Joint services ｜ São Paulo
From the first market-entry decision to a Brazilian business that runs sustainably
On the day the company is registered, many assume the hardest step is behind them. In practice, the difficult part is just beginning.
After three rounds of meetings, a Brazilian colleague smiles and says deixa comigo (leave it with me). Three months later nothing has moved: what you thought was settled had never started.
One task, three owners, and when something goes wrong, no one takes responsibility.
An employee is dismissed during the probation period, and the next document to arrive is a labor lawsuit.
At month-end close, local invoices do not match the headquarters system; finance fills in spreadsheets by hand, and the error runs for half a year.
An expatriate executive wants to go home after three months: no school place for the children, the spouse’s visa stuck in process.
None of this appears in a management report. Yet it happens every day, slowly consuming your time, your margins and the best people you sent.
Taking root in Brazil comes down to three things:
Few firms can do all three at once. That is why our two companies joined forces, with one agreement and one project lead accountable to you.
Interviews across levels and departments to understand headquarters’ goals and requirements.
Which process, and which step, is causing the problem.
We compare your situation with the market, regulation and proven international management practice.
A plan built for each company, implemented in phases.
Each service can be contracted on its own or combined into an integrated plan, with one dedicated project lead from start to finish.
Remote research cannot show the real state of the market, the organization and its systems
Assessment of the target market and local business culture, organizational structure and governance, and whether current processes and technology platforms can support operations abroad; delivery of a phased roadmap
Reopened decisions, unclear responsibilities, rework and delays often have cultural friction at their root
Structured 20-question survey answered in Chinese, Portuguese or English; 21-day response window; a report management can act on, delivered within 7 days
Without seeing the site, it is hard to judge whether a plant or branch is viable
Visits to industrial parks and potential sites; meetings with industry associations, research institutions and investment promotion agencies; itinerary, interpreting, meetings and cultural briefing in one package, with a written report afterwards
Teams arrive with home-country work habits, and misunderstandings in the first months are the most costly
Three steps before departure: the Brazil, Decoded cultural guide, online thematic courses in Chinese and Survival Portuguese basics; available for whole groups
Registration, licenses and approvals move on several fronts with no one coordinating
Legal, tax and administrative coordination, with the legal basis and timeline explained at each step
Choosing the wrong plant site or office can double costs later
Site selection based on logistics, labor supply, tax environment and licensing requirements; commercial and residential real estate across São Paulo State; technical support for construction, fit-out, installation and security
Arriving in São Paulo, everything starts from zero
Housing, school enrollment, insurance, healthcare and a support network, handled by one coordinator; allocation of technical teams: group housing, small-group Survival Portuguese and safety guidance
Disconnected systems between subsidiary and headquarters are where information silos begin
ERP / CRM implementation, enterprise architecture, data migration and integration, connected to headquarters platforms from day one
Hiring is manageable; retaining people is the harder part
Onboarding programs for new Brazilian employees and coaching guidance for managers from headquarters
Brazil taxes at three levels of government, and old and new rules run in parallel during the tax reform transition
Tax process transformation and tax reform readiness, SAP / Oracle localization, NF-e and tax system integration, local regulatory and business-environment support
Employee handbooks, performance and overtime policies copied from the home country easily lead to labor disputes
HR policies adapted to Brazilian labor law and local work culture; two-way intercultural training for headquarters managers and Brazilian employees; organizational communication workshops and advisory
The system goes live and the organization falls behind
SAP, Oracle, Salesforce and ERP / CRM transformation, systems integration, data and analytics, process redesign and application management (AMS), with cultural and organizational alignment in parallel
Interest in AI without a clear starting point
AI opportunity assessment, process automation and enterprise AI, governed agentic solutions integrated with existing business systems, with organizational readiness and adoption support
In M&A, the greatest risk lies in integration after signing
Target identification, technical and operational due diligence, cultural due diligence and negotiation support, integration planning and post-merger transformation
Hiring local executives is hard; retaining technical talent is harder still
Executive and technology recruitment, specialized professionals and project teams, PMO and professional allocation
Without the language, there is always a barrier at the negotiating table
Survival Portuguese (10 hours) and Business Portuguese (30–40 hours); tailored courses for families, executives and teams
Finding the way into local research, business and government networks is difficult
Partnerships with companies, universities and research institutions, hosting of delegations, support for negotiations and agreement drafting; brand localization and cultural communication; free monthly newsletter in Chinese on Brazilian policy and culture
The most common problem for international companies in Brazil is a local team and a headquarters working in parallel: when the local team takes root, headquarters loses confidence; when headquarters manages every detail, the local team cannot move. We work with both sides.
You work with one agreement and one project lead.
Behind them are two São Paulo-based firms. MATRIX builds the business and keeps it running, with clients such as Nestlé, ExxonMobil, GE, Roche and Bayer. LIVE & LEARN BRAZIL builds the local foundation, with consultants from law, real estate, administration, organizational culture and language education. Specialized technology for payments, marketing and AI comes from partner companies when needed, assessed project by project.
Start with a conversation. Tell us where your company stands and what headquarters requires; we reply with the scope, timeline and an overall quote, in English, Portuguese or Chinese, within two business days.
We cover the entire State of São Paulo: São Paulo city, the ABC region, Campinas, São José dos Campos, Sorocaba and the industrial interior.
