Make Zurich the Swiss base, not just the address.
A Swiss entity is simple to register and slower to make work. The first hires, the first customers and the local rules decide whether it does.
What trips up foreign entrants
Plans hold up in a slide deck. On the ground, these slip:
A company formed before the questions are answered
An AG or a GmbH carries capital, signatory and tax consequences that are hard to change after trading starts.
One hire decides the first year
Get the first country manager wrong and you lose a year of momentum.
Several languages, several business cultures
Zurich runs in German, Geneva in French, and buyers in each read you differently.
Premium positioning without the proof
Swiss buyers pay for quality and ask for references first.
With a fractional executive you have a senior person in Zurich within weeks, ahead of any decision on a permanent country manager. They stand the entity up, win the first customers and either hand over or say plainly that the next step is not justified.
Who this is for, and who it is not
Best for
- International companies opening their first Swiss entity
- Entrants who need speed and local knowledge from day one
- A launch that needs commercial, finance and operations led at once
- Businesses testing the market before committing to a full local C-suite
- A distributor or partner in place, but no one owning the market strategy
Not for
- A pure legal or licensing task an adviser should handle
- Businesses with no product or offer ready for the market yet
- A one-off market study with no intention to enter
- Companies wanting a nominee rather than an operating leader
What we add to an entry
A Swiss entry needs someone on the ground and someone watching the plan from your side. We do the second for as long as the first is there.
Milestones we review with you
At each milestone we compare progress with head office and your executive, and say early when it departs from the plan.
Help beyond Zurich
If the next step is Geneva, Germany or Austria, your executive can ask colleagues in our collective of 800+ who have worked there.
A changeover we run
Should your executive leave before the Zurich office can stand alone, our market notes feed the next search and we manage the changeover.
Matched for Swiss buyers
We match for people who can win a careful Swiss buyer. Overselling here closes doors that do not reopen.
Market entry works in phases, not a single launch
From pre-entry setup to an established business, with the scope adjusting as you go.
Pre-entry: setup and strategy
Entity structure recommendation, regulatory navigation, early relationship building, and market intelligence gathering, before you arrive.
Landing: first 90 days
Commercial engagement begins. Operational infrastructure established. Team building starts. Financial and compliance framework is operational.
Traction: months 3–12
Commercial pipeline develops. Operational model proves out. Team grows. Leadership needs evolve and scope adjusts.
Establishment: months 12–24
Business is established. Revenue is evidence-based. Specific functions may transition to full-time hires. We advise on when and how.
The market-entry leadership stack
Most entries need more than one function led at once. Start with the one under most pressure, then add others as you establish.
Market entry needs leadership across commercial, finance, operations and people
Start with the function under the most pressure, then add others as the entry matures.
Our executives bring market-entry experience from
