Sarasota Immigrant and Senior Sales Associate John Gough with Waugh & Co. Inc, Business Brokers Calls on Long and Successful Career in International Business
John Gough
It doesn’t take long, upon meeting Sarasota immigrant and experienced sales associate John Gough (pronounced like “cough”), to realize that underneath his unassuming British modesty is an honest and intelligent man with an impressive career in international business behind him. Mr. Gough worked for 40 years in the reinsurance market of the prestigious Lloyds of London as a broker and underwriting member. When he retired he decided to move to Florida, “because of the weather.” In addition there was the extremely reasonable cost of living and the fact that Mr. Gough is married to an American, a big advantage when it comes to navigating the US immigration system.
That’s not to say that foreigners with non-American spouses can’t successfully relocate to the US. They most definitely can, and Mr. Gough is here to help.
Mr. Gough negotiates the sale and purchase of the assets of businesses. Because of his background he specializes in helping UK buyers find a new life in Florida. A UK citizen, with the money made from selling their house and/or business, can usually afford a modest house AND a business in the US. Buying a business is the key, not only to a steady income in a new country, but also to the ability to stay in the US long-term. Buying a business in the US can allow immigrants to obtain investor visas such as the E-2 and EB-5.
Mr. Gough reports, anecdotally, that the majority of foreigners looking to buy a business in Florida are British. The biggest difference, he says, between foreign buyers and American buyers is that foreign buyers are more committed and often come with cash. The British tend to buy businesses in the $100-$500K price range that are relatively simple to manage such as franchises, cleaning services, landscaping, and pool service companies.
Usually, a foreign buyer finds a business in Florida through a listing service. The buyer contacts Mr. Gough for more information and an initial conversation ensues over the phone and/or via email. Next, the buyer visits Florida to look at the business. At this point Mr. Gough has the buyer sign a non-disclosure agreement – confidentiality is very important in brokering the sale of a business. Mr. Gough then looks into the buyer’s background and takes them to meet with the seller of the business(es) that most suit the buyer’s needs. Once the buyer makes an offer the money is put in escrow while the buyer receives in-depth financial information about the business and performs the due diligence. When both parties close the money is released to the seller.
Mr. Gough has brokered many successful sales in this manner over the years.
One of the stories Mr. Gough often tells is of the time he was contacted by Sky TV. The British channel was producing a program that followed a UK couple through the process of buying a business in Florida. Sky TV wanted to show a business that Mr. Gough had listed; a kayaking business. So Mr. Gough took everyone out kayaking on Sarasota Bay, TV crew and all. Another young couple who saw the program contacted Mr. Gough, purchased the business, and have been running it successfully ever since.
Mr. Gough’s most important piece of advice for would-be business owners and sellers is keep good books.
Mr. Gough can be contacted via his cell phone: 941-685-1516 or email: jrgough@aol.com or through his company’s website: http://www.waughandcompany.com/. When you talk to him be sure to ask him about his adventures setting up the Chinese reinsurance industry in 1975.
Teresa Witte, Sarasota Immigrant from Brazil, Exemplifies the Qualities that Immigrants Bring to Our Community
Sarasota Immigrant from Brazil, Teresa Witte
Immigrating from Brazil to Sarasota through many twists and turns, Teresa Witte is now a dedicated Realtor after working for developers for the past 20 years. What’s more she is on the cusp of obtaining a new degree!
Teresa was born in Sao Paulo and raised between there and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She worked for the Holland-based KLM Airline where she began to learn English. Wanting more and realizing that improving her English would greatly enhance her ability to advance into management, she decided to spend some time studying English in the United States. She moved to Miami where she was taking classes in English when she met her husband-to-be.
Mr. Witte is an architect and suggested that Teresa go into real estate. With her ability to act as a bridge between Brazil and the US through her language skills and her naturally vivacious personality, it seemed like a good fit.
It turned out to be an excellent fit. Teresa excelled at being a real estate agent, specializing in helping Brazilians acquire property in Florida. She started in 1996, work for The Point of Aventura, Aventura Florida, with her main focus on promoting luxury condos for Brazilians. This was before mobile devices like smartphones and tablets were so ubiquitous. One story that is illustrative of her work ethic recounts the time she flew to Brazil on a moment’s notice in order to close a deal with 1 client. Without access to a computer she had to write out the contract by hand. She returned home with a signed handwritten contract, triumphant.
