mgjackson69

Question is.. have you any experience running a business or and more specifically a bar in your life ?

If not.. huge chance you will fail.

I am an accountant and even for people who start a business in their home country its hard with a learning period that can be more then a year. Now you are starting a business in a strange country.. and if you don't have relevant experience then it will be even harder as starting a business back home.

Pray tell, how would one go about getting experience running a business, other than to run a business?

Sure, it is much lower risk to go run a business for someone else, but again, where would you get the experience to convince someone to hire you for that job?

Some people have some inherent ability to "be a manager"...my stepfather has no formal education, and barely made it through high school (by his admission, "I was one of the dumbest son-of-a-bitches to ever come out of there"). Yet, he has been his own boss since age 20, and has been successful in any number of ventures. At age 78, he currently has nobody working for him for the first time in 56 years.

Stating that you are an accountant gives no particular credibility to business advice you might give.

What you have said is absolutely true...it is a very large percentage of businesses that never make it past the first year. Many are undercapitalized; they have startup money but nothing to keep them going until the business starts making a profit.

Another post mentioned this, but I will say it again, it is important:

How is my bar better?

There was a photo posted of a row of bars, similar to any number of places throughout Thailand. At first glance, they all look about the same...so think about what you can do to differentiate your bar. Lower prices? Daily specials/promotions? Nicer wait staff? Better music? Live bands?

Does the place currently sell food? If not, consider doing so. Yes, it is a lot more work, but it will increase your traffic and profits, especially for a year-round business that has to depend upon locals for part of the year.

"Top brass" can never miss a photo/television opportunity

....preventive maintenance and up-keeping is considered a waste of money and time...

I beg to differ.

I would postulate that preventative maintenance and up-keeping is not even considered here.

Even something as simple to maintain as a bicycle is neglected...use it until it is broken, then toss it on the junk heap and buy a new one. Or take it back to the bicycle shop and trade it for a new one, getting a token amount for the old bicycle.

The only time I have seen Thais get involved in any kind of repairs/maintenance is when I start the job...then plenty show up to tell me how I am doing it wrong.

Had Maae said "no" to this oxygen thief once in a while when he was a toddler we probably would not be reading this article now.

Some cash flow figures from the current owner would be interesting to see....taken with a grain of salt, of course.

Q. How do you know if someone doesn't have a smartphone?

A. They'll tell you.

Yep...As if it is some badge of honor...

I know a lot of Thais and I don't see them buying a new phone every year as some have claimed. These people, like all people want something nice so they get a phone.

Your all hypocrites since most countries and their people are in debt. 160% GDP for China or even more debt in Japan. Let's not go into the trade deficit the USA has with other countries or the monumental credit most in the USA have.

If wealth was slightly more proportionally distributed in Thailand then these folks could afford a phone or a car without going into these micro debt transactions.

Go read about Russia and debt collectors in the NY times and see where Thailand is headed.

".....monumental credit most in the USA have..."

What does this mean?

Available credit? By some standards my available credit might be "monumental"...however, my usage of available credit is typically below 5%...hardly monumental.

"Your all hypocrites...."

First, it is "You're"

Secondly, we are not all hypocrites...irresponsible use of credit is a negative regardless of what country one is from. I know the news is full of gloom and doom about "the debt of the Americans"...that does not include me.

I have no sympathy for someone who borrows more than they can afford to pay back. It is easy to blame the "evil lenders", but it is on the borrower to be responsible. When I bought my first house 28 years ago I knew better to fall for that "you can qualify for this price home" line...I had already figured out what I could afford to comfortably pay each month and worked the numbers to find purchase price I could afford. I told the loan officer that I am looking at a house in this range (about half of what I "qualified" for), and if he could not help me with that I would take my business elsewhere.

I know plenty of other people like myself, who have managed our credit well and used it to our advantage.

She could manage on 10,000 per month.

But if you *ask* her, no amount you suggest will ever be enough.

great experience today, nipped in to ask about Monday if open he asked to see my passport, my extension is June 1st so Monday was the day I was planning to go in, asked if I had all my paperwork I said yes he said I can do it now, its only a couple of days early but he could of told me to come back next week.

Are they open on Monday?

Interesting they said you were early at just over four weeks, considering a couple of members have stated on this thread they've been getting their extensions six weeks ahead of time for years!

I read baggies666 post to mean, the Immigration officer said "Yes I can do it now", I think the "couple of days early" was the poster's comment, not the Immigration officer's

great experience today, nipped in to ask about Monday if open he asked to see my passport, my extension is June 1st so Monday was the day I was planning to go in, asked if I had all my paperwork I said yes he said I can do it now, its only a couple of days early but he could of told me to come back next week.

Once in a while a person gets lucky, where common sense overrides officiousness.

Well, thank goodness these heroes captured those dreaded and dangerous red bowls. We can all sleep more comfortably now.

Up to now one only had to worry about what color shirt to wear/not wear. I guess that has been extended to bowls as well.

I have not seen any free SIMs at the jetbridge or at the Immigration desks for a while.

I think it may be a bit random, depending on which carrier is doing a promotion.

You might check at the various phone carriers counters after exiting baggage claim/Customs. They might be doing something low-cost or free.

