Thoughts from a UK Millionaire in Colombia
He told me that Argentina is quite far from everything
Yesterday, I met with a millionaire who sells on Amazon in the USA. He's from the UK, and he opened my eyes to so many business-related things that I can confidently say that creating BowtiedColombia has been a great benefit for me. Not only in terms of earning in dollars, which is extremely helpful, but also because of the knowledge you gain from people with a similar mindset.
Yesterday, we went to lunch at a restaurant called KO in Bogotá. It's a delicious spot, and if you haven't been, I highly recommend it. He told me that, for him, the best restaurant in Bogotá is Crepes & Waffles, and he thinks the meat in Colombia is spectacular.
He shared various ideas on building business with BowtiedColombia and how to monetize it better. He's already traveled to Mexico and suggested offering all-inclusive tourist packages.
He also shared an interesting perspective on life. I asked him if he knew much about Argentina or if he was interested in visiting, especially with what's happening with Milei and the buzz on Twitter. He told me that Argentina is quite far from everything, including the business world, and he's not interested in visiting right now. I found his indifference intriguing.
Regarding Colombia, he said Medellín has issues with prostitution, but he prefers Bogotá despite its heavy drinking culture, which he compared to the UK—likely because of the weather, rain, and pub culture. I found it curious because I've noticed many British pubs in Bogotá without having visited the UK myself. He mentioned that Thailand is fun, with lots to do and at a very low cost. The only expensive part is getting there, but once you arrive, everything is quite affordable. He mentioned that he prefers Latina women to Asian women.
I asked him if he would consider getting a second passport, and he said he would choose a Mexican one because he loves Mexico City. The downside is that it has become expensive to live there. He doesn't mind paying a high price if it's worth it, but he noted that some things are costly and of low quality. For example, in Condesa, the apartments are incredibly expensive yet small, old, or both.
One of the most valuable lessons I learned from him was the importance of focusing on one thing. He's not interested in buying real estate or cars; he wants to keep scaling his business. Once he has millions, he'll consult experts in real estate and make informed decisions. He believes there's no need to start from scratch if you have a strong network of business contacts and experts to guide you.
I think that's a crucial lesson for Colombians. As Latinos, we tend to think we can do everything and often try to manage multiple projects simultaneously. This leads to a lack of focus on what's truly important, and it can prevent you from making substantial progress.
I feel this applies to me too. I have two jobs that pay in dollars and BowtiedColombia, and I haven't been able to scale it as much as I should. The problem is that my circumstances make it challenging to focus on just one thing because I need the money. Ideally, once I double my dollar income with Substack and BowtiedColombia, I think it'll be time to focus.
However, the idea of diversification was also interesting. You should only diversify when you have a lot of money to maintain it. When you're building your wealth, you should focus on one thing. That's what I've gathered, and I wanted to share these thoughts with you.
He also suggested creating a community of entrepreneurs in Colombia, which I think is feasible. Bringing together foreigners and Colombians interested in business could be an excellent opportunity.
In any case, I'll share more details later. I just wanted to highlight how important it is to interact with business-minded people, as they're not as common in Colombia.
Without really trying, I'm getting to know many entrepreneurs and businesspeople from around the world in Colombia. The community is practically built; I just need to bring everyone together. If you have any ideas, we can work on them together.
We need to find a way to get you to present at the Antigua Forum next year in Guatemala.