Teresa understands that true advancement in the US comes through education. She had obtained a degree in Journalism in Brazil and, as her career solidified, she began taking journalism courses at FAU in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree.
Teresa was 2 credits away from obtaining her degree when the real estate market crashed. Unfortunately the developer she was working for went bankrupt and she, along with all the other employees, was let go. Things turned even worse when her husband, an architect, lost his job as well.
Never out of work because of her bilingual and intercultural skills, Teresa found an opportunity with a builder on the West Coast of Florida. Although she and her husband had a house on the East Coast she took the job and shuttled back and forth for a year. Eventually the family reunited on the West Coast and her husband found a new job.
Today Teresa is a dual Brazilian-American citizen, having obtained her citizenship over 12 years ago, and works for Platinum Realty, a franchise of Re-max, as the Manager of the Global New Homes Sales Division. She still specializes in assisting international buyers find the right property in Florida. This year Remax Platinum is planning to attend 3 international trade shows; 2 in Brazil and 1 in Germany.
Teresa enjoys working with Brazilians because she understands their business-oriented focus and can-do attitude. She knows that Brazilians are always interested in improving their station in life through education and hard work. The words she uses to describe Brazilians are: entrepreneurial, singular, focused, outstanding, and determined.
She might as well be speaking about herself. With her family reunited in Sarasota and renewed success at work Teresa returned to school. She plans on graduating this summer with a new Bachelor’s degree. We wish her all the best.
Jaensch Immigration Law Firm Adds Fingerprinting Service to Increase Client Convenience
In our ongoing effort to better serve our clients Jaensch Immigration Law Firm recently acquired Fingerprint Equipment. This will allow clients to have their fingerprints taken conveniently and privately without having to travel to another location.
Clients may need to have fingerprints taken for any number of reasons. For those who may have criminal records, getting fingerprints is recommended in order to obtain their law enforcement record. Those who may have entered without inspection should also get their fingerprints taken so that the details of their immigration history are known to them, and so that an immigration attorney can review their history with them, to help determine eligibility for potential benefits.
Getting fingerprints is most important for those who wish to begin preparing a case for the potential path to legalization. Anyone who wishes to apply for legalization should know their full record with law enforcement, including from outside Sarasota County, before they apply.
We will be taking fingerprints in our annex, conveniently located across the parking lot. We will submit the fingerprints to the FBI. Clients do not have to use their personal address, we can use ours. It takes 4-5 months to get the report back.
We hope that this new equipment becomes a useful and convenient way for any client who needs their fingerprints taken to do so quickly and privately.
Ever wonder how to make your workout quicker and more efficient? Sarasota immigrant and investor, Hugh Elsam, used to wonder the same thing. One day, the Canadian businessman visited a 20 Minutes to Fitness studio. The quick and effective workout made Mr. Elsam think there might be more demand for the slow-cadence fitness routine, especially in the Sarasota area. He found it made sense to start a new 20 Minutes to Fitness studio in downtown Sarasota.
Around the same time Mr. Elsam was contemplating a more permanent move to the Sarasota area. He discovered that he could use the investment in the new fitness franchise to qualify for a US investor visa.
Thus a new immigrant-owned business venture in Sarasota was launched. Hugh hired 4 physical trainers and soon the studio was seeing 24-40 clients a day!
The studio recently moved to 1819 Main Street, Suite 110. This is the building across Links Ave from the Oyster House. Since we often share stories about immigrants and immigrant-owned businesses we thought we’d let our readers know more about this one. We made an appointment for a free consultation to see how this intriguing fitness philosophy works. You can see the video of our interview with general manager Michele below.
One could say that the United States has no food of its own, only the foods that immigrants bring with them when they come here. Upon arrival, these recipes and traditions undergo a process of experimentation and combination with what they find in this country. This leads to the many culinary choices we have today. It also sometimes decreases the authenticity of the food. We don’t get to taste the REAL DEAL because all the variations cloud over the original.
Giuseppe Prestia has set out to dispel those clouds when it comes to Sicilian food. His Supernova Cafe will be opening soon on Main St. and will serve authentic and healthy Sicilian food.
