Ever since I was little, I always had a certain ease with school. Studying didn’t cost me much, and I discovered a simple rule for academic success that I would summarize as «DOING THE HOMEWORK.» When I had to study, I did it on time. If I was asked to read something, I read it. If there were exercises to be done, I simply completed them. That’s how I discovered that school becomes a simple and straightforward process.
I started applying this mindset of doing the homework to every aspect of my life, according to my abilities and needs. Now, bringing this conversation to the realm of work and growth in the southern region, the question arises: Are we doing our homework?
Undoubtedly, there has never been a time when the government has shown such a strong interest in fostering growth in the South. I would even say that it is an attempt to bring justice to the South and strive to balance the unequal scale with our counterparts in the northern part of the country. However, this piece is not intended to complain about our reality but rather to make a call to WAKE UP.
When I raise this question, especially to small, medium, and large entrepreneurs and business agents in the Southern Zone (for the purposes of this article, referring to Quintana Roo and its border strip with Belize), I want to emphasize whether we understand and are preparing ourselves for all the events taking place in Southern Mexico.
I propose placing double emphasis and starting to discuss the following specific topics:
How will we take logistical advantage of the current Tren Maya (which will be completed by the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024)?
Doing the homework regarding this point means having prior knowledge of the schedules, routes, fares, and operations of this Tren Maya. If you ask me why, I’ll simply provide you with a few examples.
CONNECTIVITY
Nothing has worked as expected in Southern Quintana Roo and the border strip in terms of connectivity. I say this as a logistics agent with 15 years of experience. Most of my unfulfilled quotes are due to high logistics costs. So, with a little effort to «do things right,» the Tren Maya can enhance connectivity and put us on the map as an option. We could strive for competitiveness that has been far from our current reality.
SIMPLIFICATION
We need to make things easier. Believe me, trade thrives on simplicity. You’ve probably heard the phrase «less is more,» and it holds true in commerce. Let’s make commercial exchanges simple between the Southern Zone and the North of the state, as well as in relation to trade with Belize as a gateway to Central American countries, especially El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. We must consistently work on simplifying trade and maintain constant closeness with business agents.
STRUCTURING
Seeking permanent public-private structures that enable ongoing communication between the parties that shape (public) and create commerce (private). In my experience as a board member representative in Belize (BOD CFZ), I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand how bringing together public and private representatives creates the necessary synergy for topics to reach sufficient maturity. This is because both the creators of regulations and those who implement them are heard. We need to create a similar framework, greatly simplified and goodwill-oriented (operational rather than politicized), even beyond the borders.
ACCOMPANIMENT
We need an entity, organization, initiative, university… the specific figure is less important, but we require ONGOING support and a re-education of the foundations to put all the knowledge acquired by different economic actors to work toward a single objective: «THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STRENGTHENING OF THE SOUTHERN REGION.»
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PACT
It is necessary to bid farewell to the bad habits of leaders and economic actors (Directors, Secretaries, Business Leaders). It is time to do the homework and start believing in «less photos, more action.» Creating permanent, functional, and international communication channels is extremely important.
There are so many topics, and it doesn’t make sense to get lost in wordiness. I hope this piece finds you well, fully utilizing your strengths, and I leave the path of dialogue and debate open. Let’s do the HOMEWORK and begin to ask ourselves if we are already asking the important questions.
