20 May 2013
Today is the 3rd installment in the series “Starting a business in Ecuador”. After defining your business idea, how you plan to fund it, and what type of legal entity your business will be, the next very important step in Ecuador is obtaining your tax ID number, or “RUC”. If you’re thinking about [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
12 May 2013
You don’t need money to start a business. You need balls. It’s true, for the right idea, the money seems to appear. I arrived in Ecuador a little over a year and a half ago… a few thousand in debt from years of travel abroad. Upon arrival I rented a hole-of-a-room in Quito with a [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Expat Lifestyle
10 May 2013
Want to get pumped for an upcoming trip (or move) to Latin America? Sometimes there’s nothing better than a good movie to do the trick. Here are 12 of my top picks to really get you in the mood for Ecuador (or anywhere south of the border). 12. Yuniol - This hilarious Dominican film is based in [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Expat Lifestyle
05 May 2013
There’s a lot of bad information out there on this topic. And it can cost you thousands. I for one have been burned due to choosing my business type inconrrectly. Lawyers are supposed to know the difference, and they’ll say they do. But most don’t. The first step to starting any new business in Ecuador [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
30 April 2013
Sometimes you just have to play the cards you were dealt. You have to accept the negatives to being a foreigner in Ecuador (one is that you will NEVER get the same prices for most things that the locals get, no matter how long you live here nor how well you speak Spanish. It is [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Expat Lifestyle
28 April 2013
I think everyone should be in two types of businesses… in Ecuador. Hospitality and agriculture. Agriculture is self-explanatory. Some people invest in metals, others the stock market, others rely on their pensions, but I say, if/when the sh-i-t really hit the fan, I think its best to have something real, something people need… like food. [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
24 April 2013
“So, they got me for $2000.” My friend said upon recently entering Ecuador 30 minutes earlier. “Mother f##kers man,” I responded shaking my head with disgust. You see, he and his friend just came into Ecuador with $13k in cash each, the limit according to the Ecuador customs official was $10k per person. The official [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Expat Lifestyle
21 April 2013
This week I sold a business I owned and ran for a year and half, Hostal Murali in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It was going good, in fact, January of this year, 2013, was a record month in sales for us. It wasn’t even really for sale. I just got an offer and took it. Business is [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
14 April 2013
I get this question a lot… “Should I Rent or Buy property in Ecuador?” Complicated question, with a simple answer. Most people who move to Ecuador wish to at least maintain their standard of living, if not improve it, while seriously lowering their cost of living. To do that, you should buy on the coast [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
07 April 2013
Teak wood is at a premium. India craves it. And Ecuador has it. And right now the Ecuador government is offering an incentive for reforestation projects reimbersing 75% of the operating costs of any reforestation project for the first 4 years of growth, which happen to be the most costly years of the harvest. Teak [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
05 April 2013
Recently, I completed my first export from Ecuador. Ecuador-themed 2013 wall calendars. A big 9 kilo box of them. What did I learn? Well, it’s not as easy as just taking them to DHL and “chao”. 1. First, you have to check to see if the product you’re shipping will have to pay import tariffs [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Expat Lifestyle, Investor News/Analysis
31 March 2013
“I’d love to offer my marketing service to Ecuador businesses, but what would they pay me?” A friend told me recently over a coffee in Ecuador. He was right. Did Ecuadorian businesses need his service, just like businesses in the US do? Yes. But were they willing to pay him what the service is worth? [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Expat Lifestyle, Investor News/Analysis
30 March 2013
There´s a few things in Ecuador that will straight shock you when you see them… …like when… 1.You see Ecuadorian males drown their French fries in Mayonnaise. 2. You see milk in unrefrigerated boxes on the shelves of grocery stores. 3. You pay $1 for a taxi ride in Quito, Cuenca or many of the [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Expat Lifestyle
24 March 2013
The first thing people ask me when they meet me is… So why’d you choose Ecuador? Good question. Well, here’s how Ecuador compares to the other countries where I’ve lived or spent significant time over the last 10 years. Here’s my take based on my own experiences, despite my critique i really did enjoy [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Ecuador Q&A, Expat Lifestyle
15 March 2013
Like flat oceans good for swimming? Or maybe rockin’ waves? How about lush green jungle right to the water’s edge? Or dry-as-a-bone landscapes with low humidity? For such a small country, the Ecuador coast has it all… so where should you begin? Here are my top picks… flat ocean good for swimming, [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Ecuador Q&A, Ecuador Travel Guides
07 March 2013
Want to know where to sleep for cheap in Ecuador? Considering I don’t really have an official home, it’s safe to say I spend a lot of time in hotels. So, here are my value picks for all over Ecuador, in other words, where I stay. You won’t see the Hilton or Marriot on this [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Ecuador Q&A, Ecuador Travel Guides
24 February 2013
Man, I wish someone would have told me this a year and a half ago. Really, sometimes info is worth money. The door to Ecuador residency really is wider open than it even seems to be. Now, the easiest way to get a resident visa in Ecuador is to prove you have a pension of [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
15 February 2013
The new airport scheduled to open February 20 will have profound effects on the city of Quito. Skyscapers will now be allowed to be built higher, which could drive already high (for Ecuador) property prices downward. The area around the current airport will probably wither on the vine, it already is a seedy area [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
09 February 2013
Lot on hill facing the bay. Neighbors are foreigners. Land is ready to build on. Contact info: Louie and Katherine Villasaya Lkvillasaya@gmail.com Magic jack 647-693-1176 Skype Lkvillasaya To be notified of similar properties for sale as soon as they hit the market, sign up for my weekly email alerts below, you can unsubscribe at any [...]
Posted in Beach properties, Listings by Area, Listings by Price, Listings by Type, Manta Area, Under $50k, Vacant land for sale
05 February 2013
“They paid …how… much?” … … I said earlier this week while visiting a wedding on a hacienda (small country home) outside of Quito. “$1500, just for the day.” The owner of the hacienda told me. “Damn.” I responded, “and they don’t even sleep here.” It’s true, from my time in Ecuador I’ve noticed no [...]
Posted in Ecuador for Investors, Investor News/Analysis
