Austin, Texas as your US base: a team on the ground while yours stays home.
Many international companies entering the US choose Texas, and Austin in particular, as their first base.
Central time gives working hours that overlap with European afternoons and most of Latin America. The state sits between both coasts, with highway, air and border access for distribution, and a large, growing consumer market of its own. Texas has no state personal income tax, though businesses are subject to a state franchise tax, so the tax picture belongs with your accountant. Theory Road is headquartered in Liberty Hill, in the Austin metro, and acts as your team on the ground: meeting retailers, distributors, partners and candidates in person while your leadership stays home.
Questions this page answers
- Why international companies choose Austin for their US base
- Is Texas a good state for a foreign company
- What a soft landing in the US looks like
- Doing business in Texas as a foreign company
- How to have a US presence without relocating the team
- Who can meet US partners in person for us
Step 1 of 2
How can we help you get found?
Next: name, email and budget. That’s it.
What the US market asks of you.
A US base does more than give you an address. Buyers, distributors and partners want to meet someone, see the product in a room and know who answers the phone before they commit. Candidates want a manager who understands US hiring. Austin works as a base because it is central: Central time overlaps with European afternoons and most of Latin America, direct flights reach both coasts and a range of international destinations, and Texas is a large market in its own right, where a brand can test demand before rolling out nationally.
What goes wrong is usually distance. A founder flies in for a week of meetings, makes promising contacts, flies home, and the follow-up dies across time zones. Or the company relocates an executive before demand is proven, carrying the cost and visa questions of a move the market has not yet justified. Others register in Texas without understanding franchise tax, sales tax or employer registrations, and learn about them when the first notice arrives. A soft landing needs someone present every week, not a single trip.
Theory Road is based in Liberty Hill, on State Highway 29 in the Austin metro. We meet clients, partners and buyers in person around Austin and Central Texas, and travel when a meeting matters. We act as your US team on the ground: we run the commercial launch, attend retailer and distributor meetings with you or for you, host visiting leadership, screen US hires and agencies, and keep the pipeline moving between trips. Your attorney, accountant and immigration counsel handle entity, tax and visa questions, and we coordinate with them.
- Weeks 1 to 2Market read and meeting planTarget buyers, distributors and partners listed, US positioning drafted, and the first round of meetings requested.
- Weeks 3 to 6First leadership visitWe host your team in Austin, attend meetings together, and set a weekly local follow-up rhythm.
- Weeks 6 to 12Pipeline and local presenceWeekly follow-up in US hours, samples and quotes managed, US phone, profiles and website presence live.
- Months 3 to 6Hiring and partner decisionsUS hires, agencies and distributors screened while your counsel handles entity, employment and visa questions.
- Month 6 onwardScale or relocate decisionWith real demand data, decide whether to open an office, move people, or keep running the market through us.
Where US launches stall.
Follow-up dies between trips
Trade show and trip meetings create interest that needs weekly follow-up in US hours. Without someone local, samples, quotes and second meetings slip, and buyers move on to suppliers who answer faster.
Relocating people too early
Moving an executive before demand is proven adds cost, family disruption and visa questions. Proving the market with a local team first, then deciding who moves, is often the safer order. Visa questions belong with immigration counsel.
Texas tax and registrations
Texas has no state personal income tax, but most business entities are subject to the state franchise tax and its annual reports, taxable sales need a permit, and employers register for state unemployment tax. Your accountant owns these.
Choosing the base for the wrong reasons
Austin suits consumer, food and technology brands that want a growing market and a central location. Some industrial or port-dependent companies are better served near Houston or Dallas. The base should follow your customers and supply chain.
What we run for you.
In-person meetings
We meet retailers, distributors, partners and service providers around Austin and Central Texas, and travel when a meeting matters, with notes and next steps shared the same day.
Leadership visit hosting
We plan your visits: meeting schedules, market tours, store checks and partner introductions, so a week in Texas produces decisions rather than a stack of business cards.
Pipeline follow-up in US hours
Weekly follow-up on every lead and meeting, samples and quotes tracked in your CRM, and a written weekly report your home team can read over morning coffee.
US hiring and vendor screening
We help define US roles, screen candidates, agencies and contractors on commercial skills, and sit in on interviews. Employment law and contracts stay with your attorney.
Commercial launch from Austin
Positioning, website, Amazon US, paid media, search and B2B outreach run from our office, so the market sees an active US presence from the first meeting.
Advisor coordination
We keep your attorney, accountant, customs broker and immigration counsel working from the same timeline, and turn their decisions into the commercial plan.
How US demand gets built.
US rules to plan for.
Texas franchise tax.
