What We Do

Via Unlimited is a research and consulting firm that helps organizations improve their effectiveness overseas.  Our goal is to help Businesses of all sizes, NGOs and Non-Profits, develop more efficient and profitable strategies for overseas ventures through our proven framework, P.I.S.C.E.S., which identifies critical knowledge in the Political, Informational, Security, Cultural, Economic and Structural/Infrastructure arenas.

Most organizations don’t prepare themselves adequately for the challenges of navigating a foreign country, often missing critical analysis.  In order to avoid these potential pitfalls, we walk our clients through a series of interviews to fully determine the goals of the organization and identify the nature and depth of information and analysis which best suits their goals and objectives.  Our interviews are framed through a series of questions that walk through our P.I.S.C.E.S. framework in increasing depth to ensure a more efficient and profitable strategy is developed.

We assist organizations by providing Research, Consulting and Education.  We provide comprehensive research to help further define a region of the globe through P.I.S.C.E.S.  We take research and match it with the goals of the organization to develop a strategy for increasing efficiencies and profitability.  We also design educational courses and materials to help organizations navigate the complexities of a foreign country. 

Our service is designed to increase organizational effectiveness and prevent undesirable cultural, safety, and marketing mistakes these organizations have made:

A charity organization installed pumps and piping to a village in Africa in order to eliminate the need for the women to carry water several miles each day.  The charity returned several months later to find that the women had sabotaged the pumps.  Although the new system was efficient, it had eliminated the only social networking avenue the women could access.

Another charity built toilets for improved sanitation in a village in Peru.  The toilets were a complete failure due to inadequate lighting.  The first women who attempted to use them suffered attempted assaults and the area soon became a high crime location.

An automotive company attempted to market a car in Brazil.  The model name (English) was identical to an unflattering and indiscrete Portuguese anatomical term.  Only a last minute change to the Portuguese word for “horse” prevented a marketing disaster.

These actual events were preventable.  Through our P.I.S.C.E.S. methodology, we give our clients the tools necessary to avoid these pitfalls.  We encourage you to contact us for further information.