When hundreds of Nepalese are flying abroad searching for better opportunities, it might come off as a surprise to many, hearing the story of a Mexican family taking the reverse route. Mr. Daniel Tapia is Mexican citizen who owns “Casa Mexicana”, a restaurant serving authentic Mexican cuisines. Mr. Tapia’s transformational journey from a common Mexican denizen to a restaurateur in Nepal, is as savory as the food he serves at his restaurant. Having had shifted to India a decade ago, Mr. Daniel Tapia along with his family have been residing in Kathmandu since 2016. They currently run a restaurant serving Mexican food realizing the fondness of Nepalese taste buds towards the cuisine.
As his experience working in Nepal, he focused on pointing out the difference in the working culture in Mexico and Nepal, Mr. Tapia stated that “Businesses in Nepal are liberal and adaptive to changes, even people with access to limited resources are free to start their own venture, whereas back home in Mexico businesses are heavily influenced by American culture”. Having identified many business prospects in Nepal, he is astounded that youths in our country fail to realize the opportunities that Nepal must offer for entrepreneurs. “Youths these days are impatience and seek for success overnight, they fail to understand that failure is the first step towards success” stated Mr. Tapia. Recognizing the importance of creativity and innovation in entrepreneurship, he stated that “The saturation of roadside eateries providing regular fast food was the perfect market for me to innovate and showcase my creativity. I see such markets everywhere in Nepal including in fields of Agriculture and Tourism”.
Urging his fellow foreign entrepreneurs to venture in Nepalese market, Mr. Tapia said “Although the comparison in earning in Nepal is low as compared to the developed nation, the opportunities that lie within Nepalese market is infinite. Quality of life is something that cannot be measured in monetary value and the quality of life in Nepal is much better as opposed to a developed nation”. Upon the grand success of Nepal Investment Summit 2017, Mr. Tapia also urges Government of Nepal to provide suitable policies whereby a foreign entrepreneur can independently run his/her own enterprise. The bureaucracy within government offices in Nepal is time-consuming and it demoralizes entrepreneurs stated Mr. Tapia.
So, if Mr. Daniel Tapia, in his early forties can practice healthy entrepreneurship in Nepal without having to complain about the insufficient opportunities and lack of market, there is something missing in our youths, either it is vision or passion. With gradual improvement in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, it is from entrepreneurs like Mr. Tapia that Nepalese youth must learn lessons of entrepreneurship.