JF is an Argentine business founded in 2003, engaged in the design, production and commercialization of women's lingerie with high design content. Although the venture initially opened stores in Argentina, the entrepreneur's plans were to quickly become an international company. In 2006, the firm started to export its products. Its main market destinations were Brazil, Dubai, Spain and Japan. By 2011, exports amounted to 65% of the firm's revenues.The country´s economic scenario, favorable for exports in previous years, had now changed. The Argentinian government had started to increasingly resort to instruments to restrict imports with the aim of protecting dollars as reserve currency. In turn, inflation was hitting an all-times-high in 10 years, amounting to an annual 30%. During 2013, JF lost customers abroad, evincing a notorious loss in profitability, plummeting from 30% back in 2009, to 15% in 2013. María Jesús and his partner, Alejandro Dancetti, agreed on the analysis and diagnosis: sticking to the original strategy was no longer viable. Therefore, they had to define the best way to reorient their products to the local market. The crux of the matter was what to do and how to do it. Why not develop a sound strategy for the domestic market? Why not think of a wider range of products to reach other segments? Why not explore the channel of multi-brand stores carrying women´s apparel? Why not launch a more affordable line, a line of equal quality, yet more volume, introducing a more-linear design? For the time being, the foreign market did not look like a feasible option.

Describes the situation brought about by the severe economic and political crisis that swept Argentina at the end of 2001. The local situation had been gradually deteriorating since 1998, when the country slipped into an increasing recession and poverty indexes started climbing consistently. The crisis peaked when the federal government decided to freeze all bank accounts, further unnerving the general population. Fundacion Pro Vivienda Social (FPVS) began to feel the repercussions of the crisis: client numbers became stagnant in 1999, and its regular portfolio could no longer afford new loans. As the recession deepened, FPVS clients found it hard to make the required payments on their loans. The organization faced financial distress, and Raul Zavalia Lagos had to meet with its administrative council to discuss alternative solutions. Focuses on Lagos' role as social entrepreneur, describing his family background, previous experience, and ability to lead the FPVS project and build a network with a series of actors who provided the necessary funding, advice, and contacts. Also explains how FPVS started to respond in 1998 to the worsening local social and economic conditions by developing alternative programs to appeal to new borrowers. As these initiatives proved ineffective, the foundation turned to consider other projects, based on the demands voiced by the communities where it operated.