Over the last decades, numerous US companies have successfully undertaken the challenge of doing business in Chile, a country that is known for having the best business expansion opportunities in Latin America. Last year, direct investment in Chile increased by US$11.928 million, and for the first half of 2020 the country registered a record figure of US$4.779 million. This encouraging panorama has historically and currently attracted investors from all over the US, expanding their business in the industry of mining, technology, and Venture Capital. Last year, direct investment in Chile increased by US$11.928 million, and for the first 2 months of 2020 the country registered a record figure of US$4.779 million. A paradigmatic example of recent US investment in Chile came in 2019 when Jeff Bezos - founder and CEO of the e-commerce company Amazon - invested millions of dollars in the Chilean start-up NOTCo, which successfully mimics the flavor and texture of certain foods using only vegetable-based ingredients. Although Chile’s dynamic and developed market has been in the scope for multiple US companies, executives should be aware of the challenges they may face to prosper in the country. In this article, we review the principal challenges for US companies doing business in Chile and how to overcome them. 5 Challenges for US companies doing business in Chile 1. Language US executives must not assume that everybody in Chile speaks English. Even though English is increasingly common and is taught in most schools to a large percentage of the population, US companies doing...
