Starting a Business in Peru

[algernonsidney]

I'm thinking of going to Peru and starting a business there. I really don't know where to start, of course. Does anyone here know anyone who is there? Is anyone there now?

Thank you.

 

[BaalChatzaf]

5 hours ago, algernonsidney said:

I'm thinking of going to Peru and starting a business there. I really don't know where to start, of course. Does anyone here know anyone who is there? Is anyone there now?

Thank you.

 

Why Peru?????

[algernonsidney]

Peru is where most of the world's Amazonian plant medicines come from. That will be my business.

Do you have any helpful ideas or suggestions?

 

 

 

 

[SteveWolfer]

46 minutes ago, algernonsidney said:

Do you have any helpful ideas

A woman I knew many years ago wanted to help preserve the rain forest.  She worked with plant experts to find certain seeds, leaves and such that could be harvested, but only if the rain forest was left pristine, and she worked with manufacturers of shampoos and such to incorporate those natural ingredients.  This created an economic incentive to leave the rain forest as it is instead of cutting it down.  I don't know if there are now acres of rain forest that are there only because of her, but I do know she ended up making a lot of money.

What ever you do watch out for the unexpected barriers that can arise from import regulations.  Twice there were things I wanted to do outside of the US that were killed by import regulations (one had to do with peanuts and the other with leather goods - thought I'd better mention that least people let their imaginations run wild)

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Chris (algernonsidney),

This is a tall order shooting in the dark.

I would start by opening an import/export company of some kind here in the USA. Actually incorporate (LLC or something). If you don't have a decent lawyer, Legalzoom is cheap and works just fine. Then actually travel to Peru to meet people and set up business dealings. Literally go there.

Also, visit the Peruvian embassy (and/or any relevant consulate) here in the USA. And in Peru, visit the USA embassy and any local consulate you find. Simply ask them about requirements for exporting to the USA from Peru, foreign exchange, etc. Maybe even do this online. These places generally have a ton of literature to look at. And if you can manage to schmooze with them, they will give you all kinds of inside advice.

(Hell, do this with Brazil, too.  )

That's one attack.

Another is to seek out companies that make supplements from exotic Amazonian plants. The Internet is full of them. Visit them, call them, email them, etc. and simply ask them how they do it. Friendly people are generally quite helpful, even with a potential competitor. Even if you knock on 100 doors and only one opens, that's the one that will change your life. Expect some assholes, too, but just ignore them and let them go into the churn.

I don't want to sound condescending, but I don't know your level of knowledge about business. So, should you just be at the dreaming stage right now, take a business course (like Score) and a marketing course, for that matter. I recommend direct response marketing for this kind of product, especially starting out. It is not rocket science and many great marketing messages are even templated. Also, maybe an Amazon FBA course so you can sell your products on Amazon. 

btw - Do you speak Spanish? If not, start learning. You can even learn online for free in several places (like here, for example).

That's kind of basic, I know, but without knowing more, it's what I can do off the top of my head. 

I don't have any contacts down there since I've never been to Peru. And the people I know in Brazil do not mess with this kind of thing. 

Good luck to you. I wish you success.

Michael

[SteveWolfer]

Lots of people make a mistake of thinking they have to find a new idea.  Often what works better is finding an idea that is already working for other, mastering the details, then doing it better.  Michael is right when he says this is shooting in the dark.  If you are reasonably young you can learn by working for someone in a business to learn it from the inside out.  Why Peru?

[BaalChatzaf]

9 hours ago, algernonsidney said:

Peru is where most of the world's Amazonian plant medicines come from. That will be my business.

Do you have any helpful ideas or suggestions?

 

 

 

 

I have a caution.  

1. What are the import regulations?

2. Do the people who identify and prepare these materials have documentation which will meet FDA specifications for safety and effectiveness?

One of the reasons that pharmaceuticals are so expensive in the U.S.  is the cost of meeting FDA  specifications....

Please do not think I am trying to discourage you.  I am not.  But there are regulations and costs you will have to contend with.

[algernonsidney]

Michael,

It's not such a tall order. People from all over the world are travelling to Peru to go to retreats where Amazonian plant medicines are served in ceremonies. The biggest problem might be that the plants can only grow so fast. It's starting to boom, and some of the retreat centers are raising their prices because they can. The demand for medicine is definitely ahead of the supply.

For example, kambo comes from a frog venom. Some people tried keeping the frogs in captivity. They found that doing this changed the frog's diet and thus changed the venom. It was no longer effective.

I'm not really interested in jumping through the legal hoops to do this in the USA. It's been a herculean feat just to get marijuana legal in medical contexts. Why should I go through this when I could just go to Peru and avoid all the hassles in America? The most effective way people have gotten around the legal hurdles is to declare themselves to be churches.

I don't know of any company which sells these supplements. If they are out there, none of my associates have mentioned them to me. I do know there are places who sell plants, which can then be brewed into the medicines.

I know one guy who is going to spend a year with a foundation in Peru. I am Facebook friends with another guy who has been running a "medicine house" since the 1980's. I've also been to Peter Gorman's house twice. He used to be editor of High Times and first wrote about Amazonian medicines for the magazine back in the 1980's.

There is also medicine activity going on in Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil. "Mainstream" doctors in South America are also starting to take notice of what these Amazonian medicine men are accomplishing. I'm not sure of the legal status of the medicines in other countries like Chile.

I'd like to apprentice somewhere in Peru. That would be the best start. The center of all this is in Iquitos, a town of about 400,000 on the Amazon. It's only accessibly by plane or by boat.

The USA is a dying nation which doesn't seem salvageable at this point. South America will likely be the safest place to be in the next 100 years or so. Europe is totally screwed. Africa will still be Africa. I still remember Rand's essay "Don't Let It Go." Things have went way downhill since she wrote that.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

6 hours ago, algernonsidney said:

Michael,

It's not such a tall order.

Chris,

I didn't mean it's a tall order to do.

I meant it's a tall order to offer advice when there were so few concretes in your request.

"Going to Peru and starting a business there" but not knowing where to start is a bit expansive for someone not in your head, don't you think?  

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

6 hours ago, algernonsidney said:

I'm not really interested in jumping through the legal hoops to do this in the USA.

Chris,

That's easy, then. Move to Peru and network. Just go there. That's what I did with Brazil. Start by learning a little about their legal code or finding someone like a lawyer who knows.

Where do you intend to sell your products? In Peru, also?

Michael