Bogotá, now open for business

When Holland House recently opened in Bogotá, Colombia, it created the ideal gateway for Curaçao businesses to access the second fastest growth market in Latin America. It also provided a solid jump off point for entering other markets within the region.

Uniquely positioned between Latin America, Europe and North America, the Curaçao business community has a powerful advantage over other countries due to its proximity to Colombia, the multiple languages spoken, a diverse culture, as well as a strong regional trade history. The Chamber of Commerce recognised this opportunity and partnered with Holland House to provide the professional resources required for businesses to enter the Colombian market.

Joint Initiative
Holland House is also known as the Dutch Columbian Chamber of Commerce. It is an initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Colombia and the Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion (NCH). It is responsible for promoting exports and international trade between The Kingdom of the Netherlands and Colombia. As the first Holland House to be opened, it is indicative of the strong trade relationship that the Caribbean region of the Kingdom has with Colombia.

One Stop Shop
Holland House is a “one-stop shop,” offering businesses a variety of expertise including market research and match making services to secure contacts and new customers. Assistance with office space, reception personnel and a Colombian phone number for local business enquires can also be supplied.

Top Quality Service
Although Holland House initially receives partial public funding to get started, it must be self-sustaining in just three years. This is good news for businesses that pay Holland House to help them, as it ensures top quality service and the delivery of impactful market insights.

Access All Areas
Colombians have great respect for official organisations; therefore as a bi-lateral chamber of commerce, Holland House has significant weight in the Colombian business community. Consequently, they are uniquely positioned to open doors that would otherwise remain closed. Numerous businesses from Curaçao are already trading with companies based in Colombia. Activities include exporting goods and services to the Colombian market, as well as importing goods and services to Curaçao.

Meet Your Man On The Ground in Bogotá.
“There is a lot of entrepreneurial energy in Bogotá today; in some ways you can compare Bogotá to NYC,” Jan Willem van Bokhoven.
Heading up the team at Holland House is the very experienced Jan Willem van Bokhoven. Jan has been active in European-Caribbean-Latin American business relationships for over eight years. He started his career as a consultant at TRANSFER Latin Business Consultancy, where he became Director for Latin America. In this period he led several trade missions to Colombia, set-up various branches within Latin America, and supported over 750 organizations in a wide variety of sectors to increase business relations within this region. In July 2013 he was appointed as Executive Director of the Holland House in Colombia. Under Jan’s guidance more than 70 companies have become Holland House members and over 10 companies from both Curaçao and Aruba have been aided with their expansion into Colombia.

Many are Already Active in the Colombian Market
Companies in the Curaçao financial services market, such as PwC and Ernst & Young, have already tapped into the Colombian market. These firms have regular scheduled visits with their Colombian clients each month, demonstrating that maintaining a business in Curaçao and accessing the Colombian market works well.
Recently the Curaçao Oil industry has also begun to investigate expanding into Colombia, with a plan to contact local oil suppliers, as well as building infrastructures that will allow them to compete within the domestic Colombian market.
The Curaçao small business community is also active, as businesses seek to offer their local Curaçao customers’ greater product and service diversity. A common initiative is the expanding of product offerings from the USA or the Netherlands to include competitive products from Colombia. Applicable product categories include: agriculture products, building supplies, hospitality industry products and services.

Spotlight: Local company Ducasa Handelshuys

Ducasa Handelshuys is the local distributor for LED lighting and leather products, which are designed to enhance homes, and commercial spaces such as restaurants, nightclubs and retail spaces. Following the successful establishment of the business in Curaçao and Aruba, they are now looking to the Latin American market to keep growing.
Co-Owner Patrick Slobbe, explains: “Colombia is the perfect entry point for the South American market because it is the second fastest growing economy in South America, thus a solid place to start our business. Further, there are already many businesses from Curaçao engaging in business there.”

Colombia is the perfect entry point for the South American market because it is the second fastest growing economy in South America

Patrick chose to partner with Holland House on this project and as a small business owner, he was pleased with the services that Jan and his team were offering. When he visited Holland House in Bogotá, he was also immediately impressed with their office as well as the welcoming and professional staff.
“Jan is very enthusiastic and on the ball, you send him an email – you don’t have to wait long for a reply. It is one of the things I like and it gives me confidence to trust him with my business“ said Patrick.
To explore market opportunities, Patrick engaged with Holland House to access their match making services. Patrick shared with Jan information about the type of businesses that purchase Ducasa products. Holland House then surveyed the Colombian market and came back to Patrick with a long list of companies that would welcome their products.
Patrick believes the key for him as a small business was leveraging the power of Holland House. Patrick explains: “When Holland House calls the local Colombian businesses, they get access to senior decision makers. If I as a company from Curaçao picked up the phone and tried to call them, I would not get the same result.”
Holland House is now open for business in Bogotá, and offers excellent services for those Curaçao companies that are ready to expand into Colombia. More information can be sourced from the Holland House website or alternatively please join our webcast in September with Jan Willem van Bokhoven from Holland House, see details below.
Holland House website address: www.hollandhouse-colombia.com

Curious to meet Jan and learn about business in Colombia?
Join our live webcast with Jan from Holland House as he steps through a short introduction to Holland House and the Colombian market.
Date: 18th September
Time: 3pm (local Curaçao time)
Register to join this webcast at:
https://www.facebook.com/CuracaoChamber
Places are limited, so please register early.

How Holland House ensures business success
Jan shares the key to success in a proven step-by-step process:

Step 1: Market Assessment.
The first step for a business when considering entering any market is to determine if the business will be profitable. Accordingly, one of the most popular services requested is market information and research. This service provides businesses with information related to how the market works, where there is demand for the product or service, who the competitors are and associated pricing information. Holland House can also supply additional information such as routes to market, transport costs, import duties, and other insights that enable clients to make a fully informed business decision.

Step 2: The right contacts
The most popular service that Curaçao businesses utilize is the match making service since it is the key to doing business in Colombia. This service is tailored to each client and includes accessing the correct Colombian contacts. It also facilitates scheduling meetings with important local businesses.

Step 3 – Establishing a local presence
The third service is the realistic next step to developing a local presence; its the opening of a local branch office, or employing a local representative to manage customers and handle enquiries.
Holland House can provide practical assistance here through reception services and shared office space to keep overhead costs down. They can also assist with paperwork submissions such as licensing a business in Colombia, work permits, taxation registration and banking services.

Step 4 – Follow up and closing the deal
Furthermore, Holland House can assist with following up on agreements with local businesses, thus helping to ensure commitments are honoured and contracts progress to income