Strategy

 Over the last week I have been thinking about the various challenges that exist in starting a venture in Latin America, in particular Mexico.  The first question that came to my head was the of funding. How many venture capital firms where there in Mexico and what kind of companies are they funding. Over the last couple years the start up culture of Latin American has been on the rise. Chile in particular has started initiatives as "Start-Up Chile", and a few start-up companies in Brazil have been able to attract U.S. investors. Because of the transition the continent has seen I began to inquire about the challenges that exist as well as the success theses companies have had.

  This weeks readings provided with some ground work. Harvard Business Reviews article on "Strategis That Fit Emerging Markets" establishes certain criteria to evaluate a venture in such an environment. As I read through each one I immediately began to think of the barrios that might arise given the labor market in the country. Yet, as soon as I began the article on marketing immediately something stood out.  The four P's: product, price, place, and promotion.

I took a minute to think about the bigger picture, what was our idea and the location where we wanted to launch the venture. Moving forward how would we strategy to maximize our profits as well as cliental. But I also knew that I couldn't get to ahead of myself. I also needed to take the time to think about the venture in phases. Initial start-up/funding, staffing, customer base, and location. Reflecting on the process I quickly realized that the we were trying to tackle too many things at once. We need to focus on each step and the details that are essential for success of the entire operation.

While the readings provided a base for what challenges that might arise I know they did not encompass everything. Thus, to my peers I ask if you were to start a venture in an emerging economy, what do you think would be your biggest challenges?