Foreign-operator business acquisition · Cross-border diligence · Closing · Post-acquisition operations
The real-estate analog is Terra Secura. The operating-business analog is Mercatus. Foreign nationals arrive with domain expertise and capital; they lack the Mexico layer: entity structure, RFC, IMSS, SAT compliance, employment law, regulatory permits, banking access, supplier networks, and the unwritten rules of operating here.
Mercatus runs that layer for them, from the first conversation about a target through years of post-acquisition operations.
Foreign nationals (overwhelmingly U.S., also EU and Canadian) who have domain expertise in an operating industry — hospitality, food and beverage, retail, services, art and galleries, watersports and dive, tourism, wellness, light manufacturing — and capital in the $300K to $5M deployable range, often from a 1031 exchange, an inheritance, or a U.S.-business sale.
They want to own and operate, not collect dividends. They want to be the chef in their own restaurant, not the lender to it. Most arrive already pre-qualified by Terra Vivere or Terra Secura — they came down for the relocation or the property, then realized they wanted to run something.
Sold their boutique inn in Asheville. Wants to acquire a 12-room property in Sayulita. Has the operating manual; doesn't speak fideicomiso.
Chef-owner of a Brooklyn restaurant that closed. Wants to open a 40-seat in Tulum. Needs everything from giro mercantil registration to alcohol patente.
Operator who has identified a Mexican business with hard assets at a distressed valuation. Needs diligence, closing, and post-acquisition operations as a single engagement.
$15K – $50K, scope-dependent.
Deliverable: the Diligence Memorandum, 40–80 pages in English. The document the buyer takes to family office, attorney, banker, or spouse — and the same document Mercatus uses to drive the closing.
$10K – $30K, project-based.
Closings collapse from the typical 8–12 weeks (formation + RFC + bank) to days, because the entity is already on the Expedita shelf.
$1.5K – $15K / month, three tiers.
All pricing indicative. Final scope confirmed during diligence kickoff.
M&A boutiques hand the buyer off post-close. Operational firms won't touch diligence or closing. Mercatus is the only firm that runs the full sequence with one team — and the same team is still around three years later when the buyer needs a second location.
Sits in the same WhatsApp and Slack. Speaks both languages. Can be on-site at the property. The foreign owner's operational proxy, not just an accountant.
Closings collapse from 8–12 weeks (typical S.A.S. formation + RFC + bank account) to days. The structural moat: when banking-regulatory shocks hit, our buyers close while everyone else waits.
Mercatus is the productized, branded, repeatable version of the TCG IaaS + OaaS playbook that's been running for years inside The Chilam Group's institutional engagements. The discipline isn't theoretical.
Cross-border tax structuring on every deal. SAT compliance and U.S.–MX treaty positioning baked into the closing structure.
Pre-formed S.A.S. or S.A. de C.V. plus U.S. LLCs as the closing vehicle. Days, not months.
Visa, residency, and IMSS infrastructure for the operator-buyer and any staff brought in. Employer-of-record support.
If the acquisition includes real estate — the property side runs in parallel with title diligence and buyer representation.
For hospitality acquisitions: management transition, vendor network, and reservations-platform integration on day one.
Health-coverage planning for the foreign owner and staff. Concierge health for the operator while they settle in.
Mercatus engagements start with a 30-minute call to scope the target, the structure, and the timeline. We'll tell you honestly if it's a fit.