The event was (as far as I understood) arranged by Lima Valley, a group I have mixed feelings about. (And as I just realized, have the most terrible SEO ever in spite of using WordPress). Nonetheless the event was allright, with a free buffet and some wine – and even free T-Shirts as you can see on the photos in the bottom of this post.

Most surprisingly I actually thought that the people attending this event knew at least the basic of SEO. But when the first speaker came on and asked “How many knows what Keyword Research is?”, only 2-3 other people in the room put their hands up. This was a bit of an “omg” moment; because this is so basic and fundamentally important for SEO in general.

All in all the event gave me some nice inspirations and thoughts about the state of SEO and Internet in general here in Peru. It hasn’t moved much since I came here, and although it is changing bit by bit, the process is really going slow. I’m hoping to spread my series of SEO for Developers a bit in the community, it is certainly something they need to learn here. All good SEO starts with the developers – if your CMS is directly hurting your rankings, all other optimizing is pointless.
I also think there might be some good opportunities in this field now, and to be one of the first movers. This might be something I will try to focus on in the upcoming months.

To sum up, then I am looking forward to following the development of the SEO as the markets in Latin America starts to mature and get more traction. It will definitely be interesting to follow an upcoming and merging market like this.

What is your experiences with SEO in Peru and the Latin American markets? Where is the biggest differences, between SEO en Europe / USA compared to South America?

Similarities

- Family-oriented culture

This is one of the things I previously blogged in Danish about, especially as you can get some frustrations when you are coming from the much more liberate western culture. The Chileans also tend to live for very long with their relatives, and it is not uncommon that they still live with their parents in the beginning of their 30′s. However I will admit, that this culture seems to be changing bit by bit as the middle-class advances, and with the cheaper 1-bedroom apartments that one can find around the center of the city, where many students and young people seem to settle down to avoid living far away from their universities.

– Willingness to accept mistakes & responsibilities

This is not something I cannot confirm personally, but it is something that I have heard from other entrepreneurs and Chileans alike. In Peru it is one of the main frustrations in doing business with Peruvians or hiring Peruvians; we had bad experiences with both individual programmers and outsourcing everything to companies. Most of the time you will hear the “I will fix it tomorrow!” instead of them simply admitting they have problems or asking for help. And apparently this is also one of the things that stick in the culture of the Chileans, so I expect it to be very general in Latin-america.

– The culture of big companies

It is mostly wanted to get a job in one of the big companies after your education; especially LAN is something most of the Chileans wish to work for when their finish their education. (They fact that LAN, according to several friends working there, is a terrible place once you get hired is another point)

This also makes it all that harder for the smaller companies and startups to attract the good talent, because most of them will prefer the secure and often higher salaries of the big corporations.

– Lacking talent-pool for Tech StartUps

It is near impossible to find good developers in Peru; there are very few of them, and the ones who are actually really talented work for either the big companies (banks, etc) or at one of the few developing houses that makes solutions for the biggest companies. This also makes the few talents all the more expensive, and not really an option for bootstrapping startups.

The same situation seems to be here in Chile, where 80% of the StartUp Chile teams from last year have been looking for developers, and very few has found them. Either the talent pool in Chile is also too small, like in Peru, or there is simply a lack of communication. I have also met other startups, including two Danish entrepreneurs using Chilean programmers, who has confirmed that finding skilled programmers is extremely hard in Chile.

Differences

- Much better infrastructure in Santiago

I have to admit that one of the things I hate most about Lima, is the terrible infrastructure; there is no metro, no fast means of transportation. Only terrible and crazy combies and taxis - admittedly very cheap, but also annoying, chaotic and directly dangerous for your health. The Metro de Santiago is such a great thing, and even though it can be very crowded in rush hours, it is a billion times better than the public transportation of Lima, and well worth the price.

