Business in Russia. Guidelines for starting a business in the regions.
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Departure to another country for the majority of Russian residents begins with a long operation to obtain all required permits, visa The exception is the countries of the post-Soviet space, which are of little interest to tourists and people in general. Therefore, if you want to relax or just visit another country, you must go through a tedious, long and ruinous procedure of interviews at embassies, collecting documents, waiting for a decision, etc. Recently, however, companies have appeared that offer their client to resolve all issues regarding obtaining a visa, that is, to fully process and submit documents. Such companies are called visa centers, and they can work in different formats. Such an undertaking is quite promising, so it should definitely be considered as an opportunity to open your own business, especially given the growing desire of Russians to leave their precious homeland, at least for a while.

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An interesting feature of this business is that it is more relevant in not too big cities (but not towns or villages, of course), because in megacities there are often embassies where a person has the opportunity to apply on his own, and he will go to the visa center only for obtaining advice or assistance in paperwork, and the transfer of documents will not be for him main goal. However, even in some cities with more than one million inhabitants there are no embassies or representative offices of almost any country, and a person who decides to travel abroad is forced to contact the embassy in Moscow or another locality. Sometimes the nearest embassy is located not in one thousand kilometers. There is no way to go there, so a person comes to the visa center, which independently transfers documents (and, we recall, they can almost never be transferred to in electronic format, originals only).

The visa center is a simple intermediary, an outsourcer to some extent, but it does not make any decisions in any way, does not issue permits, and in general, in fact, cannot guarantee the successful result of its activities. At present, the market is not yet oversaturated with supply, and considering that even in a relatively small towns people tend to go abroad, such a business can be relevant almost everywhere. But especially in wealthy regions where people can afford vacations in other countries.

Assessing the market, one can understand that travel agencies will be a significant competitor, because they offer visas to clients according to the profile of their work. However, travel agencies can be both competitors and consumers, because not every such company is willing to deal with this issue. And not only desire, but also opportunity. As it was said at the beginning - the visa center is also outsourcing company, so it is easier for a travel agency to order visas through specialized service, rather than working in this direction on their own, so if you establish cooperation with travel companies, you can receive a sufficient volume of orders without even conducting a full-scale campaign to attract customers.

As for other visa centers (potential competitors), here you can safely work on the same territory without interfering with each other. The fact is that a general visa center is opened quite rarely, because it is more expedient to open a company that specializes in issuing visas to a certain country or at least one region (Europe, the Caribbean archipelago, etc.). In this case, you can concentrate on working only with a certain embassy, ​​build relationships, and build your own scheme of work. It is quite difficult to cover all countries at once, each state has its own conditions for entry. Therefore, if visa centers operate in the region, for example, China, France and Spain, then you can open your own to help you fly to Germany or the USA. By the way, you also need to choose a country very carefully, because the easiest way to get to many countries is only on a tourist package (which is why it is so important to cooperate with travel agencies), in some it is almost impossible if there are no special conditions (such as sick relatives or a business trip) . For example, visiting the United States simply at will is much more difficult than the same Germany, and you need to know this.

To get started, you need to register as a subject entrepreneurial activity. Since the activity will be intermediary, no licenses or special permits will be required. However, there are some global companies (for example, VFS), cooperation with which can greatly help in the work, but at the same time, the partner can put forward his own requirements for the company that decided to enter into cooperation. From a legal point of view, you can even register as individual entrepreneur if there is a need for registration legal entity, then the preferred form is a society with limited liability. This will make it possible to take advantage of a simplified taxation system, which involves deductions to the state of no more than 6% of income or 15% of operating profit. The activity falls under the definition (OKPD 2) 96.09 Other personal services, not included in other groups. I must say that in such a business, not even some special permits and licenses are important, but the ability to find the right connections and negotiate with people, to have experience in negotiating. By the way, many visa centers approach their work precisely as an intermediary, that is, they in no way seek to develop service and advisory services. And this may be to the advantage of a more progressive entrepreneur.

The next step is to find a place to work. And here it is already necessary to determine exactly the format of your work. Some visa centers open as a small office with two employees who, smiling, collect documents and mail them to the embassy. Everything. The client pays, in fact, only for checking and filling out documents. It is clear that not every country is ready to accept as a guest a person who sent them documents by mail, in many cases an interview is conducted with those who want to obtain a license (and the visa center is practically powerless and becomes unnecessary). That is, such small visa centers work for a small fee and can only help when flying to a country with a simple visa regime.

