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In this sideways economy, it’s useful to remember that a lot is going on in Latin America, and much of it is positive. From this writer’s perspective, it’s a matter of turning on your “Opportunity Radar” and using it to expand your horizons. Here are some elements that are worth considering (in no particular order):

1) Brazil, World Cup, 2014 – In every way, this country, which has been accused for decades of being the future of Latin America is now poised to show it in multiple ways. The first, most notable, will be the World Cup, 2014, the premiere sporting event for a soccer-mad world, which is already a catalyst for multi-billion dollar (Brazilian Real$) investments in infrastructure, transportation, communications, airports, shipping ports, hotels and much more. On the heels of the World Cup, 2014, will be Olympic Games, in 2016, on top of an economy that grew at more than 9% (nine percent!) in the most recent calendar quarter, and is a world leader in agriculture, oil exploration and production, industrial output, and so much more. How much have you or your firm taken Brazil into account in your strategic planning for the coming decades?

2) Free Trade Agreement, Colombia – This agreement was negotiated under the George W. Bush administration and then way laid by an opposition Congress, where it languishes today. With leadership from the White House, and a reality check for the Senate and Congress on what it takes to generate jobs and economic output (hint: trade), this FTA can be ratified, and instantly more than US$2 billion in annual exports to Colombia from the USA will flow without tariffs, barriers and delays that currently affect USA exports to Colombia, but do not affect those of Colombia to the USA. How difficult can this international trade agreement be for senators and representatives to understand that this offers a net advantage to USA companies that have or develop export opportunities in Colombia? What are you doing about this, especially in light of Colombia’s recent, peaceful presidential elections and the continuation of sound political and economic policies that Juan Manuel Santos will continue after taking over from Alvaro Uribe, as president of this country?

3) Let Truckers Truck and Commerce Expand – in the early ‘90’s Canada, the USA and Mexico negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement, which proved to be a boon for trade and commerce amongst the three countries. Notwithstanding this, political opposition from US trucking companies and unions has stymied the ability of Mexican trucking companies and Mexican drivers from freely transporting their cargo across the US border, in clear violation of the terms and conditions of NAFTA. It’s time for that to change. When a sovereign nation (or three in this case), agrees to specific terms and conditions for the promotion of trade, it is absolutely unprofessional and unjust to thereafter fail to comply. Once the White House comes through with recent promises made to President Felipe Calderón, of Mexico, for the elimination of these trucking restrictions, that country will remove more than $2 billion in punitive tariffs it imposed on multiple US exports (fruit, nuts, wine, etc.) that clearly affect US producers and exporters. This is a political issue, but again, with your “Oppportunity Radar” on, you’ll likely see that trade and international commerce between the USA and Mexico can only be improved with these kinds of issues resolved. Are you in a position to prosper from this?

4) Cloud Computing – Ever since the Internet became a force in world business in the middle ‘90’s, we have seen its reach extend ever onward to new ways of doing business. This is true in Latin America, as well, and just this one example of the “Cloud” becoming a means of delivering services, products, consulting and other offerings should be something that you take as another harbinger of prosperity in Latin America. Today you can easily spot offerings such as “Software as a Service”, “Storage as a Service”, “Managed Security as a Service” and many others being made available via the “Cloud”. The sky is the limit (pun intended), so what are you waiting for? How are you using the cloud? How is your company pushing its offerings via the cloud?

So, despite the economic doldrums affecting the USA and other markets, I suggest you turn on your “opportunity radar” and get out there to find the many opportunities that Latin America offers you now, and in the future.

By the way, if you've read this far, you might ask, why am I getting a notification about yet another blog posting? Well, let's just say that in our professional or personal lives, we have shared some time on the "Career Path Expressway", and I hope these periodic writings will be added-value to what you are doing now, and in the future. Enjoy (or delete), whichever suits your fancy.

Thanks for reading.

© Daniel A. Cabrera C., TopExec.org, All rights reserved, 2010.

Mr. Cabrera blogs periodically on multiple topics on this website, as well as on the following: http://latinknowhow.blogspot.com and welcomes your comments and readership. For expertise in all things Latin America, international business development, sales, territory management and creative, client-facing solutions, please contact: DCabrera@TopExec.org