Texas has no state personal income tax, but most business entities are subject to the state franchise tax and annual reports to the Comptroller. Your accountant owns the calculation and filings.
Registering to do business in Texas.
An entity formed in another state generally registers with the Texas Secretary of State before doing business here and keeps a Texas registered agent. Your attorney owns this filing.
Sales tax and employer accounts.
Taxable sales in Texas need a sales tax permit from the Comptroller, and employers register with the Texas Workforce Commission. Your accountant owns these registrations and deadlines.
Visas and working in the US.
Owning a US company does not by itself allow anyone to work in the US. Any move of staff needs immigration counsel; Theory Road does not advise on visas.
A good fit
- International companies that want real US meetings and follow-up without relocating leadership before demand is proven.
- Consumer, food, technology and B2B brands that see Texas as a first market or a central base for national sales.
- Teams that want one local partner to run the commercial launch and coordinate their attorney, accountant and customs broker.
Probably not a fit
- Companies looking for a registered office, mail service or visa sponsorship; those need a formation service or immigration counsel.
- Businesses whose customers sit entirely on one coast and who need a team in that region every day.
Platforms and categories we launch into.
Reading before a US launch.
- Agency Guide · Takeaway
The fastest way to sell in America as a foreign brand is to open one channel first, usually Amazon or your own online store, and prove demand there before adding more.
Agency Guide · 10 min read
How to Sell in America as a Foreign Brand: A US Expansion Plan.
A six-step US expansion plan for brands based outside the United States: which channel to open first, what your advisors must settle before inventory ships, how to price for US costs, and how to launch, measure and scale.
Read - Lead Generation · Takeaway
Nearshoring gives Mexican manufacturers a hearing with US buyers, but US procurement still qualifies suppliers on certifications, capacity, quality systems, lead times and documented USMCA origin before any price conversation.
Lead Generation · 11 min read
Nearshoring: How Mexican Manufacturers Win US B2B Buyers.
Nearshoring put Mexico on every US sourcing shortlist, but a shortlist is not a purchase order. Here is what US procurement actually checks, and how a Mexican supplier builds the pages, pipeline and sales motion that turn interest into RFQs.
Read - Playbook · Takeaway
Forming an LLC in Texas is straightforward: file a Certificate of Formation with the Secretary of State (a $300 state fee), appoint a registered agent, and get an EIN from the IRS for free.
Playbook · 17 min read
How to Start a Business in Austin: The Complete 2026 Local Guide.
Austin is one of the best places in the country to start a business, no state income tax, deep talent, and an ecosystem that wants you to win. Here's the real, local, step-by-step path: the state filings, the taxes, the banking, the permits, the actual costs, and the Austin resources most guides leave out.
Read
Questions from founders abroad.
- Is Texas a good state for a foreign company
- It often is, depending on your market. Texas has a large and growing population, central logistics, time zone overlap with Europe and Latin America, and no state personal income tax. Businesses still face the state franchise tax and sales tax, so your accountant should compare Texas with other states for your structure. Our part is judging whether the commercial case fits your customers.
- Do we need an office in Austin to use it as our US base?
- Not at the start. You can begin with Theory Road as the local team, running meetings, follow-up and the commercial launch from our office near Austin while you decide whether demand justifies your own space. Where your entity is registered and which address it uses are questions for your attorney. When you do open an office, we plan the local launch around it.
- Can Theory Road represent us in meetings with US buyers?
- Yes, in a commercial sense. We attend meetings with retailers, distributors and partners alongside your team or for you, present your products, take notes and run the follow-up. We do not sign contracts for you or act as your legal agent; agreements go to you and your attorney. Most companies combine our local presence with regular visits from their own leadership.
- What is a soft landing in the US?
- A soft landing means entering the market with local support before committing to a full office and relocated staff. It usually combines an entity set up by your attorney, a local team for meetings and follow-up, a US presence online, and a plan to test demand. We provide the commercial, on-the-ground part; entity, tax and visa questions stay with your advisors.
- What time zone is Austin in, and how does it overlap with home?
- Austin is on US Central time. The Austin morning usually overlaps with Central European afternoons, Mexico is on the same time or one hour behind depending on the season, and Brazil and Argentina are usually two to three hours ahead. Daylight saving changes on different dates in different countries, and some countries do not observe it, so the gap shifts during the year.
- Do you help with visas or relocating staff?
- No. We do not provide immigration advice, and owning a US company does not by itself give anyone the right to work here. We coordinate with your immigration counsel on timing so hiring, meetings and launch dates fit around what they advise, and we help with the commercial side of a move, such as local introductions and the market plan the new team will run.
Let’s plan your US launch.
A short note on where the business is and where it needs to go. A senior partner replies within one business day.