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But a full-fledged visa center, which operates in full, should have a fairly spacious room. Firstly, employees will work here who constantly check information, contact representative offices and embassies, work with a database, in general work this may be enough if there is a desire to offer customers a full-fledged service with support for the site and phone calls. And secondly, a good visa center has its own call center. However, this service can be outsourced, but is there any certainty that an employee of the outsourcing company will be able to promptly and, most importantly, competently advise the client on such a complex issue? Only professionals who have been working in the field of issuing visas for more than one year should answer here. If the operator of the outsourcing call center makes a mistake, the outsourcer will not lose anything, but the visa center can quickly lose a good reputation. Therefore, it is worth thinking about opening your own call center, although with several operators. For small visa centers, especially those operating in not too big cities, this is not necessary.

Thus, a sufficiently large premises (several hundred square meters) is needed, and the office should be located, if possible, in the central and business districts of the city. This will help attract customers, not to mention the fact that it will be more convenient for them to cooperate with a company that is not located on the outskirts of the city. The cost of renting the premises will obviously be quite high, because the office must be representative and in good location. Exact figure difficult to name, because it varies greatly depending on the city.

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Considerable funds should be allocated for the equipment of their premises. This includes not only office furniture and appliances, but also the organization of a call center and a monitoring system, and this is the installation and commissioning of complex systems, the maintenance of which also cannot be called a cheap pleasure. Among the tips for opening a visa center, you can find amounts of about 60 thousand rubles “for everything”, but for that kind of money you can just hire only two people who work at computers and in no way contact common system. It will be essentially a consulting office, helping with the design, but nothing more. If the entrepreneur is sure that this will be enough for his clients, then such a system can be dispensed with. However, the amount of opening a full-fledged visa center exceeds one million rubles, and in especially advanced cases, even tens of millions.

Of course, not every entrepreneur can find that kind of money for business, and here you need to turn to investors (fortunately, the project is promising), to banks, to business angels. Still, it’s not worth saving, because in this case it will not be possible to attract enough customers, and travel agencies will prefer to turn to competitors or even work independently. After all, information systems and call centers are needed for interaction. You also need to take into account the time for preparation, because not every office is designed for such capacities, and for some time it will be necessary to carry out adjustment and configuration.

Now for the most important this business- about attracting customers. It would seem that the services of the visa center are always interesting potential consumers, however, before the client comes for help, the entrepreneur must put a lot of effort into this. As already noted, the most best option- cooperation with travel agencies. Large agencies, most likely, will not be interested in such cooperation, because they themselves have the opportunity to obtain visas for their consumers, and they have enough experience to do it quickly and efficiently. But start-up companies will gladly turn to an outsourcer. True, not every novice travel agent knows that there is such an opportunity, and it may seem inconvenient to him. However, cooperation can go in a format where the travel agent simply transfers the order to the visa center, and the client pays at the rates of the latter. Thus, the visa application center makes a profit, and the travel agent satisfied customer. Of course, the travel agency can add its own commission to the cost of services, but usually the customer of the tour already receives a visa service at a reduced cost, so this can scare him away. Here it is necessary to negotiate, to achieve optimal conditions for both companies, because it can be beneficial for both, but without calculations and the right approach, such cooperation will not lead to anything good. Further, with this question, everything is relatively clear.

We also need individuals who do not apply through a travel agency. Currently, a significant part of people who go abroad pass through travel agencies, a few go to other countries to relax spontaneously, only relying on themselves. But there are. There are even more of those who are forced to go abroad not for vacation, but for family, work or other reasons. Already at this stage, the entrepreneur must clearly understand the difference between a Schengen visa and a blaue Karte, for example. Here, each client has its own approach. Including at the stage of its attraction.

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The most desired client is the one who travels abroad for the first time. Or at least the one who always decided everything through a travel agency (or even through another visa center), and now he is faced with the need to figure out all the intricacies on his own. Because the trip is not tourist, and the visa center does not work in the right direction or is completely closed. The easiest way to attract such a client is just by advertising, while all known tricks can be used. The main thing is to indicate that his issue will be resolved by professionals and with maximum support. That this will save him from many difficulties and the need to go to another city.

