under $300k (or $500k if housing is within price).

tunnyx

Hi Helium Kid.

Thats pretty much what we are looking to do. We have a sponsor (auntie) in Guama Bay, nr Sydney, but I'd rather move elsewhere as prices will be steep around there (based on research, but please prove me wrong ).

Hoping to get in based on skill base (should be 60pts) and sponsor should allow us to get accepted without too much difficulty.

I have looked at Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide so far, with mixed ideas of them all. Not much point in asking for opinions on this aspect as its each persons own decision as to what they like!

Basic idea is:

1) Buy a business for say $150-$200k, wherever the business we feel is right, is situated
2) Find a property to rent for say 6-12 months
3) If everything is fine, look to buy a property after this.

Retail/Wholesale seems like something we could be very successful at, I have some ideas of the type of business, but just need general knowledge that you can only get from great peeps like yourselves!

Cheers again

Helium Kid

Ah... so you're not applying for a state sponsored 163 visa then?

My preferred state is Queensland (although not Brisbane) and I have been surprised at how quickly things are moving along.

The route you are taking is less risky than mine, although I have to say that if I didn't meet the turnover requirements of the visa I'd want to come back home anyway.

The link to ljHooker on the previous post is a good start as there are lots of options there.

Happy hunting.

JAJ

Before you think of anything - think visas. Go to http://www.immi.gov.au and look at the migration booklets, especially booklet 6 (general skilled) and booklet 7 (business skilled).

Jeremy

steveyp

Yep, deffo read the DIMIA criteria, business visa is now only open to those that have a current business, and there are strict criteria attached.

Make sure you qualify first, self employment does not.

Also beware the established business for sale route, most are rubbish to say the least (who would sell a sucessful profitable business?). If the business is worth having they will want a lot for it. You are better starting your own, Plenty of opportunity here.

tunnyx

Thanks for the tips guys. I know visa's are the first step, although with my own skillbase and qualifications, I will be going via the skilled sponsored route which from what I can see, should get me and my family into Oz.

If we get in (and thats of course a serious if), then I feel that its an opportune time to make as fresh a start as possible, so I want my own business (probably partnership with wife).

Undecided about buying or starting up. That all depends on the figures I see, although I have a good enough range of management skills to make a go of a business. My only thoughts about buying a reputable, respected and above all, profitable business were that the initial period of set up is avoided. If I don't find one to buy, then I'll look at opportunities for setting up by myself.

Land of opportunity n all that (or is that the USA?).

Will keep researching my options well before I take the plunge and apply, after all, theres no refund of the applic fee is there?

kevinbloomfield

Tunnyx

As your wife is a chef have you thought about Skilled Independant 136? Chef is on the MODL, as long as you aren't over 45 it shouldn't be a problem. At least then you could do whatever you wanted when you get there.

I am hoping to start an IT business when I get there (same as what I do here), my wife (also a Chef) wants to run a coffee shop or similar

Good luck

tunnyx

Hi Kevin.

Good response. I hadn't looked at my wife's ability to apply coz she isnt a direct relative to my auntie, so we would probably struggle for points. Is it possible that a chef could get in excess of 60 points for this?

You guys sound pretty much like us. IT and cook, what a combination :P

Where are you looking at?

I have started looking seriously at Perth and surrounding area, as it seems to have a good mix of reasonable house prices and fair employment levels.

Not that i'm looking at employment Like the idea of an IT business myself, installing SBS networks, web design (php of course, /me spits on MS) and possibly installation and maintenance of Sage based accounting systems. Need to research the surrounding area of course for possible clientelle!

/me feels pretty nervous just thinking about it all!!!!

kevinbloomfield

have you worked your points out? I am 39, wife is 38. We got 120 points, Chef gets 60 points. My IT skills did not get enough points !!

136 visa is the best one to get, totally free to do what you want.

We are looking at maybe the sunshine coast

I have an IT business in Suffolk at the moment and I plan to replicate it in OZ. No web sites for me, I do anything from fixing PC's to setting up networks (MCSE certiffied)

if you need any advice, please ask. We have done all the TRA bit and are now waiting for medical requests

tunnyx

Thanks Kev

Might have a look at that. We got 135 points sponsored, so would get 120 points with my wife applying as a chef. Does it make much difference if you apply with 120 or 135? Would prefer to go down the non-sponsored route, and from what you say, if 120 points is enough, we should be ok as we are both 29 (turn 30 in July).

I have heard that the sunshine coast is a little slower on the business front, as its often classed as a 'retirement area'. Is that accurate or just someones opinion?

Because we are only in the early stages yet, I am looking everywhere for information on business centres, house prices, schools (kids are 6 and 9) and general area conditions. Perth seems the best overall i've found so far, but more that willing to look at others. Any ideas are welcome peeps!!!

Anyone know if skilled sponsored limits you to a particular state?

kevinbloomfield

if you get 120 points then go for the 136 visa.
TRA is a bit of a bitch, but if your wife has plenty of experience (and completed city & guilds or similar) it shouldn't be a problem. visas seem to be taking 2 or 3 months at the moment, that of course excludes TRA and the time it takes to get all the bloody paperwork together.

As to sunshine coast, there is shed loads of people living there and it is one of the fastest growing areas in OZ, lots of people means lots of potential customers. We will be mortgage free so shouldn't need to earn a fortune.

I'm not expecting OZ to be a paradise or anything, just looking at it as an adventure, we are not money driven, as long as we can have barbies in the garden a couple of times a week and visit the beach regulary we will be like pigs in s***

tunnyx

What? smelly?



I know what you mean. I aint that money driven myself, but doesn't it get you down when you work bloody hard, and never seem to get anywhere? I earn decent money in the UK, but doesn't seem to matter, coz I still live in a fairly small, 3 bed semi near Preston, Lancashire and cant realistically go any bigger without crippling ourselves financially!!!!

Main reason for wanting to go is that we can't see anything in the UK that makes us think we can better ourselves or provide proper lives for our kids. Our local schools are a joke (seriously crap, the only 1 good one you can only get into if you live in the posh area, where houses start at £200k...that leaves me with a mortgage of nearly £130k (if i could get it) and thats for sommat similarly sized to what we already have....... GAH

Anyway, enough of my rant! Thanks for the advice. My wife is gonna hunt our her C&G (and NVQ's and her ECDL), and i'm gonna keep researching areas that might tempt us!!!

Cheers for the advice peeps...what a great forum!