I like the stories of entrepreneurs because they can trigger other ideas. Ana Falbo wrote this note in the NATION and share. Hope you do CLIK! A network to accommodate foreign From girl said she would work with foreigners, but did not know how. He worked for an NGO and a company dedicated to the exchange of people around the world, but finally ended creating his own company, seeking rooms in apartments or houses to accommodate foreigners. Spare Rooms Buenos Aires was born from his own experience, as it came while she rented a room in your house to tourists. Valeria
astounding, 32, describes himself as a loyal promoter of trade, convinced that living in another country is developing human potential. "I think if the person can absorb the culture of that country, then when he returns to his native soil may have a different cultural understanding and fatter," said astounding.
This concept he learned while working in AIESEC, an international NGO of students which exchanges for young people to do internships abroad, and to live in the flesh exchange in Mexico.
The enterprising studied Industrial Relations at the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE) and worked for AIESEC, where he coordinated a team for students to do internships in other countries, until one day she decided to try this experience both selling .
After the internship, back in Buenos Aires, moved to an apartment that had a free room. "I knew this world of strangers, so eventually I started to rent the room," added. One day a stranger came to know your home to evaluate it as an option to stay. It was the first room you would see, and depletion of the search was quickly identified astounding, which found in that weary face a business opportunity.
"I liked the card and saw an opportunity. Many foreigners were coming to Buenos Aires and Argentina wanted to live with, so I started to think how it could work. At the time, the owner of the company that was working, exchanges also told me I could not keep paying me, so I decided to build the company and find rooms for foreigners, "he said the entrepreneur.
In early 2008, with an investment of 3000 dollars, was launched astounding work alone. "He did everything. I was going to know the property, showing, looking for tourists and was in charge of the contract. I had a blog that published the rooms, but when I started to get better, I made the website with money saved" he said.
Networking
Opening the network, astounding and friends spoke with universities abroad to tell them what he was doing well, looking for relatives and acquaintances with Free Breakfast to propose that the rent. "I always learned to keep my active contacts, and helped me a lot of word of mouth at first. Moreover, as he had little money for advertising, I contacted myself managed companies target young foreigners to exchange links on our pages and thus promote among us. So I started, "he said.
The entrepreneur explained that, as is new in Argentina, you have to train people, who sometimes are afraid because they think they can steal abroad. "Actually, they just want a room you like and make them feel secure, something very important because they hear a lot about the insecurity in Buenos Aires, "said astounding.
With an annual turnover of more than 300,000 pesos, Spare Rooms Buenos Aires and has over 150 rooms in 18 districts of the city, and housed more than 230 foreign which generally have between 20 and 28 years and come to study or work.
"We will know all the rooms, the owners, areas, took photos and wonder if we would live there. Never would get a person coming from another country to live in a place that is unable, because I know if the place where one lives is not pleasant, experience exchange begins to lose, "said astounding.
The agreement is embodied in a contract which determines the length of stay, the monthly cost and some house rules such as not listening to loud music, no smoking, taking people to sleep , among others. "Then, the dynamics of coexistence may change these rules if the parties get along. Often end up being friends and Argentine traveling home from abroad, "the entrepreneur.
A fact not less is that homeowners do not have to cook for the tenants, although they have to leave a space in the fridge and in the closet so they can keep their things, and should change the sheets and towels once a week.
For next year, Spare Rooms Buenos Aires hopes to expand its horizons to the north of Gran Buenos Aires, Rosario and Cordoba.
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