Information is posted on the Internet, the visa center will almost certainly be required to have its own website with all the necessary information. It is desirable to optimize the site so that it can be found at all among hundreds of other offers. Also good option search for customers will be an appeal to companies that are looking for "warm" customers, that is, those who are already ready to use the service. Pleasure is expensive, but worth it. Those clients who can solve this issue themselves can be attracted precisely by high-quality service and the opportunity to increase their chances of obtaining a visa. However, we must not forget that the visa center cannot give any guarantee.

To work in the center will require to attract a lot of people. As already noted, the main work will be done by people who already have experience in obtaining visas. And they must be ready to travel. The work must be organized in such a way as to simultaneously send for a large number of visas to another city, otherwise the profitability of such a business drops sharply. Here, in general, optimization of the entire process is needed, a logistics approach (if anyone does not know, logistics is not only transport and warehouse operations). You will have to work with a lot of information, when there will be a lot of customers, the employee will have to be in almost two places at the same time. It is impossible to do without competent modern management. If an entrepreneur is not able to optimally set up the workflow, he needs to find a manager. Next, call center employees, people for administrative positions, assistants are recruited. Depending on the volume of work, the staff can be several dozen people. All business processes that are not related to the organization's profit should be outsourced.

Quite often, many are faced with the problem of difficult self-opening a visa. This occupation takes a lot of time, effort and, most unpleasantly, nerves. Often, travel agencies provide assistance in opening visas. However, there are specialized places that provide visa support. And they are called visa centers. Today we will talk about how to open this very visa center.

Before telling about the opening of this enterprise, it is necessary to find out what it is. This is necessary in order to more accurately understand the essence of this case, its subtleties and main aspects. Without a complete understanding of it, it makes no sense to even think about opening a case.

What is a visa center?

So, this enterprise is a commercial structure that provides assistance in opening visas for entry into a particular state. His income depends on the number of documents submitted for a visa. Contacting such centers is convenient for those who, for some reason, are unable to engage in independent visa processing. However, the greatest convenience in the visa center is for those in whose locality there is no corresponding consulate or embassy. The visa center collects documents for visas, and then he himself deals with their submission and obtaining ready-made passports. In simple terms, the visa center is an informal intermediary between the required embassy and the person who needs a visa. The representative of the visa center is engaged in the delivery of documents for applying for a visa, as well as its return to the client.

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The main aspects of opening a visa application center

To open your visa center, you do not need to apply to the consulate of the required state for permission. This is an intermediary activity. It is designed as a commercial structure.

There are two to choose from legal forms: IP or LLC. A license for this type of activity is not required.

Would need:

• staff;
• office space (preferably in the city center);
• if possible, courier delivery;
• start-up capital (estimated at about 60 thousand Russian rubles).

In addition, it is necessary to carefully consider the logistics policy. Particular attention should be paid to a thorough study of the procedure for filling out a visa application form, which is to be dealt with. A mistake in this case will cost reputation.

In addition, you will need to open your own call center (with a special short number), which will be able to receive calls online. Having your own website where you can go through online registration, find Required documents, - this is crucial moment for this business.

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Profitability of the enterprise

This type of business involves a fairly high income in the first months. Its location is of great importance here. It should not be easier for a client to travel to the nearest major city than to seek support from the center. Thus, the relevance of the enterprise should be carefully analyzed.

To increase profitability, you can sell tickets for trains and planes. A good solution would be to introduce an additional paid service on filling out the questionnaire, as well as on an urgent photo. In addition - copy services. In reality, in one place you can collect a full range of services that are necessary to open a visa.

Summarizing all of the above, we can say with confidence that the opening of a visa center is quite profitable and good business. This niche is practically free, especially in small towns. It is worth trying to make money on this, since the enterprise does not carry huge risks, and something extraordinary will not be required for its execution. You can try your luck.

A visa is a unique product that has no quality indicators. Its value is formed due to the level of service and customer loyalty. Opening your own visa center, in terms of investment, is not difficult. This requires no more than $ 10 thousand. More important when opening a business will be the size of the city, remoteness from the capital and the level of competition in the region ...

People will always use these services. There are reasons for that. The main reason is that many people (especially those who travel abroad for the first time) do not know the basic issues of obtaining a visa: how to fill out an application in a foreign language, what list of documents, where the consulate is located, etc. In addition, speed is important for people obtaining a visa, and most of them are aware that it will take much longer to process it on their own. Finally, not all cities have official representations foreign countries(consulates), which just deal with the issuance of visas. To be precise, such consulates are open only in largest cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. Therefore, it will be very problematic for a person living, for example, in Omsk, to collect documents and go to Moscow on his own. Therefore, the ideal option is to contact an intermediary.

