At first I was looking at St. Lucia and Dominica, but I was really more intrigued by Costa Rica. I did a lot of research and realized the economics were perfect in Costa Rica; very literate, they focus a lot on education, they had a great relationship with the US and so much more. From the moment I chose Costa Rica to the moment I opened the office was 60 days.
Starting a new business in an entirely different country was exciting. When I was looking in Costa Rica, there was no discussion of nearshore versus offshore, there was just outsourcing. I wanted to explore nearshore for the same reasons people do today. I wanted a place where we could travel to easily, where people spoke English; a place where I wanted to travel and felt safe. I thought, maybe clients will even fly down. Back then, this was a really big idea, but now we get to do it on a regular basis.
I was never afraid to take clients here. India, Russia, China.. There are just too many complications going on there. Flights would be long, and no one wants to spend an entire day flying across the world just to meet with their development team.
