Before starting our trip to Costa Rica I knew that we would be visiting businesses and talking with their founders and owners about the logistics of running companies in Costa Rica. I was ready to hear about business plans, revenues, and how their operations changed after the pandemic. What I did not anticipate hearing were the stories from the owners about their passions and dreams for their companies.
In Costa Rica, there are many steps to starting businesses that are costly in both time and money. At the earliest, after adhering to all governmental regulations and payments, a person could open their business after about 3 months. But, if a person were to run into bumps and errors, it could take up to a year and a half to open their business. Not only this, but once a person starts their business, taxes that include paying social security and insurance will take up almost half of their revenue yearly. ?All this to say, there are a lot of difficulties to owning a business in Costa Rica, and many of the business owners we had the opportunity to speak with had no formal business training.
So, what is keeping businesses motivated to keep their doors open?
Well for Sibu, a local chocolate company run by a historian and journalists, it?s there wanting to bring Costa Rica into the long history of chocolate and create a sustainable brand. Because of them, every time I look at chocolate, I will think of the stories that they told. Chocolate is more than just a sweet treat to me now.
For the Toucan Rescue Ranch, a non-profit organization, rehabilitating animals to send them back into their natural homes is what motivates them. They keep working on creative ways to bring in funds so they can keep doing what they love and keep their residence happy and healthy.
And for the Bogarin Trail Rainforest Walk, it is a vision he saw in a dream that keeps him going. The owner completely regrew a previously torn-down rainforest that now houses many native species of birds, frogs, and sloths.
So for the businesses we had the opportunity to meet with, there passions and dreams are what keep them going each and every day, and even though I left with so much knowledge and experiences, I also left excited to find my passion and reinvigorated to work toward my dreams.