The visa market is still far from being saturated. Although it will not be easy for a beginner to unwind. Visas are issued not only by specialized centers, but also by the same travel agencies. True, not all. Only large agencies can afford to keep a staff member specializing in visas. Most small travel agencies prefer to apply for assistance to the same visa centers, i.е. work on outsourcing.

Why is it more profitable for people to apply to the visa center than to obtain a visa in other ways? The main reasons: getting a visa in a short time, the professional qualifications of the workers and the friendliness of the staff.

Organizational moments

The first thing to start with opening a business is to choose a favorable office location. The premises of the future center should be located as close as possible to the central part of the city, so that it would be easier for customers to find the organization. The presence of stops and metro stations is of great importance.

The size of the premises will depend on the format of the organization's activities. If the center will be engaged only in receiving, checking and sending documents by mail, then a small office for two workplaces will suffice for these purposes. A more serious format of work requires the opening of a full-fledged visa center, with several departments. In addition to the usual verification of documents, they provide advice on obtaining visas to different countries (and each country has its own specifics of entry), work with the database, and conduct legal verification of documents. Large organizations even have their own call centers.

Many difficulties can arise at the stage of recruitment. For successful work good specialists will be required, of which there are not so many. Basic requirements for candidates: literacy, sociability and knowledge of English language. The only good news is that it is not necessary to look for workers with experience. You can accept people who have just graduated from high school. All the basics of work can be taught to a person during a trial period.

Register visa centers as a limited liability company or as an individual business. The most suitable OKVED: 63.3 "Activities of travel agencies." The most optimal taxation system is the simplified tax system. In this case, the organization pays a tax of 6% of the revenue or 15% of the company's profit (optional).

Not a single visa application center can do without advertising its services. Otherwise, the first customers will have to wait a very long time, and salaries and rent will be accrued from the first days. Arrangements must be made in advance advertising banners in passable and well-visible places. A significant flow of customers can provide cooperation with travel agencies. AT without fail the company should be declared on the Internet. Today it is difficult to imagine a normal company without its own website. This will not only speak of some solidity of the organization, but will also contribute to the influx of customers through search engines. To create and promote the site, you will need to invest at least 60,000 rubles.

Approximate investment for the opening of the visa center is 390,000 rubles:

• Deposit for renting a room for 2 months. - 40 000 rubles.
• Cosmetic repairs of the premises - 80,000 rubles.
• Purchase of furniture and office equipment - 200,000 rubles.
• Creation and promotion of the site - 60,000 rubles.
• Advertising expenses - 40,000 rubles.
• Business registration and other costs - 50,000 rubles.
• Reserve fund - 100,000 rubles.

How much do Visa Application Centers earn?

The price of the visa processing service depends on the country where the tourist is going to go. To date, the United States is considered the most expensive country. Only one consular fee costs 160 dollars. In second place is Australia. The consular fee to this country will cost a tourist $125. In third place is the United Kingdom, with $112. The cheapest way to get a visa to such countries as: Egypt, Turkey, China and Israel.

A tourist visa to Germany will cost the client from 6,500 to 12,000 rubles. depending on the urgency of registration (4-5 days or 7-12 days). And how much does the visa center earn from this amount? In most cases, when applying for a visa on your own, the tourist pays only the consular fee. In the same Germany, it costs 35 euros, which, translated into today's exchange rate, is about 2,500 rubles. By simple calculations, you can understand that from one client who wants to fly to Germany, the visa center earns from 4,000 to 9,500 rubles.

Visa Application Center Franchise

For start-up entrepreneurs, such an option as opening a visa center under a franchise agreement may be suitable. But this option has its drawbacks: you will have to pay additional funds for using the brand, and be constantly dependent on the main center. Yes, and joining the network costs a lot of money: from 300 to 700 thousand rubles, depending on the franchise format (full or standard package). So much, for example, requires the company Visa Travel - federal network visa centers, developing its own network of franchising.

Franchise from Visa Travel

But the benefits of franchising are still greater. One of the main ones is investment security. Still, the probability of failing when opening under the wing of a well-known company is no more than 10%. While on my own open firms go bankrupt in 90% of cases, without having worked even a year. There are many reasons for this: ignorance of the market, lack of experience, improper planning, etc.

