I recently came across the book La estrategia de Nutresa, a gem of strategy and business leadership, in which Carlos Enrique Piedrahita, former CEO of Nutresa, describes in great detail the path he followed to expand internationally and become a food business group with 50 brands in 75 countries. In the first 20 years of the 21st century, it grew more than 12 times and reached a value of more than 8 billion dollars.

No one can predict the future, no one has a recipe for growth and maintenance over time, but we can learn from cases like this and others that managed to sail against the tide of protectionism, corruption, informality, country costs, state bureaucracy, the state of the country’s infrastructure, insecurity, in the same a time when they competed with world giants. Piedrahita rightly affirmed, believing in our markets is like trying to “climb a castle tower while arrows are falling from above and crocodiles are lurking below.”

Some valuable reflections: first, the conviction to overcome the apocalyptic discourse in the face of the gloomy panorama that existed in the 90s and the beginning of the century in Colombia, leaving behind the inertia of doing the same in order to focus ambitiously on opening new markets, reinventing itself and transforming are.

Second, move away from a short-term bias by developing a strategic internationalization plan and agreeing on non-negotiable goals that bind joint actions, decisions and daily habits.

These companies realized that the global market was there to overcome local difficulties…

Third, develop a culture of product, process and business innovation to face the various obstacles that arise during internationalization; developing exemplary practice, giving your employees the freedom to examine what is wrong and suggest what to do.

Fourth, understanding that the greatest value is created in distribution and the market, in decommoditization, in the creation of brands that are part of the consumer’s life.

Fifth, be persistent, disciplined in fulfilling goals and obligations. Possessing the resilience to learn from mistakes and the ability to react to course-correct. And, above all, managerial talent that makes things happen.

We see that many companies are successful when the market is rising, the tide is rising and the current is favorable, but when the tide is low and the current is unfavorable they shrink or lose money. They have great years and then bad years and vice versa. Instead, there is a club of companies that always grow and make money no matter what. In this club, the Multilatines, companies that went out into the world, exported, made international alliances that consolidated over time, created their own distribution networks, improved their productivity, created or acquired brands, created their competitive production platforms in different countries and became Managed mentality and international standards, becoming leaders. These companies realized that the world market is there to go beyond local difficulties, that one should not be afraid to go on a journey. (OR)