| www.PlanetaVerdeMarAzul.org www.Green Planet Blue Sea.com The Official Website for Maya Neem Farms, Yucatan, Mexico A Model Neem Plantation in Progress for Profitable, Integrated, Sustainable and Ecologically Balanced Rural Development, Renewable Land, Sea and Water Use, and Resource Conservation Page proudly sponsored by: www.YucatanRanchFarmandHome.com |
| Doing your own project in Yucatán, Mexico: An Introduction and Guide for the adventurous Do-It-Yourselfer Starting or buying your own profitable, sustainable, ecologically intelligent Commercial Reforestation Plantation, Ranch, Farm, and/or Tilapia Fish Farm |
| Starting, buying, developing, and/or managing one of the above projects or a synergistic, self-supporting combination of one or more or all of the options listed above requires some basic and essential skills which we will discuss at length below. It sometimes requires monumental patience with...one´s self...and others, an unfailing ability and passion for learning and experimenting and a determination of purpose which may be more innate than learned. You must be able to prioritize, stay focused, multi-task, and be able to tap into, without prior notice, the deepest reserves of your creativity. You must know, or learn how quickly, to delegate and be willing to do so. If you plan to do this all,... and a whole lot more...in Mexico´s Yucatán, you should arrive fairly, if not already totally fluent in the Spanish language. By "fluent" we mean not only linguistically but culturally as well as experientially, both of which take time and patience and we are not talking about a 2 week crash course or language on tape. You need to be able to fit into, function in, and adapt to the total environment you are about to immerse yourself into, knowing ...before you take the plunge... that the environment, the conditions, and the people in it are not there to accommodate to your desires, experience, or preconceived ideas and goals but in many cases just the reverse is the case........ You will need or have a wide variety of technical and academic skills and experience. Hands on experience and/or the fairly rare ability to learn very quickly about, and put to use, knowledge, in some combination, of biology, botany, herpetology, agriculture, animal husbandry, construction, forestry, aquaculture, human resource management, psychology, sociology, history, first aid or, better and additionally, medicine (natural and/or allopathic). Interpersonally, and not unlike where you came from, you need to know and accept in advance that everyone around you will have an opinion which they may share freely or at times with some ulterior motive. You need to be able to recognize the difference. People who have struggled all their lives or perhaps for generations very often see new comers as manna from heaven, a resource to be exploited, the "new kid on the block", the "green horn",etc., and may mistake your openness and friendliness as an invitation to help themselves at your expense. While you are mastering the learning curve, that this cultural right of passage will happen to you is inevitable. That´s why they call it a "learning curve"........ We have worked and lived and traveled in Latin America for over 20 years and are still sometimes struggling, while constantly learning and for all of the sometimes hassles, we love being here, the culture, and the mainly generous and honest people willing to share their lives and experience with us. Nevertheless, we hope you will let us help save you from painfully reinventing the wheel too many times till you learn this for yourself. Let´s go back to the Dominican Republic, 1998, I think it was. We were hired to work as the personal therapist/trainer for a very wealthy, semi-retired, insufferably decadent and egotistical (as it turned out) American producer of music for radio and TV commercials. Mainly very nice guy, but (as we say) more money than sense sometimes and so into himself and his pleasures that he, in the time we were there, never really learned anything about the "people" with whom he was living and interacting. He bought real estate, ranchos, organic beef, and became involved in development and other deals with locals far more astute than he gave them credit for. In the end and perhaps 10 years after we had bid farewell, he arrived in San Francisco where we were living for a time and reported that he had really lost a lot of money, especially with his multiple ranchos and who knows how many head of organic cattle, among other ventures. I have to say that I did not feel terribly sorry for him, mainly because I had long since sadly identified him as a "user" of people, including young local women/girls but in any case I did learn some invaluable lessons from this person which I will share with you now...assuming you are still with me? #1. No matter how much money and "power" you think you have, there will always be people in Latin America who will have a whole lot more than you do and by and large, rich or poor, people here are not apt to be nearly as impressed with you as you may be with yourself. I am not attributing these qualities to all Americans or Europeans by any means but, speaking from over 20 years of experience in Latin America, let me say that people like the one I described above are sadly for me far from the exception. #2. Even if you don´t set yourself up like our narcissistic ex client did, you nevertheless need to know that even if many Americans (individuals, groups, and certainly their government) don´t always follow the Golden Rule as much as they would like to believe and have others believe they do, Latin Americans, and probably many other cultures, often (not always) take a different tack when it comes to interpersonal ethics and this is the million dollar morsel I have been leading up to so don´t miss it! Here we go and it goes something like this: "If you are naive enough, stupid enough, lame enough, or so full of yourself... enough...to "let me"...rip you off then... it is your fault...not mine". Regardless of our many contradictions, this way of thinking, of handing the blame to the victim and not the perpetrator, tends to be counter-intuitive for most westerners, Gringos, Canadians, and/or