In all my years spent in Beijing, the only constant was change. What I've came to call home for many years has dramatically changed since 2005. But even though I embrace change, it's never easy. So when I was asked by my parents to come back to Panama to manage the family business, I was quick to accept, but bitterly said good-bye to home.
The time was right. Having a baby boy in one of the most contaminated cities in the world is no easy task. We had 2 heavy duty air filters at home and struggle to find non contaminated produce. In that sense, it was a no brainer... for the baby, it was better that we move.
On the professional side, China was showing signs of a slowdown and I was becoming tired of the many bureaucratic problems plaguing the Chinese government system and the rise of a dangerous nationalistic pride that might overshadow all my entrepreneurial efforts along the years. But I love a good challenge and I was very resilient to give up on my dream. But it was getting very hard to find the kind of customer that INPASIA needed being in China, and if I wanted to grow, I would inevitably have to spend more time in Latin America. Ehhh... so going back might not be a bad idea.
My parents wanted me to manage Eco-Klean, a company that with the help of my Dad and my brother, during my early youth we made it to be the first and most important environmental company in the country. The company was suffering inadequate managerial practices and had problems with cash flow and liquidity. Moreover, it was my brother who had been managing the company during the time I wasn't in Panama. It was not going to be an easy task.
I arrived on May 31st and the next day I was at the plant. Eager to make changes. Eager to keep the company afloat.
Being in China for so long, having to struggle everyday with language barriers, miss conception about foreigners, the government, competition, strategy and basically starting from zero (no network, no help, no family)... this was not a walk in the park, but it was relative easy to understand what I had to do in the next few months: establish administrative policies and help the operation department increase their efficiency and speed. But the hard part was taking my brother off the team and facing my family over my decisions.
The time was right. Having a baby boy in one of the most contaminated cities in the world is no easy task. We had 2 heavy duty air filters at home and struggle to find non contaminated produce. In that sense, it was a no brainer... for the baby, it was better that we move.
On the professional side, China was showing signs of a slowdown and I was becoming tired of the many bureaucratic problems plaguing the Chinese government system and the rise of a dangerous nationalistic pride that might overshadow all my entrepreneurial efforts along the years. But I love a good challenge and I was very resilient to give up on my dream. But it was getting very hard to find the kind of customer that INPASIA needed being in China, and if I wanted to grow, I would inevitably have to spend more time in Latin America. Ehhh... so going back might not be a bad idea.
My parents wanted me to manage Eco-Klean, a company that with the help of my Dad and my brother, during my early youth we made it to be the first and most important environmental company in the country. The company was suffering inadequate managerial practices and had problems with cash flow and liquidity. Moreover, it was my brother who had been managing the company during the time I wasn't in Panama. It was not going to be an easy task.
I arrived on May 31st and the next day I was at the plant. Eager to make changes. Eager to keep the company afloat.
Being in China for so long, having to struggle everyday with language barriers, miss conception about foreigners, the government, competition, strategy and basically starting from zero (no network, no help, no family)... this was not a walk in the park, but it was relative easy to understand what I had to do in the next few months: establish administrative policies and help the operation department increase their efficiency and speed. But the hard part was taking my brother off the team and facing my family over my decisions.
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