In its November 2026 edition, Expansión CEO published a Q&A with Peter Spradling, co-founder and CEO of Marco, discussing how Mexican SMEs can operate as true binational companies and scale within the cross-border corridor. The backdrop of the conversation is nearshoring: it opens opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses in the United States, but it also imposes higher operational demands and longer payment terms. After financing over $1.2 billion in cross-border trade, Marco evolved into a comprehensive platform that unifies collections, foreign exchange, and compliance.

From financing to an end-to-end solution

Spradling explains that small and medium-sized Mexican exporters operate in a fragmented manner: collections take days, the exchange rate is determined by the bank, and the exporter absorbs the hit. That fragmentation erodes margins and, above all, visibility. Financing a company without addressing how it collects, converts, and pays was treating the symptom rather than the cause; that is why Marco built a single platform where the account, Forex (FX), liquidity, and compliance function as layers of the same infrastructure.

FX and factoring: two critical moments

Every transaction has two critical moments: when the company receives the funds and at what exchange rate it converts them. Financing addresses the first, and FX addresses the second. If an invoice is advanced but the client loses one or two points when converting it at their bank, much of the benefit evaporates. At Marco, dollars arrive in the global account and the client decides when to convert them, at a competitive and transparent exchange rate.

What to check before invoicing into the United States

First, the structure: deciding whether it is best to invoice from the Mexican company or from a U.S. entity, because that impacts how the buyer perceives the business, how quickly payments are collected, and which services are accessible. Second, tax considerations: documenting transactions with accurate transfer pricing for an LLC and proper invoicing in both countries. Finally, cash flow: which currency is used for invoicing, where it is collected, and who assumes the foreign exchange risk. According to Spradling, the most common mistake is defining the legal structure without considering the daily financial operations; both must be designed together with specialized advice.

The advantage of unifying the LLC

The usual approach is to incorporate the LLC with one provider, spend weeks finding a bank that will open an account for foreign owners, hire a separate accountant, and knock on another door to obtain credit; none of them sees the full picture. By consolidating this, incorporation, the dollar account, bookkeeping, and annual compliance are connected from day one. The business owner deals with a single point of contact, keeps their financial information organized, and builds a U.S. track record that opens the door to financing.