lakes, volcanoes & 10,000 entrepreneurs

In the USA, entrepreneurs usually take one of two paths. Some go to business school, earn an MBA, and spend the rest of their lives climbing a corporate ladder in hopes of becoming a CEO one day. Others reject the existing corporate structure in favor of starting a business of their own. Both groups (in my experience) seem to earn the admiration of society at large for their courage, innovative thinking, work ethic, and financial savvy. Entrepreneurs occupy an elite niche where I come from.

Not so in Nicaragua. Despite the prohibitive cost of higher education and instability of the economy here in Nicaragua, there is no shortage of aspiring entrepreneurs. Take the dozen or so men and women who walk (or bike) down my street each day. Avocados, limes, cheese, pastries, and ice cream are just a few of the things you can buy from these traveling Nica salespeople. Too tired or busy to walk all the way to grocery store? Just walk around the corner to the neighborhood pulperia. They probably have whatever you need—from basics like milk or bread to exotic fruit drinks. Need some medicine or personal hygiene products? You can get those things cheaper at the corner farmacia than the big stores. What about office supplies? Yup, there is a libreria just for you, that carries all sorts of interesting looking notebooks, pens, and paper products. Want a cheap Nicaraguan meal? I can take you to a dozen comedores run by local families who will feed you for a little over $1.

Thus, entrepreneurial activity seems to carry little prestige here. It's just the way things are. In hopes of surviving in a country where official work is hard to find (unemployment is about 50%), many resourceful Nicaraguan people have staked their financial hopes in entrepreneurial ventures, selling whatever they have to whoever will buy it, sometimes at whatever price they can get. Whether anyone is actually getting ahead is uncertain. The one certainty is that there is no shortage of effort.

Next time I write about economics, I'll tell you the story of Santa Maria, a place in northwest Nicaragua where that effort is bearing fruit—spiritual and physical.