- Rising middle-class in Chile

The middle-class which is so ever-important for the economy and stability of a country is growing fast in Chile, and creates not only a much higher market for the StartUps here, but also the politic stability which is missing in countries like Peru. Thanks to the huge lower-class and small middle- and high-classes of Peru, they have put themselves in a situation that (in my opinion) will set the country back many years, no matter who they choose for a president. Its pest or cholera; Humala who is a left-wing Chavez-wannabe on the one side, and Keiko Fujimori, the young daughter of ex-President Alberto Fujimori, in prison right now charged with corruption and breaking human rights. Thanks to their appealing politics to the lower-class (which is, sorry to state the fact, the un-educated part of the country), Peru is now much less attractive.

- Corrupted Peru vs a Chile with almost no corruption

In Peru you can bribe pretty much everyone; from the government officials to the local police-man stopping you while driving. In fact they mostly just stop you to receive a bribe, as low as 5 soles, and this makes a huge different in the respect of authorities and growth of the country. Chile is with its low level of corruption, a great example for the rest of South America.

- Rising Entrepreneur culture and meetup groups in Santiago

Since I am fairly new in Santiago, I have enjoyed spending up to several evenings during the week, going to the different meetups arranged here. Originally starting with Start-Up Chile organizing events every Thursday, we have have several events like Mapocho Valley mentioned in the beginning of this very long post. It is a great and very inspiring way to meet new people, and I have personally made both new friends and great business contacts through these events. Furthermore it makes it a lot easier to get closer to the Chilean startups and the talented Chileans (for example developers and graphic artists), plus with the new 110 StartUps coming around June/July it will furthermore help to inspire the local Chileans to jump into entrepreneurship.

If you made it all the way down to this last paragraph, it meant that you read my more than 1000 words on differences and similarities of Peru vs Chile. Either you just have too much time, or are really interested on the subject, so please feel free to join the discussion and add whatever similarities and differences you know about between South American countries in the comments.

We Lock Our Doors!

In our office, we don’t just have a door with a lock. We have a metal bar behind the door, a normal lock and a big metal gate that we lock too when leaving the office. Not like we have anything really important or valuable in our office. But this is Peru; and we are a bit paranoid. I’m sure we would get robbed, if we didn’t have at least 3 locks! And bars for the windows, because people could crawl up on 3rd floor and break through the windows.. We can’t have that, so lets make sure there is bars for all the windows.

Is it just me that have this feeling of being paranoid in Peru? Living here for so long, this is one of the things that I get a bit tired of. Nobody dares trusting in anyone. If someone trusts in you, you screw them over. That seems to be the general mentality here in Peru sometimes, and they make up for it with this paranoia feeling.

What do you think? Am I completely wrong in the fact that the Peruvians brought this paranoia on themselves? Throw you opinion in the comments

Im talking about “La Ley Seca” (Spanish), a law that applies 48 hours before the election begins, until 24 hours after. Effectively it means that shops and restaurants are not allowed to sell alcohol during the weekend, and discos and bars are forced close Friday and Saturday night. No nightlife allowed for the Peruvians this weekend, they have to be sober and ready to vote.

I honestly don’t know the exact rules, but from what I can read and have heard from several Peruvian friends, is that shops will be fined for selling alcohol, as well as people drinking in the streets; however I am not sure on their rights to enforce this law in private homes. But as a Dane (and without rights to vote anyway), I don’t like the idea of anybody telling me that I cannot enjoy the consumption of my favorite beverages, so naturally there are already plans for some private “Prohibition Parties”. There is always a good reason to drink, and not being allowed is certainly one of them.

The funniest rumor I have heard, is that the police are not allowed to arrest people for general offenses (being drunk, fighting, etc.), because they want them to vote. Wonder how that can work well. Some people have told me that the stores in general sell will sell a lot more alcohol up to this weekend, and people usually drink even more during the weekend; that shows how much respect they have for this “Ley Seca” – pretty typical in the Peruvian culture.

If you know some more about “La Ley Seca”, feel free to post a comment and make me smarter. Maybe you have some tips on fun places to get drunk this weekend? Or do you feel that this law is completely necessary and fair?