Mr. Prestia took a very interesting path to where he is today. He first came to the United States in 1993 as a member of a Sicilian Folk Dance group and performed at Disney’s Epcot Center and in Tampa. The experience led him to resolve to move permanently to the United States. He spent a year in Italy saving the money to make the move and then, as promised, returned to the United States.
For a few months he moved around Florida, picking up jobs at Italian restaurants and looking for the right place to settle down. He was a plumber by trade and he always kept the goal of starting his own plumbing business in mind. Eventually he found Sarasota and decided this was the place to start his plumbing business.
In order to get his state license Mr. Prestia had to work for another plumbing company for four years. This he did, and as soon as he could get his license, Prestia Plubing was incorporated. That was in 2001.
Giuseppe Prestia in the Prestia Plumbing Van
As Mr. Prestia’s plumbing business grew he found himself on the road a lot and he noticed that it was hard to get a quick meal that was also healthy. In addition to having a plumbing business, owning a restaurant had also been a dream of his. He had spent time in the kitchens of Italian restaurants and knew how they were run. In addition, his family owns a bakery chain in Sicily. He found that there was demand for quick, healthy meals and decided to capitalize on his ideas and experience. Together with his father he decided to open an authentic Sicilian bakery and cafe on Main St.
Supernova Cafe is scheduled to open in November. Mr. Prestia plans for it to be open for lunch and dinner. It will serve traditional Italian meals and it will introduce the “Tavola Calda”. This is an authentic Sicilian bread stuffed with almost anything the customer could want. If you are a vegetarian you are going to love Supernova’s many vegetarian choices. If you work downtown and are always looking for a place to get a quick meal that is also healthy, Supernova Cafe will be the place to go.
Mr. Prestia also plans on catering and delivering his authentic Sicilian creations all over the Sarasota-Bradenton area. In fact, he bought a classic white 1962 Vespa just for that purpose.
Supernova Cafe Logo
So far Mr. Prestia has been able to fulfill all his dreams here in the United States. He plans on continuing to manage both businesses until he retires. We wish him great success!
Look out for the white Vespa with the Supernova logo driving around town or visit the Supernova Cafe at 1900 Main St. Ask for Giuseppe Prestia and see if he will show you some of his moves from his folk dancing days!
“Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920-1945,” Art Exhibit, Ringling Museum, Sarasota (Also on Sunday)
10:00 AM – John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota – (941) 359-5700 Selected by Dr Kendall Brown, the nearly 200 works shown here highlight the Levenson collection — the world’s premier collection of Japanese art in the Deco style. These pieces include spectacular examples of metalwork, ceramics, lacquer, glass, wood furniture, jewelry, textiles, graphic design on paper, painting and woodblock prints; they range from fine art objects made to impress the public at national art exhibitions to goods mass produced for the modern home. The exhibition combines a dynamic range of compelling objects with fresh scholarly perspective to pull viewers into this rich period in world history and visual culture.
22nd Annual Sarasota Blues and Music Festival
11:00 AM – Ed Smith Stadium Complex, 2700 12th ST., Sarasota – (863) 559-4405
This year’s festival at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota will feature an unprecedented gathering of blues artists, including headliner and two-time Grammy Award winner Delbert McClinton and supporting acts Royal Southern Brotherhood, Ana Popovic, Curtis Salgado, Paul Thorn and prodigy act Pett Crow. The entire day’s lineup of national acts is bigger than ever before and strikes a chord with its blues roots while offering festival attendees a taste of country, rock and top 40. This year’s festival will offer VIP ticket buyers food and beverage service, upgraded beer and wine and a separate restroom area, all of which will be in close proximity to the artists on stage.
Geiers Oktoberfest “30th Annual”
11:00 AM Geiers Sausage Kitchen, 7447 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota – (941) 923-3004
Geier’s Sausage Kitchen is a unique German meat market, deli, and now online German food store located in Sarasota, Florida. We have reached the amazing milestone of over 25 years in business. We pride ourselves in specializing in using all natural, gourmet ingredients in our products.
