Doing Business in Mexico - A Practical Guide
By Gus Gordon and Thurmon Williams
Book Review by Don Adams © Don Adams 2002

Best Business Books
An Imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc. 10 Alice Street
Binghamton,NY 13904-1580
http://www.HaworthPress.com

Available from Amazon Books: Paperback
(hardback version for $49.95 and a softcover for $29.95. )

Shakespeare’s wisecracking villain, often misunderstood and even more often misquoted, spoke these words as part of a series of features of the ideal world he would create if he were king. Luckily for all of us Gus and Thurmon take a more temperate and realistic view of the need for lawyers in some matters. Actually, in presenting their information on doing business south of the border they advise taking advantage of the skills of a wide range of experts, not just lawyers.

Unlike many reviewers, I’m going to tell you upfront that I really like this book even though I’m not planning on doing any kind of business in Mexico other than buying the stuff I need to get through the day. I also recommend that EVERYONE who intends to spend any time in Mexico, or who wants to understand the people, purchase this book. All the reviews I read prior to writing mine were written by professors and businessmen; a fact that might lead you to believe these pages might not hold much of interest to the casual reader. You’d definitely be believing incorrectly.

Gus and Thurmon tell you in the preface that “This book is designed to assist entrepreneurs, managers, and investors who are considering doing business in Mexico. The purpose of the book is not to make one an expert, but to educate one about the basics of doing business in Mexico.”

In my words, they teach you what questions you need to ask when you consult that Mexican lawyer who escaped Dick the Butcher’s scheme. They also tell you when you need to consult an attorney, and why consultation with an experienced and competent accountant is essential. They also recommend using the services of tax experts and business consultants.

So why am I suggesting that non-business types buy and read this book? You might think that the authors are passing the buck by referring you to experts in various fields but they’re actually providing the most realistic and useful counsel you could receive if you’re a businessperson. They tell you what types of situations you can expect, then they give you real-life examples and solutions to those problems. We non-business types benefit from the book by reading their lucid and brief explanations of why certain situations develop. In other words, we learn lessons of daily living; of ways to understand the thought processes and motivations of the people we deal with each day; and the reasons some things happen the way they do.

For instance, some US executives think that many of their Mexican counterparts or employees are not particularly good at long-range planning. Gus and Thurmon offer up excellent reasons for why they may fail to assume the same attitude toward this as their US associates. First is the floating peso value, which leads to number two, the uncertainty of actual project completion due to insufficient capital. Add in political readjustment every six years and you begin to understand their ambivalence. It all makes sense to me. There’s actually a bit more to it, but this’ll do for now.

Throughout the book the authors offer short vignettes to explain a myriad of behaviors. These should help you to better understand how to deal with household employees, store clerks, contract service workers, and the rest of the phalanx of people to whom we turn to assist us down here. The organization and layout of the book are both outstanding and the information offered is summarized completely, yet succinctly at the end of each chapter.

One device used to positive effect is a series of information boxes as supplements to the text. These are headed Practical Tip and Practical Example, and as the names imply they offer concrete real-life problems you’re likely to encounter, ways to avoid or minimize some of them, and solutions to those you can’t avoid. Again, many of these situations arise in non-business related interactions so we can all benefit from the practical experiences of the writers.

I was very impressed by the one sentence explanation of what a Notario really is, because although I’ve had it explained to me numerous times nobody cut through to the heart of the matter the way Gus and Thurmon did. And did you know that Mexico has three minimum wages based upon geographical location? Or that there are eighty-eight legally classified professions to which the minimum wage rates apply? Or how to figure out that your actual cost for a full-time employee might be as much as two and a half times what the actual base salary is?

If you owned Doing Business in Mexico you’d know all of this plus a lot more. If David won’t give me the review copy I intend to buy one for myself. This is an invaluable and interesting book for anyone living in Mexico and if you’re like me and want to know the why and the details of various situations this book will answer a lot of your questions.

There are five helpful appendices and an index, so this book is very user friendly. At less than 150 pages it’s easy to get through even though it’s crammed full of information you’ll use every day. Gus and Thurmon do not amble aimlessly. This book is tight and right, and it’ll answer questions you didn’t even know you were supposed to ask. Business people absolutely need it, and the rest of us will benefit greatly from its lessons also.

As for the authors, Gus Gordon, DBA, is a CPA and has a number of other finance related certifications, and has worked as a consultant for a number of businesses. In addition he is an Associate Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi in Long Beach, and has written two books and has published over forty professional articles. Check him out at www.gusgordon.com.

For six years Thurmon Williams served as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Sears de Mexico. He has also worked in South and Central America and Europe. At present he’s working as a consultant and serving on the boards of several corporations. He evidently has no website, which may be a smart decision on his part.