I’ve got a confession to make, I’m a nice guy.
If you’ve ever met me you know, kinda short, kinda soft-spoken, generally nice.
And being nice in a place like Ecuador isn’t necessarily a virtue, it’s a handicap.
But I’ve done pretty good here economically (so far) in spite of it.
As I covered earlier this week, Ecuadorians are GREAT people, but it’s a bit more animalistic down here during conflicts, they have to see it in your eyes you mean business, they have to taste it, or they’ll try to walk all over you.
You can’t rely on the police as much to have your back.
Specifically, in the businessworld in Ecuador (a country where negotiation is common), the biggest challenge for me as a nice guy is to hold firm on my price for pure optical lenses when people ask for discounts. Especially when I really want to sell. Sometimes I’ve even found myself discounting before people even ask. As a nice guy you want to be accommodating, but that’s a big no, no!
You have to value yourself and what you’re doing.
Hasta pronto, if you liked this you’d love my Insider’s newsletter on living and investing in Ecuador,
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