APPARIO PTE LTD SINGAPORE

Interview with Lars Culmann, appario Pte Ltd in kapitalerhöhungen.de

Company Setup in Singapore

Today, we had the opportunity of meeting Lars Culmann. Mr Culmann is founder and owner of www.aditus-singapur.com powered by appario Pte Ltd based in Singapore. appario Pte Ltd is the only German-speaking consulting company in Singapore, which is focused 100% on the areas of sales, consulting and marketing. www.aditus-singapur.com is the world's only German-speaking business network for Singapore.

Mr Culmann, what do you want to accomplish with your network in Asia, does something like it not already exist?

I am quite often confronted with that question or those two issues. The answer is clearly no, nothing like it exists yet. Of course you can find various business organizations and networks in Singapore. However, these are often rather informal in nature, they are not German-speaking or their service is not for free. We clearly distinguish ourselves from the rest. We bring together supply and demand – that’s our goal.

That’s all very nice, but what exactly do you wish to accomplish with this platform?

We support German-speaking entrepreneurs or companies and businessmen with the setup of their business in Singapore. But we also help with projects in Singapore and the surrounding area by providing the right contact person on location. If possible, these are German-speaking contacts or experts.

Allow me to ask the following question in this context: Does a German company or a German entrepreneur actually need a German-speaking contact person in Singapore? In general, the level of language skills is rather high in this group of people, or have we missed something?

That’s absolutely correct. However, we should try to be absolutely honest on this issue. Many German managers can book a flight, order a meal, negotiate general contracts, etc. in English. But it’s a completely different matter if you want to start a company abroad. In our experience, the first step is finding a lawyer who can take on the required tasks. If I'm honest, I personally occasionally have problems to understand certain legal matters even in German. If you now consider that in such

THAT’S USappario Pte Ltd - sales, advisory & marketing consulting

CORE COMPETENCESsales & advisory training, presentation skills, corporate - design and marketing platforms

OUR MISSIONappario will give you the industry-specific skills to push your sales & marketing approach to the next level.

APPARIO NEWSLETTER FALL 2013

APPARIO PTE LTD SINGAPORE

a moment you are actually laying the groundwork for a planned and often very costly foreign investment, then that can certainly cause some people to break into a sweat. Pages and pages of legal documents and forms, which are explained by an English-speaking lawyer, already represent the first big hurdle.

That seems logical. But what exactly is your task? Do you consult your clients with regard to juridical or other questions in German?

Quite clearly no, we are not permitted and also do not want to do so. www.aditus-singapur.com brings together supply and demand. We make sure that the German entrepreneur, who incidentally may often also come from Switzerland or Austria, gets together with a reliable and, if possible, German-speaking contact in Singapore. You see, language is only one side of the coin, often there is also a so-called "cultural distance". Even Singapore, no matter how "cosmopolitan" it is, is still located in Asia and most of the people think differently here. It is therefore only too natural that we feel certain "reservations" at first.

And you, Mr Culmann, have you got such Asia experience and contacts on location?

I myself have been living in Singapore for over 6 years and am very familiar with not only the German community. In the past I have networked greatly and still do network a great deal with many different nationalities, cultures and

industries, which, in the end, is an advantage for my clients and myself.

What exactly does your business model provide in this context?

An important component of our network platform, in addition to my contacts, is the free provision of important information on this subject on www.aditus-singapur.com. That is where all those interested can find out very simply and clearly about the issue of "setting up a company and doing business in Singapore" in German. Should such an "online user" or entrepreneur then find a specific contact or contact person, he can get in touch with him immediately. The contact details are listed accordingly. In this case, we ourselves are then sidelined.

But in addition to the free information and contacts, you also provide an “active service”, at least that is the way we understand it, right?

Yes, we do. Often, business owners or managers, who can actually speak English quite well, contact us, as they cannot properly assess the already mentioned "cultural distance". Exactly these kinds of people very much appreciate it if they are shown the city from a business-perspective and they are introduced to reliable and preferably German-speaking experts. And not to forget my many years of experience in this context. Naturally, the way I move about in Singapore and its surroundings is much faster than the way someone moves

who is only here for a short visit.

That sounds great, Mr Culmann, but hand on heart, the whole "thing" is probably not exactly cheap, is it?

I absolutely agree with you, our service is not cheap, it is extremely good value for money. We charge our clients a consulting fee of EUR 2,150 for our active service, excluding travel expenses, of course. However, we then introduce them to Singapore from a business perspective and introduce them to reliable partners. Just think how much time that alone can save you. Apart from that, even if you decide against investing in Singapore after your visit, the consultation fee is only a fraction of what you would have invested in the case of a misunderstanding regarding your decision.

And the partners you introduce us to, according to what criteria do you select them?

Thank you for asking that question, it is of particular importance. We choose the appropriate, ideally German-speaking, experts and contacts in all sectors for our clients. As already mentioned, for our personal and active service we merely receive our consulting fee from our prospective clients, not more and not less. That gives us the necessary objectivity, we are free to choose. That is an integral part of our philosophy or our business model.

Not bad. However we're also interested in one last

APPARIO NEWSLETTER FALL 2013

APPARIO PTE LTD SINGAPORE

important point: why Singapore? Everyone’s talking about China, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. – Has Singapore not already reached its peak?

You might get that impression. However, you have just addressed Singapore’s biggest advantages: Political stability, security, predictability, solid legal system, excellent infrastructure, financial stability, etc. You will be surprised how many companies have, for example, actually left China, unnerved, because many of the above mentioned criteria are not so pronounced there or simply not present at all. And thanks to the information provided by www.aditus-singapur.com, other companies, on the other hand, are now often set up on much surer footing. They can use Singapore as a "springboard to Asia", i.e. they can use Singapore to conquer the Asian market from here step by step.

Mr  Culmann,  thank  you  very  much  for  the  interview.

(Original interview in German language on www.kapitalerhöhungen.de)

Lars Culmannappario Pte Ltd

CONTACT USappario Pte Ltd929 Bukit Timah Road #07-18 Singapore 589642Tel: (65) 9772-1044E-mail: lars.culmann@appario.net

www.aditus-singapur.com

www.appario.net

www.facebook.com/aditusSingapur

www.facebook.com/appario

APPARIO NEWSLETTER FALL 2013