One thing is sure; I wont be sober this weekend.

From Soldier to Backpacker to Business Entrepreneur
My original plan was going back to the army, after finishing my 4 months of duty in DANILOG (Danish International Logistical Center). First I had planned to travel through South- and Central America for 6-9 months, before returning to Denmark and hoping to get a contract and go on a mission to Afghanistan with the Danish Army.

Not even 3 months into my big journey in South America, I reach Lima and stay for about a week in Miraflores, Peru. I end up meeting a lot of amazing and awesome people, revive an old business idea I got the first time I was in South America, and within 2 weeks in Lima I decided that I would give it a shot – Living in Lima for a year.

Getting Used to Combies and Contrasts
I must admit that I love Lima by all my heart. It feels like the right place for me right now, and I love the contrasts of old and new, rich and poor, expensive and cheap, that you see everywhere in Lima. I might live in one of the expensive and rich areas of the town at the moment, but the fact for me is, this is what the future of Peru should look like. I don’t believe in solving 3rd world problems by donating money so the poor can get some food; I believe the only way to help the 3rd world is creating a future for them. Something that doesn’t solve the problem right now, but over a period of time and I only see this possible in creating a stable economic, creating jobs and run the old mill of capitalism.

Lima has its flaws but with more than 8 million people (in 2007 that is) this city is more populated than Denmark with our 5,5 million people. When I was back home in August, even our biggest city Copenhagen felt like a small place. Living in a city bigger than my country honestly leaves some marks.

Running a Small Business – Keep Your Focus!
The most important lesson I have learned in 2009, is to keep focus on what you are dealing with right now. I have been moving away from my startup several times, ending up in a huge delay. My Google Sniper Sites project ended up taking way too much time and making me lose focus, even though I learned a lot from the project. Right now I am focusing 100% of my time on my current business goals, getting evisitcard translated to Spanish, finish the system and hopefully start entering the Peruvian market.

So my best advice from 2009 can only be to keep focus. I have delayed my adventure for way too long, because I didn’t keep focus on what I was actually here to do, and instead was acting like a dreamer, spreading my timer over too many different projects. If you want success with your Small Business, remember to keep your focus.

Blog Statistics from 2009
As the blog started out as a travelers blog, telling a bit about my experiences (and playing around with SEO, posting about places I visited) I never expected much for the blog. I still managed to get around 200 monthly unique visitors, with December 2009 peaking with over 500 unique visitors. In total more than 3000 unique visitors stopped by my blog, with a bounce rate on just around 60%. It hasn’t been the most active blog, with only 31 posts and 65 comments during the year, but I am quite satisfied so far as I have changed the direction of the blog. The visitors started picking up after I wrote about my Affiliate Marketing adventure with Google Sniper in October, so in the coming time I will focus more on useful posts for Small Business owners, Internet Marketers and in general tips for people working with Online Marketing like myself.

If you have any special request about what you would like to read more about, please feel free to post some comments on the blog. I hope 2010 will be a more active year, and wish you all the best of luck in 2010.

One of the blogs I follow is Rune Risdom, a Dane who also writes about his work with Just-Eat, where you can order food online. His latest post about how they expand with their own delivery service, so small restaurants like Sushi-places are able to get delivery too, made me think about how much I miss the concept of Just-Eat, which I so far havent found in Lima.

Let me start by saying, that you can get pretty much everything delivered here in Lima – from fastfood, pizzas and sandwiches to drugs from pharmacies. This is all great, but you need to know the number, what you want to order a know a bit spanish. But there is no online ordering for delivery, and so far I only found only ordering on Bembos.

What I really miss, is a solution as simple as Just-Eat, where you can search on all restaurants nearby, get the menu, and take your time to make your order online – and pay with your credit card. I think that Lima is a city which would be really great for a concept like this, and if you have the resources, experience and capital to create a brand like Just-Eat in Lima, you could do very well.

