Niko Herzeg Marketing

“In Chile, everybody thinks they are middle class.”

While this statement is a generalisation, having experienced Chile for a few months now, it is the most accurate 140 character definition of how Chile, its society and people function.

To be explored in a bit more detail at some point, even linking it up to the fact that Chile and hipsters were made for each other due to this “common bond” view point on life..

Anyways…

As Always

NH

Hi.

If you are here, because of him, then that you should be asking yourself why the fuck you did not come here sooner, because I’ve been at this writing thing for a while now..

Lucky for you, I am shallow enough to take you adoration for whatever reason…

Anyways.. the reason he (yes again the same link) wrote about me, is this..

It is private beta and all that, but if you want to know more, shoot me a mail at info@gapjumpers.me..

As always..

NH

Weird, Wonderful, Painful, Exciting. Unexpected, Unbelievable, under no circumstances would I have it any other way. Stay safe, be merry.

Vitacura neighbourhood Santiago. On the left a dental office. On the right an ice cream parlor.

I once suggested to a potential client that he should open evening supermarkets in area’s that have coffeeshops (the Dutch kind that sells weed legally).

Get high and you get the munchies; it would have been like printing money. Obviously he told me to fuck off.

Can you ever imagine ice cream tasting better then after a dental check up.. ?

anyways as always

NH

Whoever cares the least controls a relationship. Be it company and customer, lover and friend, man and machine.

Shifts happen. And when they do, the ones caring the most tend to get screwed. Not just by the other party, but even more by ourselves.

We can’t let go and forget the golden rule: however bad the situation is, don’t make it worse, because you CAN make it worse.

If you wake up tomorrow and your woman is over you, don’t make it worse by going in denial and trying to win her back .

If tomorrow a brand changes their privacy settings; accept or walk away. Don’t make it worse by ranting to your colleague or the machine.

When relationships change, there is one thing you should do: behave towards the other as you did during the best of times.

First of all, this burns no bridges, because shifts happen and who knows about tomorrow.

Secondly revenge IS better served cold and unexpectedly (I never said be a push over, just don’t make things worse when shit happens).

Lately personal and professional situations have come up with potential to make me forget the golden rule.

I am hoping that by writing about it, I’ll remember when the times comes..

Anyways…as always

NH

A month ago, advertising consultant;
A month ago, fall and chance of frost;
A month ago, ideas were just thoughts;
A month ago, LATAM was a continent I wanted to visit in my lifetime;
A month ago, Yo no hablo español;
A month ago, a lot of “what if’” and no real chance of finding out;

A month in, co-founder education start up;
A month in, spring and chance of heat waves;
A month in, ideas are less thoughts, more action plans;
A month in, LATAM feels like a continent I could spend a lifetime;
A month in, Todavía no hablan español;
A month in, a lot of “what if” with a fighting chance of finding out, and winning…maybe

Anyways… as always

NH

Last night while having a great dinner with our hosts, somehow the conversation turned to me and my blossoming ’social life’.

Now normally the conversation would of ended thanks to language barriers, but with voice recognition, translate and wifi, we enjoyed a night of great conversation and jokes (mostly at my expense, being the alpha male and all that).

The sight of must have looked weird: two young of mind, older of body folks on one end of the table; us, the future, at the other end.

Swiping words on a mobile; four heads huddled over the device; holding our breath as some mechanic Spanish female voice translated.

Yet the outcome was always the same: laughter, finger pointing in my direction and in the end a better, closer understanding of who we and they were.

Felt like being in one of those black and white pictures of families back in the day, gathered around the Radio or TV, waiting for the latest word.

Interesting times indeed.

Anyways…as always

NH

Fuck me. Chile. Land of wine, Salas & Zamorano and a truckload of great writers and poets. Also the land that is over 12000 km away from, what up until two weeks ago was, home. Shit is slowly sinking in.

The trigger for this slight panic attack? It is November and I am sitting in swimming trunks, legs dipped in a pool, writing a spring time post.

Proper George Costanza, or twilight zone given the amount of hipsters in Santiago. It’s like Piers build his own ark, populated it with Shoreditch and decided Santiago was the promised land.

Good thing I am lazy and self-centred or I’d actually care enough to do something (which is NOT the definition of a hipster. Close but not, ok).

Anyways, as always

NH

This weekend has been good for various reasons: first of we said hola to Santiago during the night. She kindly said hola back. and then some.

Secondly, we survived our personal version of a Chilean bbq; grilled for over two hours by a VC; keeping the bad bbq analogies going, in the end he did not spit us out after chewing us up (and no he did not lick the plate either, you perverts). We are now labelled viable. Seems to be quite a thing in that world, so a small hurrah.

Sunday’s are a bit weird as that day is mostly spend not doing anything in Chile. But when in Rome ..and all that..

Looking ahead the week is busy but shaping up nicely; lot’s of meetings, system design sessions (no idea what that means, but is sounds nice), budget talks, some emergency cloth shopping and attending a proper Chilean wedding.

Anyways..as always..

NH

So our second temporary home is in Nunoa ( or something along those lines). Colourful hood as we found out two nights ago. While doing some grocery shopping, security guards started putting on bulletproof vests.

Turns out somebody tried to rob the place. In the end, false alarm. Just the local loco, waving around a toy gun. “he does that all the time” our host said…made me forget to buy Jasmin-scented Nepalese green tea, but that is the start up life: roughing it.

Anyways….as always

NH