L. David Marquet – Turn The Ship Around! Discussion/Signing
1:00 PM – Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 4010 S. Tamami Trail, Sarasota – (941) 587-1106
Come to Barnes & Noble for L. David Marquet signing and discussion of his Book – Turn The Ship Around! Everyone can benefit from his leadership approach developed aboard the USS Santa Fe.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
“Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920-1945,” Art Exhibit, Ringling Museum, Sarasota
10:00 AM John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota – (941) 359-5700 Selected by Dr Kendall Brown, the nearly 200 works shown here highlight the Levenson collection — the world’s premier collection of Japanese art in the Deco style. These pieces include spectacular examples of metalwork, ceramics, lacquer, glass, wood furniture, jewelry, textiles, graphic design on paper, painting and woodblock prints; they range from fine art objects made to impress the public at national art exhibitions to goods mass produced for the modern home. The exhibition combines a dynamic range of compelling objects with fresh scholarly perspective to pull viewers into this rich period in world history and visual culture.
A Night At The Copa
7:30 PM – Sarasota Opera House, 61 N Pineapple Ave., Sarasota – (941) 921-6651
As seen in the National Journal, more than 40 members of the US Olympic Team are foreign-born. For them the most difficult part of getting to the Olympics was becoming a US citizen. Read about some of these amazing athletes’ stories via the link provided.
Immigration Sarasota welcomes comments on sports immigration below.
Sarasota, FL – Abogados de Jaensch Immigration Law Firm recibieron con aprobación el anuncio reciente de la administración del Presidente Obama que inmigrantes jóvenes serán elegibles para solicitar “Acción Diferida” y la autorización de empleo. La política concederá a inmigrantes que son elegibles la oportunidad de vivir sin el miedo de ser deportado, y también les permitirá trabajar legalmente. Este anuncio lleva esperanza a inmigrantes y sus familias. Sin embargo, no es un arregló permanente, ni concede estatus legal permanente a ninguna persona.
Para ser elegible, un individuo tendrá que demonstrar que:
vino a los Estados Unidos siendo menor de dieciséis años de edad;
ha residido ininterrumpidamente en los Estados Unidos durante al menos cinco años antes de la fecha de este memorándum y está presente en los Estados Unidos en la fecha de este memorándum;
está asistiendo actualmente a la escuela, se ha graduado de la enseñanza secundaria, ha obtenido un certificado de desarrollo de educación general, o es un veterano que ha sido dado de alta con honores de los Guardacostas o las Fuerzas Armadas de los Estados Unidos;
no ha sido condenado por un delito mayor, un delito menor significativo, múltiples delitos menores ni representa una amenaza para la seguridad nacional o la seguridad pública;
no es mayor de treinta años de edad.
La acción diferida será disponible a individuos con casos en Corte de Inmigración, y también a individuos que solicitan el beneficio directamente con el Departamento de Inmigración.
La administración aun no está aceptando solicitudes para esta acción. En un plazo de sesenta días – en agosto – se espera que la administración de consejo e información sobre el proceso de solicitud para acción diferida y la autorización de empleo.
Si Usted no está en proceso de repatriación, NO solicite acción diferida en este momento. ¡Ojo con el fraude! Desafortunadamente, esta política puede abrir la puerta al fraude y decepción por “notarios.” En los Estados Unidos, los notarios no tienen la educación legal ni pueden actuar como abogado. Cualquier persona que dice que ya tiene la solicitud por acción diferida o que le pide honorarios para llenar una solicitud lo quiere estafar. El proceso para solicitar este beneficio no comienza hasta que sea anunciado por el gobierno federal. Su caso puede ser retrasado por causa de un notario, resultando en castigos, hasta deportación.
“¡Ten cuidado! No se ponga en peligro de ser descalificado por esta acción,” dijo Victoria Jeansch, una de los abogados de Jaensch Immigration Law Firm. “Asegúrase de que Usted hable con un abogado autorizado quien puede ayudarle con la solicitud y garantizar que Usted tiene la mejor posibilidad de beneficiarse de esta acción.”
Para más información, póngase en contacto con Jaensch Immigration Law Firm (941) 366-9841. Para más información sobre el anuncio, visite a www.aila.org/dream. También puede visitar www.ailalawyer.com para encontrar un abogado autorizado en su área.
A representative from Jaensch Immigration Law Firm will be speaking at the event as well as many other local immigration experts. Tonight from 7-8pm at 1750 17th St.
