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If you’re building a business abroad, or using foreign workers for your business, it behooves you to invest a bit of time investigating the local culture, specifically the local holidays. Today in Perú is “Dia de Todos Los Santos” (Day of All the Saints), one of about 15 National holidays the country observes, most of which are based in its Catholic heritage. If you don’t have prior knowledge of these dates they definitely have the potential to throw a wrench in your project timelines. I’ve generally found that most locals I’ve worked with are so accustomed to having these days off from work it doesn’t cross their mind to let me know they won’t be available (to my fault of course, not theirs!). The cultural dynamic is interesting, especially since most Peruvians are used to getting roughly a month (paid) off of work if they’ve come from a “normal” job. The bottom line is that as an entrepreneur building a business abroad or using foreign workers, it’s extremely important to take into account the local (work) culture, beliefs, holidays, etc and make sure that your projects, timelines, etc can accommodate the necessary adjustments. If not, it may be difficult to deliver on your promises!