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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
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I wasn't "given" the opportunity to start a business here. I "took", along with about $6,000.00 in corporation and other fees, the opportunity. I
haven't been "given" anything here.
FACT: my first Mexican employee was paid over TWICE as much as she earned at the large Mexican owned grocery store along with all she could eat, two
days off a week, 7 hour days and Mexican Social Security paid. (Employers are forced into profit sharing for their employees for your information)
She spent much of her time talking to friends over her cell phone (which I can't afford), and at the business next door flirting with the 2 young
Mexican men who work there. The 3rd (THIRD) time she arrived over an hour late she was "given" the opportunity to not return.
FACT: My second Mexican employee was paid over 3 (THREE) times as much as he formerly earned from his Mexican employer along with the same perks as
above. I adjusted to the daily lateness. However I did object to not showing up at all without calling or any valid excuse. After being offered
DOUBLE HOLIDAY PAY for working a holiday he (for the third time) did not show up for work. He was also "given" the opportunity to not return to work.
FACT: The Mexican woman who cleans at night unsupervised is paid $10.00 an hour, which is more than the minimum wage my daughter earns in the U.S.
She is given any leftover bakery goods she wants but still I am losing some durable item nightly.
My conclusion? Money is not a motivator.
Start your own business here then talk to me.
The other half of the deli.........Joanne
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
Member Is Offline
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Maybe you guys
should have hired a "foreman"
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flyfishinPam
Super Nomad
Posts: 1727
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Loreto, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: gone fishin'
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Jesse brought up a great point!
I for one couldn't be doing the same kind of business north of the border that I do here successfully in Loreto. Thanks for the opportunity Mexico!
I LOVE living here.
Also, what is wrong with paying employees well for a job well done? Or in my case independent contractors? Before I explained to them that to charge
$120 for a fishing trip isn't worth their time, they did just that. Do you think it is fair to keep hard working folks in the dark about basic
business practice? for instance fishing as this is my business... if one charges say, $120.00 for a day of fishing which entails 8 hours guiding
clients and another 2 hours of prepping the boat beforehand, then another 2 hours of cleaning, then pays out $70.00 in fuel and another $30 in
employee fees that leaves the poor sap with $20! So JR do you think its fair to ask someone to work a 12 hour day for $20?? This is before he
maintains his boat, pays the insurance, park fees, pesca fees, port captain fees, etc and before he is able to feed his family?? I think its wise to
educate folks and allow them to make their own informed decisions. The presence of gringos is not at all bad. The captains sure are happy with the
message that I've brought them, to work for a fair and decent wage.
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3370
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Dave
I haven't been "given" anything here.
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I dont want to cause you problems by getting into details so lets just drop this discussion before it gets ugly for you.
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3370
Registered: 11-5-2002
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The key thing here is to hire good people, and by that i mean good Mexican AND American people, many americans foolishly believe that Americans will
be more dependable and honest than Mexicans, but they fail to know that many Americans that live here can?t hack it back home and are here because
they can?t get their act togheter in the United States, so if you hire one of these guys you will end up wishing you hired a Mexican.
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Markitos
Nomad
Posts: 218
Registered: 1-4-2004
Location: San Diego/La Paz
Member Is Offline
Mood: let me check
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High five JESSE, once again it doesnt matter where your are or the color of your skin . There are good folks and there are bad folks. Even in the good
ole USA it'shard to get rid of bad employees. Have you ever tried working in Hawaii? And thats in the USA. Sheesh !
Now Im in trouble
All that wonder are not lost
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tim40
Senior Nomad
Posts: 574
Registered: 3-29-2004
Location: Manhattan Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: There yet?
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Treating people fare and with respect are table stakes the world over. All of us are visitors, even in our native lands, to one degree or another. I
only have 1/2 dozen friends that are from U.S. and Canada that own businesses in Baja and mainland...they certainly live by my first line....
If you know example otherwise...(specifics) it would be an interesting read
When searching for the end of your rainbow you only have until dusk....
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
Member Is Offline
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Say what ?
"So JR do you think its fair to ask someone to work a 12 hour day for $20?? "
Does that mean you ? Or the captains that have been doing this all their lives? Or your secretaries? ? ?
Have you saved them from ? Poverty? Can they buy cars? TV's?, Spend time on the internet defending their position?
Can they do it on their own in case something happens to you as their saviour/business manager? Do they get a cheaper rate than Germanicus?
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64520
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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General Business
Pam just showed them they are worth MORE than $20 a day.... She also points out that $20 didn't include 'overhead'... So, they worked a long day and
had nothing extra to show for it, it seems.
In 1973, we would hire a shark fisherman to take us out in his panga (from near Puerto Escondido) for dorado fishing. We would beach it on an island
for lunch and my parents and I would snorkle for a while. It was great. I was 15, but seems to me his charge was $20. That was Ramon Villalejo...
