What I learned from the
American Way of Living
Rafael Neaime, founder of Biziil.com
Biziil.com
THINK GLOBALLY. ACT LOCALLY.
I have always loved U.S. and U.S. culture. With 16 years old, while an exchange student in Canada for a year, I
traveled all the way from Winnipeg to Mexico. That was my first contact with U.S.
My second trip came in 2010, with 27 years old. For a month we traveled, as a group, the east of North
Carolina. A total of 11 cities in 30 days.
Besides visiting city halls, companies and everything you have to visit, we spend a lot of time with families from the area. We
would stay two or three days with each family. It was awesome to be emerged into their culture.
In 2013, I tried to open my first business in U.S. I went to Miami a couple of times. The goal was to buy baby and children clothes and sell them
in Brazil.
The main reason I wanted to do this is because of the problems we face in Brazil. It is too hard
to open a company here. The taxes, the government rules about everything, makes it
extra hard.
The second reason is that, besides the products being expensive here, mostly are not good products. The government works
hard so imported items can be taxed to protect the economy. That backfired at the government, and Brazilian companies end
up rising prices of poor made products instead of making it cheaper and better
than imported items.
My choice was continue trying to create a business in Brazil or try to create something that would not depend on the Brazilian government and could also have that liberty mind of the U.S.
I created Biziil.com, which helps business promote and sell their products in Brazil, without ever being there.
That way, I don’t depend on the Brazilian government or market. If the Brazilian market is going down, people
will continue buying products from outside Brazil, because they will search for the better and cheaper
products.
And if the American market is going down, business need to find another market that might help increase
their sales. Either way, I will be there.
Now I live in a kind of government free area. I think that is the most precious thing I ever learned from Americans. Feel free to do
whatever you want. You control your life.