the good and not so good of being in business in Colombia

cremaster says on Dec 27, 2004, 11:11:

Petey Have you considered Medellin for your business?
It has the best business climate in Colombia, and the Paisas have a reputation as hard-working.
It also has the best climate in Colombia - not too hot, not cold like Bogota.
Webmanco posted some great links in this thread:

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/6324

Hope it helps,
Patrick

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peteyw says on Dec 27, 2004, 12:34:

Patrick Thanks Patrick.

Yes, Medellin is of interest also. Mistakenly left it off my previous posting.

We just want to be sure we'll have a good positive experience with a minimum of complications in whichever location is choosen.

Peteyw

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ColombiaBoard says on Dec 27, 2004, 17:16:

Call Centers I´d suggest that you choose between Bogota and Medellin, that´s where you´ll find the best technological and human resources (both in terms of quality and education).

The Call Centers in Colombia operate from both cities, the largest one is in Medellin.

Another advantage of working in those cities is that the spanish spoken there is considered "neutral", not heavily accented as it is in Cartagena or Barranquilla and this is considered an advantage for clients calling from other spanish speaking countries. In case anyone wants to flame me for these "discriminatory remarks", I read about that in a business mag.

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Sam Salmon says on Dec 27, 2004, 17:45:

I Have a Unique Suggestion Find a bridge near where you live and throw yourself off it!!!
In the name of all that's Holy there is nothing lower than a telemarketing call centre-except for the sleazebag that runs it of course.
Why do you people always call me when I'm eating dinner-eh?
The Good News is that if you ever make calls to the wrong people in Colombia and disturb them you won't be in business long.
LOL!!!!

' a la orden!'

' a la orden!'

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peteyw says on Dec 27, 2004, 21:47:

no bridges here, I live in the desert Sam,

I hear you. There is nothing more disturbing than a rude, unsolicited telephone call at home anytime. Hey, I have a home phone too.

Our call centers are strickly in bound. We respond to corporate customer service and order requests for different companies. But the customers call us...only.

Thanks.

Peteyw

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Hunter says on Dec 28, 2004, 14:16:

The choice is really between Bogota and Medellin, either City on average have the best workers. Also both Cities have the best public utiliies.

So Medellin is the one for you, with its near perfect climate.

As to potential problems with the bad people etc., its possible, mostly it depends on how big you are going to be. If you put Colombian middle men in the right positions, they will know how to deal with the potential problems.

Hunter

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Greg444 says on Dec 28, 2004, 14:23:

Business deals go bad so many times, including Medellin, everything is a cash basis. Also employees will steal you blind, from an absentee owner.

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peteyw says on Dec 28, 2004, 17:58:

Thanks guys Thanks Hunter and Greg444.

Appreciate the insights. I'll definitely look at Medellin and even reconsider Bogota as well.

The comment about hiring some Colombian middle men to help alleviate some potential problems is much appreciated. Our desire is to try to keep a low profile and not grow too big, but you never know.

Any thoughts on cultural differences in the workplace we should be aware of?

Thanks again.

Peteyw

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viewpoint says on Dec 28, 2004, 18:33:

peteyw You might want to take a good look at Panama City as another choice. Panama City is much more business friendly to foreign investors and business people. There are many offices of USA, Canadian and European companies in Panama City that are totally absent from Colombia. The costs of wages in Panama are more than Colombia but you can find good bilingual employees there and many more people speak english than in Colombia.

If you desire to only consider Colombia then Medellin would be your best choice as I think the wages would be a little less than Bogota and you will get good productivity in Medellin. As to employees stealing from you and everything being done in cash it's mostly bullshit talk. I have been in business in Medellin for almost six years without one bad experience ever. More business is done on trust in Medellin (more so than in the USA) especially in the real estate business.

I once left 5.000 pesos on my kitchen countertop and it was there for 18 months with a maid, housekeeper and girlfriend coming and going until my girlfriend needed it one day for a taxi fare which she immediately told me about. Litsen to Hunter as he lives in Medellin and knows his way around. Also, the communications and internet infastructure is better in Panama City than Medellin and the cost of communications other than VOIP is much cheaper. The DSL that you will need to support many VOIP lines will be expensive both places but it's doable. VOIP is legally in Panama in all forms but is legal in Colombia for your own use personally or business. Your type of use would be legal but you cannot sell VOIP services commercially (at the current time) in Colombia.

If you are fluent in spanish then consider Medellin but if not go to Panama City as it's a much better english speaking business climate and you can hire the Colombians from Medellin right there if you want to as there are many Colombians in Panama. Panama uses the US dollar as its currency and you can choose from over 100 banks so you don't have to mickey mouse around with the Colombian peso and its strange banking rules.

