I've built and operated companies in Argentina, Chile, and Italy. Three countries with different economies, different regulatory environments, different cultures, and different ways of doing business. But the lessons I've learned are remarkably consistent.
In Argentina, I started Technical Supply — an IT services company that lasted over a decade. The Argentine market teaches you resilience. Economic instability, currency fluctuations, and constant regulatory changes mean you can't rely on predictability. You learn to build systems that are adaptable, to keep costs lean, and to create value that clients will pay for regardless of economic conditions.
Chile — specifically Patagonia — taught me about opportunity in overlooked markets. When I moved to Puerto Natales and started TecnoMagallanes, everyone thought I was crazy. 'There's no market for premium technology services in a town of 20,000 people.' But that was exactly the opportunity. No competition, genuine need, and a population underserved by technology providers based in Santiago. The lesson: don't look where everyone is looking.
Italy has been the synthesis. Moving to a European market with higher standards for professionalism, compliance, and service quality forced me to elevate everything. The processes I built in South America needed refinement. The systems needed to be more robust. The communication needed to be more structured. Italy didn't just add a third geography — it raised the bar for the entire operation.
Across all three countries, I've found that the fundamental challenges are the same. Companies need reliable technology infrastructure. They need processes that work. They need systems that can scale. The specific implementation differs, but the underlying principles are universal.
What surprised me most was how transferable operational knowledge is. The methodology I developed for structuring IT operations in Argentina worked in Chile. The project management approach I refined in Chile improved our delivery in Italy. Each market taught me something that made me better in the others.
The biggest lesson from operating across borders: execution beats everything. You can have the best idea, the best technology, the best market position. But if you can't execute consistently — if you can't deliver what you promise, on time, at quality — none of it matters. Systems and processes are what make consistent execution possible.
This is why I believe in building companies around systems rather than around people or products. People leave. Products change. Markets shift. But well-designed systems persist and adapt. They're the only reliable foundation for sustainable growth across any geography.