Europeans or what have you. You have probably already forgotten what I just told you so let me please say it again: " If you are so naive, unconscious, etc, etc, etc...so that I am able to rip you off, ...it is your fault...not mine". Caveat Emptor, and then some...... This rare bit of wisdom was gifted to me by my above described music producer, entrepreneur and (or so he thought) God´s gift to members of the opposite sex of all ages but you know what? When he shared this epiphany with me it was not only like the light went on, it was more like the 4th of July fireworks with the 1812 Overture banging away in the background! You too will learn this on your own. We all have to but perhaps planting this little seed of wisdom will preclude you from having to learn and relearn it so many times as we have had to (and sometimes still do!) again, and again, and again. In other words: Never assume anything and always take personal responsibility for your thoughts, actions and...who you trust. So what? "Do I have to be suspect of everyone I meet?" you ask?. No. Not at all. You just have to be awake, conscious, and learn to think like the people in whose culture and experience you are about to impose yourself and your culture, expectations and experience upon. It takes time and maturing regardless of how old or how "experienced" you are when or if you start. Well worth the effort however! And don´t be discouraged! It does get easier! Other qualities needed for success: You need to be an independent thinker, self-reliant, but also have the ability and willingness to listen to others and absorb what they have and are willing to share while also knowing or perceiving when it is advisable and prudent to do so. You need to have or make a realistic personal inventory which includes not only your natural aptitudes, skills, and interests but also (and this may be harder!) a list of the aptitudes, skills, and interests that you simply and honestly do not possess and probably never will. Be honest and realistic with your personal and private assessment but don´t sell yourself short. After all, it is a fairly rare and courageous individual who is even willing to consider what you are ...or you would not be here reading this right now! Still, besides an appreciation of what I can or will do, I am also very aware of many, many things that interest me in no way whatsoever and so I am quite pleased to delegate. Keep in mind too that those two very important lists or inventories are in an almost constant state of flux and are changing with every passing year and group of experiences.... Just the way it is so take note, make peace, be guided by your inventories, and move on. OK. Many of the kind folks who started this page have long since clicked onwards. If you are still here, let me give you the good news. Let´s start with the age-old cliché that is nevertheless the truth: "Rome was not built in a day"...and neither will your business, life, experience, or lasting happiness be built in a day or even perhaps completely" (Whatever that is?) in a very few years. Things of value take time. They always take more time, cost more money, and are many times far more challenging than we dare consider at the beginning because if we did most of us would never do ...anything. Patience, prior experience, openness to the new and sometimes even the bizarre,(Hey, it´s all relative!) and the ... ability and willingness to...LEARN are your main personal assets so go for it!. Secondly, you will do well to find someone who has taken his/her knocks before you but made it through even if his or her own goals and life here are still a "work in progress". You are not going to take out your own appendix in most cases so don´t be afraid to accept that part of your "start-up" is going to probably also include technical and managerial people (they may be the same) who will lead you through those first sets of rapids until you can guide and row your boat on your own. Thirdly and...VERY IMPORTANTLY...faith, good ideas, positive past experiences, and good intentions do not the bills and workers pay! Capital and more Capital plus some reserve Capital is absolutely essential and here, as with most of what you will find on any of our sites, we are speaking from experience, sometimes difficult and painful, sometimes devastating. You simply will spin your wheels and risk the loss of your project, your dreams, your time, and your money if you go into a project under or even "non" capitalized. Please believe me,"´Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!" On our project, we are having more and more folks arriving with an interest in participating or even doing their own projects, nearby, with our help. We are of course happy to do so because that is how we fund our own projects but also because we all save time and money by working together. It is also a fact that we will make a fraction of the money most people, if unassisted, will have lost anyway, while supporting and growing our own projects...and theirs. We have and continue to re-invent "wheels" of all kinds so you don´t have to or have to far less than we did when we started. With the cattle industry on a continuing decline, there are increasing numbers of great properties available in our area including right now, two that adjoin us and a wonderfully high potential, large one just across the road. We are most interested in working with people with at least similar or over-lapping values and goals and this is of course a requisite if we are to joint venture or "Co-Manage" with certain clients We are nevertheless committed to helping any responsible individual or group achieve their own particular goals even if our involvement is limited and temporary. Going it alone is not impossible but as they say, "life is short" so you may want to consider taking an easier route to get started as you set out upon your own "Road Less Traveled".... Best of success and enjoy your adventures! Please visit our sister site www.YucatanRanchFarmandHome.com More soon or please contact us directly for specific questions. We´re here to help if and when you need us! Thanks! |
| We Offer & Promote Sustainable & Profitable Green Investments! |