SallySouth knew him.
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flyfishinPam
Super Nomad
Posts: 1727
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Loreto, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: gone fishin'
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thee saviour? or savor? favor...
| Quote: | Originally posted by jrbaja
"So JR do you think its fair to ask someone to work a 12 hour day for $20?? "
Does that mean you ? Or the captains that have been doing this all their lives? Or your secretaries? ? ?
Have you saved them from ? Poverty? Can they buy cars? TV's?, Spend time on the internet defending their position?
Can they do it on their own in case something happens to you as their saviour/business manager? Do they get a cheaper rate than Germanicus?
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I don't know about being a saviour, but my points are that foreigners that invest in business in the baja are not all as bad as you make them out to
be. change is inevitable and it seems to be what the local folks want. ask some of them sometime as I have. ever look at the Mexican news or
periodicals, hear all the buzz about tourism being the financial saviour for this country? not my personal ideas, but i just happen to be in the
business so i can speak from experience.
my employees have bought cars, air conditioners- some for the first time ever- and one is going to buy a house. they have been able to better their
quality of life as they have told me so. perhaps material comforts are not your idea of quality of life but that's your opinion my particular
employees have their opinion, and yes they are able to cruise the internet, especially the spanish chat sites as I've received messages from them
while I'm at the office and at home. as far as them doing things on their own in case I;m away, of course I plan for that and if something happens to
me..c'mon what kind of nit picky NOYDB question is that? and I never claimed to be a "saviour", only a good and benevolent employer who provides jobs
that are quality positions. so where's YOUR business located? how many employees do you have? and what kind of quality positions do you provide?
what kind of pay to you offer, benefits, advancements?? I'm curious to find out these answers as probably a few others are too.
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jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
Member Is Offline
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Whoa there girl,
I'm askin a question, not pointing fingers. I have stories to back up what I have seen. But, I have also heard a lot of complaining by foreigners
(Los Barriles/Rosarito) who also deserve what they get.
I am happy to hear that you are a benefit to the community. I am not so sure about Dave benefiting the community but he employs so few Mexicans, no
big deal. Great Pastrami and potatoe salad etc.
Dave has an ongoing theft problem apparently. Is this something that you have or are experiencing as well Pam?
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3370
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by flyfishinPam
| Quote: | Originally posted by jrbaja
"So JR do you think its fair to ask someone to work a 12 hour day for $20?? "
Does that mean you ? Or the captains that have been doing this all their lives? Or your secretaries? ? ?
Have you saved them from ? Poverty? Can they buy cars? TV's?, Spend time on the internet defending their position?
Can they do it on their own in case something happens to you as their saviour/business manager? Do they get a cheaper rate than Germanicus?
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I don't know about being a saviour, but my points are that foreigners that invest in business in the baja are not all as bad as you make them out to
be. change is inevitable and it seems to be what the local folks want. ask some of them sometime as I have. ever look at the Mexican news or
periodicals, hear all the buzz about tourism being the financial saviour for this country? not my personal ideas, but i just happen to be in the
business so i can speak from experience.
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Pam,
I have to disagree AND agree with you here, i think investment is good as long as it truly trickles down to the general population, something that is
not happening in Mexico right now, if you take a look at the levels of poverty, purchasing power, and overall prosperity of the Mexican people, you
will see that Mexicans in general havent benefited much from the economic boom coming from NAFTA and the free market, in fact, the purchasing power of
Mexicans is actually going down. The true winners in this economic bonanza are the Mexican and foreign corporations that do business here, they have
managed to monopolized mom and pop businesess in Mexico in the same manner that Walmart is doing in the United States.
Where i do agree with you is that is not the foreing companies fault for doing great business down here, its the Mexican goverments fault for letting
companies come down here and not creating an evironment for Mexican companies to compete with them, or at the very least start new businesses focused
on supplying services or goods to foreign firms. Simply take a look at the maquiladora industry, while Mexico has managed to atract for decades these
factories, most maquilas still have to buy most of their parts in asia, why? there are very few Mexican companies that make parts for the maquila
industry, this is the complete fault of the Mexican goverment for not giving loans and tax breaks to small companies that could start to manufacture
electronic components of the maquila industry, so we have billions of dollars of investments, and all we have to show for are low paying low skilled
jobs that can be shipped quickly to China or India, when we should have by now thousands of Mexicans companies making chips, plastic molds, and all
the electronic components that the maquila industry needs, that is the type of developemt that lifts a nation from poverty.
Its not that current development is bad, its simply that its not doing any good to the Mexican society as a whole, so why do it? all we have is the
same standard of living, our banks now belong to foreign firms, and huge corporations have made mom and pop businesess close all over Mexico.
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