Starting a business in LATAM is possible (This is how this entrepreneur did it)
Unfortunately there are many people who continue with the stigma that in Latin American countries; cannot be undertaken.
Regardless of the hundreds of examples we see around us of local businesses and great ideas thriving; It seems that “being Latin American” is the #1 excuse for not trying to achieve what we want.
This image is from a comment we received. I honestly don’t criticize his point of view. I don’t know in what environment he grew up; nor how many failed attempts to prosper he had; or if you simply let yourself be carried away by the logic that you do NOT live in a “prosperous” country; it is impossible to start from scratch.
And like this comment there are several. Which is right; because it shows that the mission of ModoEmprendedor and other entrepreneurship blogs makes sense.
Let’s imagine a young Colombian; with concern for business; that he is not from a wealthy family; who does not live in an entrepreneurial environment; and whose family does not support him to risk undertaking. He has no future as an entrepreneur and he should focus on getting a good job?
From a very young age, Guillermo Romero, the mind behind hostingserverdealojamiento.com (a platform that offers the possibility to anyone, regardless of their knowledge, to create web pages with just a few clicks).
Guillermo dreamed of being the owner of a business and every step he took shaped him so that he can be today; that dream be a reality.
At the age of 15 he began working as an entertainer at parties, he discovered that he liked being in front of an audience. Finishing school he made the decision to prepare as a DJ; decision that allowed him to have stability at key moments in his career as an entrepreneur.
Guillermo is a social communicator, shortly after graduating he was fortunate to practice his profession in one of the most important media outlets in his country. Regardless of prestige or money, he was understanding that this was not for him; wear yourself out to work for the dreams of others, was priceless.
So she decided to start an events company, but her lack of experience coupled with the amount of competition in the market; were the main causes of a resounding failure.
One day, while hanging out with friends, he met a businessman who needed to create a website for his company. Guillermo had been taught some basics to do it at his university, so he decided to take a risk.
He prepared himself better with the information found on the Internet and that was his first client, who made Guillermo’s work known to other people and thus the GR productions agency was born.
Being able to work from home allowed her to make better use of her time and she understood that her clients could do the same. But to do it, he needed to create a team. Unfortunately, he did not yet have the resources to achieve it.
So he started attending seminars and training with mentors who taught him how to create online businesses that would allow him to sell more.
One of his mentors proposed the following to the group of students: “To those who sell their first 1000 dollars, I teach them everything I know, for free.” Guillermo did it at 3 months, in which he had to get the best out of him and understood the importance of discipline.
Discipline that allowed him to be self-taught and improve his design, programming, business skills and the most important of all: How to get clients online.
By not having a team and having the need to improve their service; he had to take care of everything.
Soon after, he had the opportunity to hire a freelancer and after comings and goings, the business began to grow. At the same time, he started other ventures that did not see the light; but they left him fundamental lessons for his development.
By the year 2013, he made one of the most important decisions of his life. He found out about the sale of a server company, which would allow him to provide a more complete service, and he decided to invest.
His training did not stop, he continued to prepare with mentors in marketing issues that enhanced the reach of his business. And time later, she already had a stable work team.
That of achieving that their clients should not leave home to achieve their goals, was the spark behind Servidordealojamiento.com.
He did not have to create the web pages, his clients could do it in a simple way, and not only that; he could also create the entire marketing infrastructure to boost his business and get customers. No need to have knowledge on the subject.
Currently, Hosting Server has more than 2,600 clients throughout Latin America and its next challenge is to formalize the company in the United States.
Don’t be afraid to look for opportunities; know the importance of contacts; to be disciplined; risk executing and being able to get clients online; they became fundamental pillars in the success of the young entrepreneur.
There is no doubt that starting a business in certain countries can be easier, but if we let that idea govern us, we will never get out of the comfort of not trying.
If we don’t break those barriers, we will simply be victims of what happens around us and we will never be the leaders of our path.
And now it is clear… Starting a business in LATAM is possible.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can read our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
