Job Discussion Forums

[Tretyakovskii]

Very true, Samantha. My wife (from the U.S.) and I got married here, so we're familiar with the services available in our area. There are a number of players in this business, locally- most of them expats- usually a good sign there's money to be made. Some have restaurants, or small hotels, and combine the activities.

Some of the expats I've known have pieced together a living, here; for example, in one case, by providing lodging, meals, wedding planning, wedding officiating, meditation training, and yoga- all done by the same expat woman, now here more than thirty years.

[Phil_K]

Wow, this gets better all the time. It's something else I know about, having married a Mexican.

[Samantha]

And as you said in your 'motivational tips', one man and a dog (and wife) can look like a big, well-established company. This professionally done website posted by T. has only been registered as a dot com for 6 months, yet it's cleverly presented that they have been doing this for a long time.

The big drawback to all this is that anything you can't do yourself, but present as part of your services, can come back to bite you when someone else drops the ball (as so commonly happens here). You have to have loads of patience, really reliable people around you, and be able to multi-task like crazy.

[geaaronson]

Yes, it`s important to have good key personnel on your staff and to keep them in the business. Talking to some recruiters, I have heard some crazy stories about ex Business English teachers and their absurd antics. Coming to class late, coming to class drunk, asking students for loans, I`ve heard them all. I don`t believe any of my professional associates are guilty of any of these. I certainly am not.

[Tretyakovskii]

In my very long post, page two, this thread, I mentioned several classes of people I knew who were making a fine living in Mexico. I'll provide some more particulars. One of them is a Canadian who has lived here more than 12 years. He has established and operates websites for a living, selling advertising on them. He claims a consistent income of 6,000 USD/month. Then, I know a four operators of small hotels who make their living from them. They are operating with permission of the Mexican Government, and hold appropriate immigration documents.

Those expats making the most money seem to be the ones with successful restaurants. I know a Brit who owns and operates one of the most successful bar/restaurants in Cancun. It would be difficult to guess what he earns, but 200,000 US/year would not be out of the question, and his skills would earn him a ton of money applied anywhere in the world.

In Cancun, another class is those who work in the tourist industry: I've mentioned one of them, and alluded to others, whose talents earn them respect and a good living working in Mexican companies. Also, there are lots of expats earning a living selling time share- an unsavory occupation, in my opinion, but it gets them by, and those who are the most successful manage to do nicely. Real estate sales occupies another segment of the expat community: they get by, living reasonably well, those who are good at it, but I don't see anybody getting rich.

Then, there are the English teachers, and dive instructors- enjoying life, perhaps, but not knocking down the big money, typically.

There must be many, many others, often operators of their own businesses, who are doing very well, but they are invisible to me. An exception is a Canadian hairdresser my wife goes to. He charges 450 pesos per cut, and averages ten cuts/day, six days a week. Because he's so good, customers line up at the door; and, isn't this the key really, to success, anywhere in the world? Be good at what you do, and the opportunities will be there, for those who want to live and work in Mexico!

[Samantha]

With the economy the way it is right now, I would hesitate to believe those restaurant and other business owners are doing nearly as well as you assume. Business is so seasonal, and they don't get breaks on electricity in the summers. Most people making good money, don't brag about it, for obvious reasons, so as far as the guy claiming to make $6000.00 USD from selling advertising,....hmmm....I think that's a big stretch.

[geaaronson]

Ditto Samantha
Newspaper accounts for restaurants going out of business in DF for last year were around 6,000. That�s quite a lot of bankruptcies.

[Tretyakovskii]

Samantha wrote:

[Samantha]

I've learned, after living in Mexico for 10 years, that not all is necessarily as it appears. That's all I will say on this subject.

[geaaronson]

Making $6,000 selling advertising is no big shake. It would not surprise me in the least. My kid brother in the states is making almost ten times that.

[Tretyakovskii]

Agreed, we can never know what may constitute great success in a particular endeavor by focusing on those we've met who have not tasted it.

I'm guessing the turnover on the one restaurant I mentioned may be something in excess of 13,000,000 pesos annually; and, he owns and operates two equally popular restaurants, here. His places- which are large- are packed, while others languish for lack of trade.

It doesn't take long to figure out that he is very talented at what he does, and very hands on. He tolerates no dishonesty, and requires professionalism of his employees who, once they get on board, tend never to leave him, so good is the management, and potential for honest earnings. These are some of the reasons I said earlier that he could be successful, anywhere: it just happens that he has chosen Mexico.