Review commitments before exclusivity or a deposit, then examine candidate businesses as they are identified. A preliminary timing estimate may remain highly uncertain while evidence and the consular route are undefined; it should not become a guaranteed contractual date. Set the review points around money leaving your control, not around the calendar. The moments that matter are the day exclusivity begins, the day a deposit becomes non-refundable, and the day funds are irrevocably committed to the enterprise. Each is harder to reverse than the one before, so each deserves its own decision.
Sequence the search around decision points
Treat the search as stages: engagement terms, candidate screening, financial review, offer, and funding. Attach a question to each stage rather than waiting for one final assessment. Contract terms including escrow arrangements, conditions, and revocation rights need fact-specific legal review, and conflicting obligations should be resolved by counsel before signature.
Keep travel plans and any resignation flexible while the target business, the funding, and the filing route remain open. An escrow arrangement is worth discussing at the first of those points rather than the last. Holding funds subject to a condition may keep capital committed to the transaction while leaving a route out if the enterprise turns out not to support the case; the drafting decides whether that is what actually happens, so have the wording reviewed against the requirement that capital be irrevocably committed and at risk.