The franchisor will provide everything necessary for successful development business: provide a set of documents for the correct registration of the organization, set up a client flow, provide scripts for conversations with clients, help in the development advertising company, select and train staff, connect to your own call center, develop form style companies and so on.

Today you will hardly meet a person who has not traveled abroad at least once a year. People travel primarily to relax, but also to study, work, visit relatives and friends. Since most countries provide for a visa regime for visiting, paperwork may be delayed indefinitely. Therefore, people today tend to trust the process of registration to professionals - employees of the visa center.

An entrepreneur who wants to open their visa center has two options: build a business from scratch and develop their brand, or take advantage of ready-made business processes by purchasing a franchise. Both paths have their pros and cons, but today we will talk about buying a visa application center franchise. I consider this option to be more effective, because the visa subject is very specific and requires a lot of theoretical preparation.

There are visa centers that offer different types services in terms of complexity and directions. For example, some visa centers specialize only in tourist destinations, but such information can also be obtained through a travel agency franchise.

There are also more serious companies, for example, "Second Passport" allows its franchisees to issue not only a tour visa, but also deal with immigration issues, and here it’s completely different money.

Why visa application center franchise, and not the development of your brand

Franchising in Russia today is very popular, which is facilitated by the instability of the economy, the global crisis. Buying a franchise famous brand involves the use of all the developments of the franchisor, as well as his support and assistance at all stages of business development.

In the article I tell you whether it is profitable to open a visa center business on a franchise basis. In order not to make a mistake in choosing, you need to carefully check the franchise. I have practical experience in the selection and audit of franchises, so you can contact me for help!

We list the main advantages of opening a visa application center under a franchise:

1. The franchisor provides streamlined business processes: a beginner does not need to try out various mechanisms, as well as develop internal documentation.
2. Providing contractors, schemes of working with them and a loyalty program: obtaining a visa involves interaction with various authorities, which is very difficult for an average person, while the franchisor will give you well-established work schemes and reduced prices for cooperation.
3. It is possible to work through the head office: initial stage or throughout the entire period of work, you will be able to cooperate with the head office for issuing visas, you will collect packages of client documents and send them to the franchisor's office.
4. Staff training is carried out by the franchisor: they will help you select staff and train them properly. Also, a responsible employee from the franchisor's team will periodically conduct control cuts for your employees.
5. Provision of a client base: at the start-up stage, the franchisor will provide about 100 clients for a prompt and efficient start.
6. Joint advertising: the franchisor will reduce marketing costs by giving you the opportunity to participate in federal advertising and develop effective regional advertising campaigns.
7. Shared site: Most brand owners give you a separate domain on a shared site, which builds a good reputation for your office.

What to Look for When Choosing a Visa Application Center Franchise

The choice of a franchisor should be approached very carefully, because the success of your business in equal parts depends on you and on the brand owner.

The first thing you should pay attention to is the legal check of the franchise.

It is necessary to clarify when and for whom the legal entity was registered and trademark. Has the brand owner had litigation and is there any this moment, if they are completed, specify with what outcome.

The next step is to thoroughly study the documentation provided by the franchisor. Particular attention should be paid to the contract: since today franchising in Russia is not regulated by a typical document, you need to find out all the controversial points so as not to be a loser in the future.

The final stage is communication with current and former franchisees. You need to talk openly on behalf of a potential partner, and also call the offices under the guise of a client. You will be able to find out if corporate standards are followed and if the staff is properly trained.

Payback of the visa center

Since the financial component is very important for entrepreneurs, we will consider this aspect using the example of two well-known franchises and analyze the payback period based on the data presented.

Based on the data given in the table, it can be said that the payback period for a visa center franchise business will be from 6 months. Minimum initial investment- approximately 500,000 rubles.

If we compare the two brands reviewed, I think Visa Travel is in the lead. The franchisor offers several packages depending on the population of your city and personal preferences. Among the advantages are:

• an extensive knowledge base in a convenient format, transferred to the franchisee;
• quality control of visa specialists;
• frequent theoretical and practical webinars;
• visa specialist on duty and the possibility of processing documents through the head office.

An important tip: since visa issues are largely tied to the seasonality factor, as well as regional features, it is important to take this moment into account and have capital in case of an emergency.