All I can do, is hope that a company like Just-Eat could see the advantage in this market, and find ways to get out to customers here. With the development of Lima and Peru in general, I wouldnt be surprised to see online ordering taking a portion of the market, just like we see it in countries like Denmark and England.

If you have any tips, experiences or comments on ordering food in Lima or concepts like Just-Eat in Lima / Peru, feel free to leave a comment in the post.

In this post I will pretty much limit it to show you some of my photos from Lima (Miraflores Peru). I havent been taking alot of pictures yet, so I will hopefully upload a lot more photos from Lima later. The building I live in right now has 21 floors, where the top floor is a roof top terrace. From the roof you get an amazing view over all of Lima, as this building is one of the highest buildings in Lima. On the pictures you can also see the neighbooring districts like Barranco, San Isidro and Surquillo. I go up there from time to time, as I love the view, and it feels like a “small sanctuary” when living in the big city. So one evening I went up there right before the sunset, and this is where these photos are from. Enjoy!

ExpatPeru.com – all the information you need
I think ExpatPeru.com is my most used source for information. On the site they have all sorts of usefull information, articles and more – everything an expat needs. But for me the most important thing about the site, is the forum. Being active and posting in the forum can first of all get you alot of good contacts, but second of all makes you much more clever on the expat life. This is where you go to ask other expats for helps on problems with moving to Peru. People on this forum are generally very nice, and spend a lot of time answering your questions and helping your.
Through this forum I got several valuable resources – I will highly recommend this to everyone thinking of moving to Peru or living in Peru.

LivingInPeru.com – Another interesting expat community
On Living in Peru you can find alot of usefull information as well as news from Peru. This site also have a big forum, but I have to admit that I have not yet used this forum as much as ExpatPeru.com. I think the best thing about Living in Peru is their Classifieds section, where everyone can put up an ad for apartment, jobs, selling private stuff or whatever you need. I actually found my current apartment through the classifieds section of Living in Peru.
All in all the site is not that different from ExpatPeru.com, but I think its mostly about just picking what you like best, or use both. I plan to use Living in Peru more in the future, as this also is a good place to get contacts and information about moving to Lima.

Other good resources
There is quite a few sites out there, but here is some of the other valuable sites I’ve used so far to find information about moving to Lima:

The Ultimate Peru List
A great list made by naturegirl321 from the Living in Peru forum. This list covers almost everything you need to know, if your looking in to moving to Lima!

Expat blog
This site is mostly interesting because it links to a lot of different expat blogs, where people tell the tales of their lives in a new country. You can also list your own expat blog here.

More expat resources?
If you know more good expat resources, especially for South America, feel free to leave a comment on this post, and share your experiences. What do you think about the online expat communities? And what are your thoughts of using the internet as a way of not only getting information, but also vital business contacts and contacts to other expats in general?

Why start a business in Lima?
You can read more about why and how I made the decision on my About-page. But I am really excited about this, though I have a lot of work to do. I still have to figure out how to structure everything in the future, so I wont be taxed twice (as the Danish tax is 40-60% and the peruvian tax is 15-30%, it could end up being quite expensive). There is ofcourse also the problem with working visa, with should be a pain to get, but proberly is pretty easy compared to going the other way around… If you have any information or experience with these things, feel free to make a comment on the post – I really apreciate any information I can get on this subject!

What will you be writing about now?
As living in Peru makes a good base for exploring more of South America during the next year, I will try to keep writing some posts about travel experiences and travel tips. However it is no longer the main theme for the blog. Mainly I will try to post about my life in Miraflores Peru, and the process of moving to Peru and starting business in Peru. There will also be more posts about private opinions and things i find interesting. It is my goal that writing about my way of moving to Peru and starting business in Peru will help other people searching for information and thinking about starting business in Peru.

If you find this blog interesting, got any questions, feedback or just wanna make your mark, make sure you throw a comment on the blog. And if you just so happend to travel through or visit Lima, make sure to give me a call, and I’ll help you as much as I can in this wonderful city!

Saludos
Christian Jessen