My Entrepreneurship Story
Latin America is filled with entrepreneurs who are not aware of their impressive ability to build their own businesses. My father worked in Jutiapa, Guatemala for two years. He assisted farmers in Él Limon, a small aldea (villiage) that has grown since he lived there in the 90s. When I visited Guatemala in 2016, I realized that all of the restaurants are shops are locally owned.
I ate amazing home-cooked meals at tortillerias and family-run restaurants.
I shopped at markets where local artists sold their vases and jewelry, and I bought huipiles made by local seamstresses.
Although chain restaurants and businesses are present in certain parts of the country, such as Guatemala City and in Antigua, the majority of the establishments are run by local families. For example, I noticed that many "mini-markets" were set up in front of people's houses in Nebaj. Many of the women in this town sold huipiles, a traditional Mayan shirt, which they made themselves. These women were often the only supplier of clothing within their towns.
Overall, many of the people in Guatemala are entrepreneurs; however, they do not realize this. Since this is such a normal part of every-day life, they do not believe their businesses are special; however, the local stores and restaurants are a huge part of this country's culture. I will, hopefully, visit El Limon again in the future and see more of this beautiful country.
I ate amazing home-cooked meals at tortillerias and family-run restaurants.
I shopped at markets where local artists sold their vases and jewelry, and I bought huipiles made by local seamstresses.
Although chain restaurants and businesses are present in certain parts of the country, such as Guatemala City and in Antigua, the majority of the establishments are run by local families. For example, I noticed that many "mini-markets" were set up in front of people's houses in Nebaj. Many of the women in this town sold huipiles, a traditional Mayan shirt, which they made themselves. These women were often the only supplier of clothing within their towns.
Overall, many of the people in Guatemala are entrepreneurs; however, they do not realize this. Since this is such a normal part of every-day life, they do not believe their businesses are special; however, the local stores and restaurants are a huge part of this country's culture. I will, hopefully, visit El Limon again in the future and see more of this beautiful country.
I was in Guatemala last year and I noticed the same thing in Antigua. I really like the connection you made to entrepreneurship though, as I never thought of the local artisans and businesses like that. I often think of entrepreneurship as someone with a passion, but reality it can just come from necessity. Certainly some of these people selling goods are doing so to support their family. It would be interesting to ask different people in the region why they got started and how? Globally we use the same concept, but in different areas and cultures I think we definitely have to consider a diverse range of elements of the whys and hows.
ReplyDeleteWe do not have any chain restaurants on the island I live in and I love it. There is also a lady who sells lunches out of the back of her car every day. Now, after a couple of years, the line at lunch time is pretty big. I guess it is her version of a food truck. This will definitely make me think about entrepreneurs differently, viewing them with a less rigid definition.
You are right. We don't think about it but in many of these countries, entrepreneurs are everywhere compared to in our normal lives. I have been to some Caribbean nations and the thing you notice is the lack of mainstream establishments which for me immediately creates the culture of the nation which you mentioned. Entrepreneurship is about creating opportunities from unmet needs and nations like that no doubt have people who own local places capitalizing on this. These countries though our society may think of as lesser actually have tremendous value to us to learn from.
ReplyDeleteI think this story is amazing and really inspiring. My grandparents are from Cuba, and they were also entrepreneurs who started their own restaurant business. I wish I could go to Cuba with them and experience their culture and the way they were raised. I think it is amazing that you got the opportunity to travel to Guatemala and experience that.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your story about your family in Guatemala. I especially liked how you added pictures on your post because it made it easier to imagine the businesses you saw in Nebaj. I have had similar experiences because many of my family members that are from Palestine had similar businesses before they came to the U.S. I agree that many people in different countries don't realize their entrepreneurial potential and have many things to teach us about the subject.
This is so cool. I think the fact that the businesses are locally owned with no intent of expanding brings way more authenticity to the products being sold. You know you're getting something that is unique and created out of enjoyment rather than just for profit. I think it'd be awesome to visit a distant country one day, especially to visit local restaurants and businesses like you did.
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