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Lionheart says on Dec 28, 2004, 19:01:

another choice I have looked deeply into Dominican Republic for business purposes, they offer more incentives than Panama, also for good fast Internet and Phones. Send me a PM if you want to know more, as is has nothing to do with Colombia.

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viewpoint says on Dec 28, 2004, 19:21:

Lionheart I too spent a lot of time looking at the DR but in the end gave up on the idea because of the substantial financial problems the central government has which has spilled onto the private sector through the currency revaluation. The DR is a long way from digging out from its problems. The currency decline against the dollar took its toll against TRICOM the largest telecom and internet provider which is hanging by its fingernails. I know because I own its bonds which defaulted about 2 years ago. They offer citizenship and a passport on an accelerated basis but you get nothing as you can't travel hardly anywhere on that passport without a visa. It doesn't begin to compare to what Panama has to offer prospective immigrants.

A Panamanian can still get a 5% 30 year loan to buy a house, in fact 2.5% up to US$62,000 for a first time home buyer. What king of financing can you get in the DR or Colombia. If Colombia does change course it will be another Ecuador with the currency phased out for the US dollar. With every year it's getting more difficult for Colombia to finance its deficit. It's a good thing that they have the president they have or the problems would be on their doorstep. Personally, I choose Medellin over Panama City to reside in but not to do business within.

In financial terms Colombia is on borrowed time with the clock ticking and the battery just about dead.. If something happens (god forbid) to this (the current Colombian administration) the peso will plummet. Nothing is being done to solve the basic micro economic problems of Colombia.

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webmanco says on Dec 28, 2004, 20:23:

links of interest Although your question was directed to your fellow gringos in Colombia, I decided to give my two cents,
Coinvertir
Post about Telemarketing somehow is related to your question

Acento neutro, ventaja competitiva de Colombia como exportador de servicios de ‘call center’

Pedro



33 Friends of Colombia and Colombians and counting

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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LEONINA says on Dec 29, 2004, 01:05:

AYUDA!!!! HOLA ... COMO ESTAN?
IM 1/2 GREEK 1/2 COLOMBIAN, LIVING IN GREECE FOR 5 YEARS NOW. I LIVED IN ISRAEL AND VENEZUELA B4 COMING HERE, AND I OFTEN WOULD GO VISIT COLOMBIA. I HAVE RELATIVES THERE, BUT AT THE MOMENT THEY DONT AGREE THAT I GO TO LIVE THERE AND IM NOT GETTING MUCH SUPPORT. SO IM COUNTING ON U TO HELP ME OUT WITH SOME INFO. I WANT TO STUDY MARKETTING AND DO A MINOR IN SECRETERIAL COURSE IN MEDELLIN ... BUT IN AN ENGLISH UNI. DO ANY OF U KNOW ANY GOOD UNIVERSITIES? I SEARCHED ON LINE, PERO JODER .... =/ SALEN MARICADAS! NO ENCUENTRE NI MIERDA! ANYWAYS...THATS ABOUT IT 4 NOW. HOPE 2 HEAR FROM SOMEONE.
UN SALUDO DESDE ACA,
NATA

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utopiacowboy says on Dec 29, 2004, 09:17:

Just out of curiosity, Leonina, where did you ever get the idea that there were English universities in Medellin? You haven't been talking to Pablo, my taxi driver, have you? That rogue will say anything.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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peteyw says on Dec 29, 2004, 13:23:

outstanding Viewpoint,

Thanks for the info.. Your perspective is very consistent with the positive things I have heard in the past about the people of Colombia.

We have also looked at Panama City and while I agree with you, my business partner is more set on Colombia. His arguement is that the very fact that there are so many more North American and European companies already in Panama City, will make the market for good employees much more competitive. He also points out the the total population of Panama is just 3 million people (compared to 42 million in Colombia) and only 800,000 or so live in Panama City. That's a much smaller pool of talent (even though a greater percentage of that talent is english speaking) with many more companies who have better known brand names and resources than ours, drawing from that some pool of people.

I am open to both places and will give it lots of thoughts.

Thanks again.
Peteyw

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peteyw says on Dec 29, 2004, 13:27:

great links Webmanco,

Input from anyone is appreciated, not just us 'gringos'.

Greak links, the newspaper artice was very timely in particular. The Coinvertir site is also super!!

Regards,
Peteyw

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ColombiaBoard says on Dec 30, 2004, 07:53:

Paying salaries in Colombia I´d like to add something here. The posting about colombian salaries being paid in cash is absolutely WRONG, it´s not true at all. In fact, all large, medium and many small sized companies deposit their employees´ salaries directly in their bank accounts or if the employee wants they give them a check, only very low level employees are paid in cash (waiters, truck drivers, construction workers etc.) and only by some companies.

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