WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BELIZE A GOOD PLACE TO DO BUSINESS

Belize is small. Almost any business venture will require less startup

capital than it would anyplace else. Advertising campaigns can easily focus

on specific groups or target areas.

Belizean Law is based upon British Common Law. This means that if you're from

a similar country (like the US) you understand the principles of law

already. Contracts are the same, proceedings are the same, and -- most

importantly -- property rights are respected. Your land will not be

confiscated without due process, which is not true in many Latin American

countries.

Belizeans are hungry for change. They see the world on Television, and they

want it. My friend Peter would say "They are ripe for Consumerism" and he

would be right. That is the job of the media, to inform and to create

desire for products & services, and this is easy to do in Belize because we

have the media.

Belize has a well-established Media. Two television stations, numerous

cable companies, three or four well-attended radio stations, and a group of

newspapers which advertise just about anything that's legal. A phone book

with a yellow pages that's ripe for expansion. Not bad for 270,000 people.

Belize has its own money. See my discussion of dollarization here to

understand why that's a good thing.

The bureaucracy is (mostly) well-documented and reasonably consistent. By

"bureaucracy" I mean the minions who take your fees, record your payments,

and issue certificates, licenses and titles. The process for doing this has

traditionally been manual, but is being more computerized every day.

Belize speaks English -- sorta. It is the language of the country, and the

laws, regulations and records are written in English. Therefore, you can:

a) Negotiate in English

b) Advertise in English

c) Search the laws and records easily.

Belize has a high literacy rate. Belizeans like to read, and there is a

shortage of local news in the towns and villages. If you circulate a flyer,

they will read every word!

Labour is "reasonable." It is not cheap, but the laborers are,

by-and-large, literate and industrious. They need either

a) Close supervision or

b) A motivating structure such as paying for piece work.

Telecom. Belize (now) has established some viable alternatives to BTL for internet

connection. See my articles and references here and here to understand the

stranglehold that BTL has had on Belize for 15 years prior to 2004. 

That's a start...all positives. There are negatives, but that's another piece.

Rick Z  (February 2004).

NEW:  Click here for more about doing business in Belize. 

Newer (Jan 2007)  Somebody wrote me and accused me of being racist because I suggested that Belizean labourers might need close supervision.  Au Contraire!  Most laborers (in any country) need close supervision, or they spend a lot of time watching each other work!   The assembly line keeps them working.  Paying them by the piece keeps them working.  HEY!  I spent two summers as a CalPac cannery worker.  I know how it goes. 

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