EP [number] — Expanding to the US without tripping state taxes or visa traps.

US expansion sounds exciting until you realise how easily it can go wrong. Sonia Kanjee breaks down why most founders misjudge when they're actually ready for America and how small missteps around people, sales tax and structure can snowball fast.

She walks through the three tiers of US entry, how state rules really work, when you must form a Delaware Inc, and the hidden compliance triggers founders routinely miss. This is a practical map for approaching the US market without burning money or credibility.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Decide when you're genuinely ready to open in the US

• Avoid economic nexus sales‑tax traps state by state

• Understand when one US hire obliges you to set up an entity

• Structure a clean UK–US group without future investor problems

• Track where your US revenue lands so you don't trigger avoidable filings

This episode is for UK founders eyeing the US market who want a grounded, practical view of what expansion actually demands.

*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*

Spotify Video Chapters:

0:00 Expanding to the US without blowing up your tax position

02:00 Sonia’s route into US tax and cross‑border work

05:10 When you’re genuinely ready to enter the US

08:20 Remote sales vs creating a taxable presence

12:10 Sales tax, economic nexus and SaaS treatment

16:20 Hiring across multiple states and compliance load

19:20 Contractors, dependent agents and testing the market

24:00 Visa realities when travelling repeatedly for business

29:40 The three tiers of US expansion strategy

33:20 Delaware Inc, lawyers and why setup matters

37:50 Trademarks, contracts and insurance for the US

43:10 LLCs vs C Corps and why UK companies should avoid LLCs

49:00 State tax allocation and how to track revenue properly

56:00 Treaty mechanics, withholding and W‑8BEN‑E

1:05:00 Interest on intercompany loans

1:12:00 Dormant entities and cleanup filings

1:17:00 Should founders relocate or hire locally?

Watch and subscribe to us on YouTube

If you'd like to be on the show, get in contact - mail@businesswithoutbullshit.me