Whether you and I like it or not, the world has become one big, chaotic barangay. For capitalists there may be value in targeting markets in other lands. This article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer written by Willy Arcilla says Vietnam is a good place to start.

An excerpt follows:

MANILA, Philippines–FILIPINO BUSINESSMEN are finding green pastures in Vietnam, and those that are already there are encouraging their colleagues to follow suit.

Here are some tips to guide those considering putting their money in the growing economy of Vietnam.

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When you’re in business, you can’t afford to do an ostrich reaction to crises. No matter how much you long to stick your head in the sand and hope all that bad news will go away, the honorable and ultimately more business-friendly decision you can make is to show a grieving face and a generous hand.

Ayala Land this afternoon suffered tremendously from a bomb blast in its popular Glorietta mall. Around six hours after, a sincere spokesperson went on television saying the company will take care of all hospitalization expenses. He says that Ayala’s insurance broker will make sure there is no paperwork needed.

Huge expenses, yes. Timely and responsible, yes. If you look closely at business crises in the past ten years, these matter, especially in the long run.

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Getting a business permit should be a simple and straightforward transaction. It’s most likely the fledgling business owner’s first interaction with local government and could easily be a tipping point on whether he will or will not go through with his plans.

Unfortunately, what is simple can turn out to be complex. What is straightforward can become a traumatic experience for many small business owners.

One overseas Filipino worker I interviewed, who asked not to be identified, told of his plan a few years ago to come home for good and set up a small business. He ended up going back to the US, sickened by how government officials in his town and police tried every little trick to make him pay more than necessary.

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Big businesses like Ayala Corp., Cinderella, PLDT, and Jollibee consume huge kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. Just imagine how a 10 percent drop in their electricity bills can make their bottomline look prettier.

I discovered one of the well-kept secrets of big businesses in reducing electricity costs during a conference session on being kind to the environment organized by the League of Corporate Foundations.

A rogue businessman who looked more comfortable in jeans watching a rock concert was preaching about bulbs made in Europe that could reduce electricity consumption by as much as 80 percent. I was skeptical, of course.

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Reader Lily Ann wrote a very interesting comment on my post last Monday on “Why many OFW families’ businesses don’t thrive.”

I’m a full-time entrepreneur myself having just quit my full-time job in a corporate world (though still working part-time in the same company upon their request) recently.

I could say that for any business to thrive, the owner should be hands-on. Otherwise, everything will turn into dust. Simply because of “kawalan ng malasakit”. Why should people even (own relatives) sacrifice on something he/she did not spent a single sweat? Hindi naman nila pinaghirapan iyong perang ipinuhunan, so why do they care kung malugi? It’s only the owner of the capital who will really care and get hurt when business suffer.

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