Local Hispanic Community Organizer, UnidosNow, Advises Potential Deferred Action Applicants to Begin Collecting Student Records Immediately
In lieu of the June 15, 2012 immigration policy, parents and students who need student records will need to complete a “Student Record Request” (mark transcript and attendance-item 2). If your child is currently a student of a Sarasota County public school you may mail, fax or deliver the mentioned form to the 2012-2013 school. Elementary schools will not have the information for high school students. The cumulative file of each student “moves” with the student from school to school.
If you are a student who graduated from a Sarasota County School, please complete the “Student Record Request” , mark transcript, graduation verification and attendance as the records you are requesting. Mail, fax or deliver the form to the School Board of Sarasota County “Record Retention Center” at Osprey. The contact information is included in the form.
You may also access the student records request online here. Only high schools and the Record Retention Center might be opened in July from Monday through Thursday. All Sarasota School Board facilities are closed on Fridays during the summer months. There might be numerous requests for these documents and schools will be very busy in August with the new school year. I encourage you to process this request during the month of July. The documents will be processed free of charge.
Other documents for favorable use of discretion:
College acceptance letters
Scholarships/awards won
Volunteer work, extracurricular activities and sports
Letters of support from teachers, employers, friends, etc
Local Sarasota Immigrant Jay Kurtz is a Business Wargamer
Jay Kurtz is a friend of ours – he and his wife are both immigrants – and a business wargamer. Business wargamer? – you may ask.
We all remember the traditional wargames with the big boards and the miniature soldiers. It so happens that the game of chess derives from an ancient wargame. Interestingly, the Germans held a wargame in 1944 which predicted the Allied landing at Normandy. It was ignored … largely because of the fake Allied army “commanded” by General Patton that tricked the Germans into thinking the Allies would land at Calais.
The American victory in the Pacific during World War II was due largely to every move being planned and tested beforehand in the gaming rooms of the Naval War College. Today, we play Risk or enjoy other strategy games on our computers
Today, businesses use wargames the same way the military does. A Business Wargame is a structured, disciplined, yet flexible process that can be used to help an organization to develop and test much more effective plans to succeed in the “future reality” that it will face. A Business Wargame can be conducted to simulate any level of an organization’s planning and operations, from grand strategy, through the strategic and operational levels, to front-line tactics.
In a Business Wargame, several teams are formed to represent and role-play the different entities that will affect the organization’s future. Depending on the situation being wargamed, these might include, for example, investors, the organization’s markets and customers, its employees, suppliers, channels, competitors, governments and regulators. Each team is assigned to “get into” the mindset of the entity it represents and to play its role as realistically as possible … seeing the world, making decisions and taking actions the way it would do in real-life.
Most Business Wargames require two or three days to conduct and involve several “playing rounds”. Doing so ensures that short term decisions and actions that might win the battle but lose the war are clearly identified.
A well prepared and conducted Business Wargame is an especially effective way to convert data and information into actionable intelligence that can be used to generate much more effective plans.
A Business Wargame usually involves the use of some very powerful maps and other tools. Depending on the situation and level of the Wargame, these might include any of Stakeholder Map, Market and Competitive Map, Silver Bullet Analysis, Decision/Selection Map and Probability/Impact Grid.
The process and its supporting tools have been used very successfully in a broad range of situations, for example:
Planning a move into a new market or the launch of a new product
Anticipating when and how a new competitor will move
Assessing a proposed merger, alliance or strategic partnership
Preparing to submit a bid for a large competitive contract
Dealing with conflicts among owners, management, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders
Testing contingency plans to deal with a variety of potential trends or events
Mr. Kurtz recently returned from a conference in Switzerland conducted by the International Institute for Management Development, where he introduced Business Wargaming to 42 executives representing 30 companies and 25 different countries. He spoke to them about how Business Wargaming has been used by a wide variety of organizations … global giants, medium-sized companies, smaller, entrepreneurial ventures as well as several governments.
Jay Kurtz Speaking
Jay Kurtz Speaking at IMC
If you are interested in learning more about Business Wargaming, you can contact Mr. Kurtz to obtain a copy of a list of articles, white papers and other documents he has written. These are all available on a “professional courtesy” basis. You can reach him at: JayKurtz@businesswarriorsinc.com
Jaensch Immigration Law Firm in Sarasota specializes in guiding artists through the immigration process for living and working in the United States. If you are an artist interested in immigrating to the United States, you can start by reading these summary guidelines. Contact us if you need more information or for a consultation.
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