Could We Do It by Friday
A phrase with a long and distinguished history of being said on a Thursday.
Nobody asks for speed at the beginning. At the beginning there is time, and a sense of proportion, and a shared understanding that these things take as long as they take. Speed is requested later, generally by someone who has just discovered a deadline that has existed for four months.
The request is rarely about speed as such. It is about a date — a board meeting, a closing, a lease that commences, a tax year that ends — and the date is entirely genuine. What is not genuine is the belief that the date can be communicated to a registry, a notary or a compliance officer, none of whom have been told about it, and none of whom would move if they had.
What can be accelerated is our part of it. Our part is not usually the slow part.
Section oneThe file tells the truth
Before promising anything, look at what actually has to be assembled. The list is short. Its condition is what varies.
Section twoThe question to ask back
Not “how fast do you need it?” but “when can you send the complete file?” The first question invites a number the client made up. The second one moves half the timeline to the side that controls it — politely, and only once.
Urgency usually hides uncertainty — a client in a hurry is often a client who has not yet decided what they are building.
That is worth noticing rather than resenting. Someone asking for a company “this week” frequently cannot yet say what it will do, who will own it, or which bank is expected to accept it. The rush is a symptom. Answer the symptom with questions, not with a discount on the schedule.
Section threeBefore confirming any date
Eight checks. None of them takes long, and each one is a week you do not lose later.
- All founders and directors identified
- Passports and address proofs valid and readable
- Corporate shareholder documents current
- Beneficial ownership clear and stated
- Powers of attorney required or not
- Apostille, legalisation or sworn translation needed
- Activity reviewed for licence requirements
- Banking route confirmed — it can change everything
Section fourSeparate the stages in the offer
A single number for the whole job hides where the waiting happens, and the client blames the visible party. Break it up, and each delay has an owner.
- Document collection and review — client-driven, duration unknown until the file arrives
- Preparation: drafting, powers of attorney, translations, apostille
- Filing and registration — the part with a predictable clock
- Post-registration: tax, banking, operational setup
In closingThe quiet conclusion
Nobody is ever asking for speed in the abstract. They are asking for certainty, and the honest way to give it is to say which part of the calendar belongs to whom. When clients ask for speed, check the documents. The documents are usually where the timeline is hiding.