If you live in a poor country, you’re dealing with a lot of upsides and downsides. There are a lot of obvious downsides. Poor healthcare, lack of a welfare state, fewer job opportunities, increased risk of instability and violence. But there are also a lot of upsides which also lure people to poor countries, namely adventure and chance for economic growth. The world hasn’t been kind to the American system of hedgemony, and a lot of countries are seeing rapid improvements to quality of life. Coming in as a foreigner offers you a way to come in on top, so to speak. But there is one major downside that all foreigners looking to move to poor countries and start a business should be aware of, because it will shape how you go through life and your career.
Lack of information
If you spend about 5 years in a poor country, you’re going to have a lot less money and information than someone living in a wealthy country. People in poor countries will have access to cheap technology from wealthier countries, such as cellphones. But in reality, the flow of information is stymied by borders, languages, and education levels. People in poor countries don’t have access to the same networks, social groups, and levels of information that wealthy people do. As a result, life is a lot harder for intelligent people. They need to spend time reinventing the wheel. It will often take someone from a poor country years of backbreaking work to arrive at the same point a Westerner does financially. It’s quite unfair, although we tend to be happier than people in rich countries when all’s said and done. A lot of this inequality of outcome comes from lack of resources.
Pick an industry which has yet to arrive to your country
This is really the key to success. You want to be in an industry where the results are pretty much guaranteed. You want people who have done what you are doing in the past, in wealthier countries. You want the businesses to still be around today in some way, shape, or form. In the case of the written word, that’s blogging. A lot of the world is about to get their first desktop computer. Blogging will likely have a resurgence, as people increasingly reject AI slop.
Don’t get shiny object syndrome
If you pick a task, stick to it. Stick to your task until it is complete so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. Shiny object syndrome is a killer. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself starting from square one all over again. It’s better to build on what you already have. Don’t get distracted by down years. Stick with macro trends and follow them. Build businesses which have a history of lasting, have a proven track record, and fit with the global economy. In my opinion these are blogs and forums at the moment. Search engines (perhaps AI powered), will likely be of interest a few years from now.
Learn economics
You want to learn the basics of how economics works, so that you can do what it takes to fulfill the economic requirements necessary to achieve your goals. If you have no idea how money works, there’s no chance of you being able to win. Learn absolutely everything you can about economics so that you can win at life, even if you don’t end up going into business. Understanding how money works will cause you to wake up and realize that if you want a shot at a good life, you have to work like a dog. No matter what you end up doing, hard work is the barrier between you and your dreams.
Put yourself in the upper group
If you want to be noticed, create something that people can’t deny. If you want to be a writer, create a lot of blog content, or write a lot of books. If you want to be musician, start making music. The more you create the more freedom you’re able to buy for yourself. Your audience compounds. You just need to make into the top 1% in order to succeed. If you outwork everyone, you should be able to push your way into the top 10%. From there the sky is the limit.
Hang out with the right people
Falling in with the wrong crowd means disaster. Protect your energy. Guard it with your life. If you hang out with the wrong people, you’re as good as dead. You’ll realize this as you start to improve your life. If you don’t, disaster is likely in store for you. Hang out with the right people so that you can win. Don’t allow losers to drag you down or make your life worse.
Self educate
Make sure that you do research on whatever industry you want to learn about. Teach yourself some stuff so that you can have an advantage over the rest. The harder you work and the more you learn, the smarter you become. Self-educating won’t only give you background knowledge. It’ll improve your thought patterns and processes. You’ll be a better decision maker and creator of systems.
If you move to a poor country, don’t expect to be surrounded by educated, cosmopolitan people. They exist as they do everywhere, but it’s just not possible for people who are super poor to know the same stuff that those who have gone to nice, government funded schools their whole lives do. You need to be aware of how deeply this all impacts the economy as you work. It’s a seriously important thing to understand. Make sure you work hard, stay creative, and educate yourself at every opportunity you get if you’re living in a poor country. It’s possible to succeed if you just follow the steps required.
Thanks for paying attention.
