What were we thinking?
Peter Schawacker
Cyber Business Innovator & Strategist | CISO | AI | GRC & SOC | DFIR/TTX | SecOps | Drive Margin | Nearshoring | LATAM-USA | Emerging Markets Expertise | GTM Advisor
San Miguel de Allende
For 10 years, I'd been trying to make a home in Mexico. I lived in San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato for my first attempt. It was there that I fell in love with the country for the first time. My career took me to Denver for a few years after that. When the opportunity to try Mexico came again, I moved to Mexico City, then New York City.
Condesa-Williamsburg
While in NYC, I lived in Long Island City and Brooklyn and in Colonia Roma Norte, Mexico City, flying back and forth regularly. Those who have lived in Brooklyn and Roma-Condesa will know what it means to call Mexico City the 7th borough of New York City (the 6th being Philly). Out in public or at parties, one tends to see some of the same faces in both places, often at random. NYC and DF are very closely connected economically, socially, and culturally. Ambas ciudades son muy intensas. Me gusta eso.
COVID
At the height of the pandemic, I found myself living in Brooklyn, laid off, cooped up in a 1BR apartment, paying $3,200usd per month, and unable to go anywhere due to the quarantine. Why am I still here? I asked myself.
"Cuentan que en Oaxaca se toma el mezcal con café" --Lila Downs
During my first visit to Mexico in 2006, I stayed at a hotel in Patzcuaro Michoacan, where I found a stack of CDs by the Oaxaque?a-American musician, Lila Downs. On one, I heard La Cumbia de Mole, a song that mentioned Oaxaca. I had never heard of Oaxaca, but there was something about that song that told me it was special. In 2017 I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Oaxaca de Juarez, the capital, and what I saw exceeded my expectations. The city is indeed quite beautiful, magical even.
So, in August of 2020, off to Oaxaca I went. Just a week after I arrived, I met the woman who would, about a year later would become my esposa and eventually one of my business partners. Shortly after that, I became a permanent resident of Mexico, on track to eventually become a citizen.
Digital Nomadism
Since 2000, I've been working remotely, sometimes from home, often from airports, AirBnB's, and hotels. But I was all in with Mexico now. I leased an apartment and shipped everything I owned down from Brooklyn. From Oaxaca, I continued to work as a cybersecurity consultant and CISO for companies that didn't care where I was physically located. All I needed was reliable Internet access to be able to concentrate on my work. Easy enough in major Mexican cities. Oaxaca de Juarez has remarkably good Internet service, which continues to surprise me since it's the least techy city I've known. The appeal of the place is in its low-tech, ancient, and artisanal beauty.
I swore that I'd never do business in Mexico. My Spanish was terrible despite years of studying and hours of daily practice. (It still is.) Besides, my professional network in the US is strong, and I've always managed to make a living working remotely for American companies.
领英推荐
Bootstrapping
But in the Summer of 2022, it became clear that I would never be able to retire just on my 401k, even in Mexico. I would have to start a company or eventually starve. So a couple of partners and I (including Laura Maria, my Oaxaque?a wife) started to talk about the possibility of a cybersecurity services company. Entrepreneurship was beginning to look inevitable.
We realized that we are in a unique position:
So, we decided to start Nearshore Cyber. Although we eventually want to offer a broad range of professional and managed cybersecurity services, we decided to start with something relatively simple.
Staffing and Recruiting
The staffing game isn't fancy or glamorous, but it's lucrative and doesn't require much capital, at least initially. Our business model is quite simple. We can offer high-quality cyber expertise at 20-70% less than in the US, which is not as cheap as in India, but without the time zone difference, long flights, and language issues.
So, this became our business strategy:
So far so good
As of late November 2022, we're four months in, and our original thesis is holding up well. We have learned a lot and have made plenty of minor course corrections. Despite economic turmoil around the world, our prospects are bright and improving every day. Even my Spanish is getting better, cada día, poco a poco.
CAPM Project Manager| Operations| Process Improvement| Change Agent| Habitual asker of questions.
1 年Fascinating arc here Peter Schawacker. I did a study abroad years ago and home-stayed with a family in Morelia. It was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. Told myself I’d go back someday. This definitely makes it sound a lot more doable.
Sales and Go to Market Revenue Creator with Operations Realignment Expertise.
1 年Congratulations Peter Schawacker on the courageous move and cheers to the blessings that unfolded for you on this journey.
Enterprise Solutions Sales Professional with deep technical knowledge; US Army Officer
1 年Peter Schawacker I'm a big fan of the city of Puebla myself. I have friends there and have loved it every time that I've visited. (My Spanish is also pretty sketchy in spite of years of study.)
Cyber Business Innovator & Strategist | CISO | AI | GRC & SOC | DFIR/TTX | SecOps | Drive Margin | Nearshoring | LATAM-USA | Emerging Markets Expertise | GTM Advisor
2 年For those who are interested in reading about Nearshore Cyber,... https://www.nearshorecyber.com.mx is our website. And yes, we are hiring.
CEO @ Kreissontech 21 | Leading Cybersecurity & Privacy-Enhancing Technologies and Innovation
2 年I’ve met foreigners staying in Mexico because they fall in love with what they find. Magic towns and ?jefa máxima?, for instance. But you are the first cybersecurity professional among all of them. Thanks for sharing your story. Let me know if GSB Solutions or Kreissontech 21 can help.