Mexico edition

Every plan starts with the place. Read Mexico as your customer does before you choose a sector.

• A large market with strong regional differences. Start in one city and one niche.
• Many customers use bank transfers, cash-payment points and cards; a lot of buying is on messaging apps.
• Electronic invoices are part of daily trade: learn them in week one.
• Close to the northern trading partners: near-shoring creates demand for services, testing and training.

Activity. Write a one-page market page with sources and dates. Ask two local people to correct it.

Standard to meet. Cite a source and a date for every line, have two local readers confirm the facts, and name one risk with a response.

The global list has 75 sectors in 8 clusters. Pick by local fit, not by fashion.

• Cluster A, Online selling and marketing: Strong fit: messaging-app selling and marketplaces. Offer cash-payment and bank-transfer options.
• Cluster B, Technology and digital services: Strong fit: near-shoring means firms need IT support, testing, security and cloud services in Spanish.
• Cluster C, Health, care and wellbeing (regulated): Regulated. Practise only with the right licence and registration. This course teaches planning, not practice.
• Cluster D, Mobility, aerial and space (regulated): Regulated; airspace and transport rules apply. Charging points and shared mobility suit big cities.
• Cluster E, Energy, building and environment: Strong fit: sunshine, wind and water stress make solar and water services valuable. Hold permits first.
• Cluster F, Food and farming: Strong fit: food and farming are central; check health-risk rules for food and alternative proteins.
• Cluster G, Money services (regulated): Regulated money services; plan as a partner of a licensed firm only.
• Cluster H, People and business support: Coaching, coworking and outsourcing fit a young workforce; many founders need support in Spanish.

Activity. Rank six sectors from at least three clusters. Choose one and write the reason in three lines.

Standard to meet. Score six sectors on five criteria, state the reason for your choice, and mark any regulated sector as planning only.

Rules differ by place. Check current rules with a licensed local adviser before you act for real.

• Register with the tax authority (a tax ID) before you invoice; choose sole trader or company.
• A simplified small-taxpayer regime may fit a first year; read the current limits.
• Issue electronic invoices as the tax rules require; learn the tool before the first customer.
• Some activities need extra licences (food, health, tourism, money); list yours before the first order.

Activity. Build a licence table for your chosen sector with issuer, cost, time and the date checked. Do not apply; this is a plan.

Standard to meet. Complete the table with a public source for every row, put the steps in a logical order, and write one question for an adviser.

Trust is the real product. Protect customer data and keep your promises in writing.

• The private-sector data law needs a privacy notice (check the current text): who you are, what you collect, why and how to correct it.
• Customers may ask to see, correct, remove or object to use of their data; set a reply time.
• Keep marketing consent records; offer a clear way to stop messages.
• Keep a list of every tool that stores customer data, including messaging apps.

Activity. Write the five-line notice and a data map for your plan. Ask a peer to find any gap.

Standard to meet. Write the notice in plain words, list every tool in the data map, and write and date the refund and complaint steps.

Go where your customers already are, in the language they use. Language: Spanish first; add English for tourism and trade customers.

• Channels: messaging apps, social media and marketplaces; local fairs and markets for a first test.
• Language: Spanish first, in plain words; add English only if customers ask.
• Payments: bank transfer, cards and cash-payment points; show prices with the sales tax clearly.
• Trust: tax ID, address, delivery days and a refund note on every page; consumer rules apply.

Activity. Test two channels with 20 people. Record results in a table and write the next change.

Standard to meet. Test has a start and end date; results are counted, not guessed; one change is chosen and justified.

Know your numbers in MXN. Tax rule in one line: Income tax plus a sales tax (IVA); a simple regime may fit small firms, and most sales need an electronic invoice.

• Write MXN next to every number.
• Contribution per unit = price minus the cost of each unit.
• Break-even units = fixed monthly cost divided by contribution per unit; round up.
• Add tax and duty explicitly; never bury them in a price.
• Check against a worse case: if sales are 25% lower, do you still cover costs?

Activity. Build your own sheet in MXN: price, unit cost, fixed cost, contribution, break-even and a 25% worse case. Put the tax and duty rules in a separate line with a source.

Standard to meet. Complete all six lines of the sheet in MXN, have a peer check the arithmetic, and show the worse case.

Plans become real through people. Hire, partner and write every promise down.

• Employers register staff for social security and pay the year-end bonus; budget both.
• Staff may share in profits; small and new firms can differ, so read the rule before you hire.
• Written contracts and signed copies for every helper, even part-time.
• Partner with a technical college or business chamber to find helpers and to practise.

Activity. Write one role card and one partner letter (what each side gives). Role-play a first meeting for 10 minutes.

Standard to meet. Write a role card with pay in local currency, hours and a review date, balance the partner letter, and keep signed copies of both.

Finish with a one-page launch plan and a plan to review it every month.

• Dates: first test, first order, first review.
• One measure per week: enquiries, orders or revenue; pick one.
• A monthly review: what we planned, what happened, what we change.
• Keep a risk list with a response for each; include a rules change.
• Local caution: A large country: start in one city, test one offer, then grow.

Activity. Write the launch page and present it to two people for 10 minutes. Record their questions and your answers.

Standard to meet. Plan has dates, one weekly measure, a go or no-go rule and a risk list; presenter answers three questions with evidence.