Launching a startup business is oftentimes challenging and terrifying, especially in a tough economic environment. But experts are sharing some crisis-resistant tips for growing and scaling a startup on a foreign soil.

Latin America has been dubbed as the worst-performing emerging market in 2015, as previously reported. And while 2016 was deemed as another difficult for the region, it still did not stop investors and entrepreneurs to launch their startup enterprises there.

Despite the fact that it is sometimes more difficult to do business between Latin American nations compared to dealing with Europe and North America, the region is still home to some advanced economies with a conservative class, The Next Web noted.

So, here are 5 crisis-resistant tips for launching startup businesses in Latin America.

1. Avoid Seeing Latin America as a Homogenous Entity

Doing business in Latin America is indeed hard, but not impossible. And in order for startup businesses to flourish across the region, each nation's operation should be optimized to the local business culture.

According to Matthew Carpenter-Arevalo, who's running his owned Ecuadorian-based marketing agency concentrating on assisting startups launch across the region, Latin America offers a wide range of business opportunities.

"Though the landscape can be challenging, with the right partners, strategy, and mindset, the region offers a vast range of opportunity," Carpenter-Arevalo said.

He also added that the region is home to 300 million consumers, who are mostly part of a new and growing middle-class "whose thirst for connection is so far unquenchable."

2. Pay Attention to Emerging Needs during a Crisis

Carolina Gil of Mi Barranco in Venezuela, which provides customers direct delivery of fresh and raw products harvested from a family ranch, explained that it is significant for entrepreneurs to pay attention to emerging needs, especially during a crisis. And they should also find cost-effective ways to satisfy its demand.

"The bet is that those who stay and create something during the crisis will reap the benefits when it's over," Gil explained, as per Forbes. "And we are staying."

3. Never Ignore Market Conditions or Country Customs

Businessmen are typically leaders by nature. However, they sometimes tend to lead blindly from the front, which can result to dreadful outcomes particularly in a market that you don't know and understand.

Moreover, it is important to consider the cultural sensitivities, language barriers, local customs, ambiguous regulations and other factors in planning to launch startup businesses abroad.

"There is always a difference between markets," Habitat Travel Founder and startup specialist Matthew Reede said. "Spending time on your UX (User Experience) by testing your product in a foreign market and understanding local buying habits before you take a tech idea live is paramount to success."

4. Invest in Relationships

While Latin America has some of the highest social media and mobile usage rates globally, several studies have shown that Latin Americans have stronger ties to their family networks compared to non-family networks. Thus, earning their trust is important and needs extra effort.

As an entrepreneur, make sure to spend time with the clients you want to deal business with, and eventually, the investment will pay off.

5. Invest in Human Capital

During a crisis, employees are at risk for layoffs and staff benefits disruption. But according to Valentina Semei of Venezuelan restaurant La Casa Bistro, it is wise to invest heavily in your employees.

The approach is not only to combat turnover and absenteeism but it also allows entrepreneurs to earn dividends in staff and customer loyalty.

Aside from the tips, here are 5 best Latin American cities to launch a startup, as listed by Tech Co.

1. Santiago, Chile

2. Monterrey, Mexico

3. Sao Paulo, Brazil

4. Medellin, Colombia

5. Buenos Aires, Argentina