Household debt in the UK is huge. Mainly because of house prices/mortgages. Household debt in Thailand is unsustainable as no-body wants second hand cars or houses. The only asset of value is land. I can buy a secondhand Mercedes for 50,000 Baht in the UK. Here it is 200,000 Baht. I can buy a house in the UK for 10M Baht. But I can probably sell it. Here I can buy one for 5M Baht Unsaleable. The Bank will take it if I don't pay the loan, but they can't sell it either. Cuckoo land.

Although I think you do have a point, you're contradicting yourself. If no-one wanted 2nd hand cars, the prices would be low. As you've pointed out, second-hand cars are insanely expensive in Thailand.

Used cars in Thailand are not expensive due to demand...there are plenty of used cars sitting on lots everywhere.

The prices are high because people here do not understand depreciation.

"Asking price" is not an accurate representation of what used cars are bringing...one needs to consider what the cars actually sell for.

There is nothing like an ambiguous abbreviation to mix things up.

Just type out the words. It is not hard.

My retirement extension is due for renewal in June-I am going to Phuket Immigration late next month to do it as per last year.My question(s) are in regards to:

1/I have a new passport with one extension and a transfer of original visa in it-do I have to present copies of previous extensions and the original visa in my old passport?

2/Notification of my address as it is same as last year?

Thanks.

1. You just need copies of the current passport IF you have had the information transferred from the old passport.

2. If you have a receipt stapled in the passport which relates to you previously reporting your address nothing more needs doing unless you have moved.

See Post #34....I did not make that up.

Now, it may be that since I had the old passport along and the officer saw it, perhaps that is why they asked...and perhaps if they were not aware of the old passport it would not have been asked for. Perhaps next time I will keep the old passport out of sight and see if the subject comes up.

Do as you like...but having the old passport along might save you a trip.

My retirement extension is due for renewal in June-I am going to Phuket Immigration late next month to do it as per last year.My question(s) are in regards to:

1/I have a new passport with one extension and a transfer of original visa in it-do I have to present copies of previous extensions and the original visa in my old passport?

2/Notification of my address as it is same as last year?

Thanks.

I would at least have the old passport along. It would not hurt to have photocopies of at least the old passport photo page and any pages with extension stamps.

I made a new passport about 5 years ago. The past two times i have done the Extension of Stay, Immigration wanted copies of every extension that I have done (8 so far) as well as the original Non-O visa (the original visa and 3 extensions of stay are in the old passport).

Why that old information is so interesting I have no idea...every year's extension should be in my "file" anyway. But, governments run in paper, and the Immigration Officer is never happy unless they can send you for a photocopy of <something>.

Every extension of stay seems like one is doing it for the first time.

I think it is an "ugly tax" after hanging all of that plastic crap on your truck.

Nobody can say that someone is currently "on the right side of history".

Outcomes from current events will determine that.

The headline says "New International Airport to be Built in Lamphun".

The last line of the article: "The new airport, if given the go ahead,..."

Another piece of excellent journalism.

"in Penang I saw the results of a lightning strike that killed a car driver because the badly constructed lightning protection for a high rise building fell on the car and completely buried it. "

and ....

"NB you are much safer in a car during a thunderstorm because the rubber tyres insulate it from the road."

Faraday's law is no protector!

Sorry,mate, but you got that wrong. The few inches of rubber do f.a. in the way of protection when it comes to a few million volts of lightning. Faraday is it. Don't try to re-write the laws of physics.

Actually he is correct. The frame of the car will be at the same potential which may well be extremely high. The problem comes if you try exiting the vehicle without the electricity being discharged to earth

He is not correct..the relative safety of being in a car during a thunderstorm is *not* due to the rubber tires insulating it from the road.

I was chatting with a friend in USA earlier today...

He: That was a close one.

Felt the static charge on the defibrillator. (He has an implanted heart defibrillator/monitor)

Me: ??

He: Lightning strike outside

The book was *not* banned, either "fully" or "partially".

Ban on anti-tax book renewed by federal judge

http://www.rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/news/ban-anti-tax-book-renewed-federal-judge

The word "ban" was used by a reporter...it is nowhere in the ruling.

All I know is there are huge numbers of references all over the Internet using the word banned

Book on legal tax evasion banned in US »

http://joi.ito.com/weblog/2003/04/01/book-on-legal-t.html

You claim it isn’t banned and yet it’s only YOUR word because you haven’t provided one smidgen of evidence to support your claim. If you know something that all these journalists and others who use the word banned don’t, please share it with us?

All over the internet....it must be true.

Since you insist on the word "banned"...produce the court ruling where that word is used (not a reporter's interpretation).

This question should be directed to a competent, licensed Attorney specializing in Marital/divorce cases.

All facts and future plans from both parties should be conveyed for proper evaluation.

I suppose it would not hurt, but really, there is no need to consult an attorney. It is just a name.

The hotel's should stop wanting to keep her id.drives me crazy when they think my wife is a hooker

That happens...it is fun to call them out on it though.

A couple of years ago I was flying out of BKK for work. The flight ended up cancelled and the airline put the passengers up at Novatel. My wife had brought me down to the airport as always, so she stayed overnight with me.

The officious bitch working the check-in took my credentials, voucher, boarding card and got things set up. As my wife was not flying, she had none. The lady said, "I will keep this." I told her to make a copy if she wants, but she is not keeping it. She got huffy, finally I said, "Look, before I call for your manager and you embarrass yourself more, take a look at the name on my passport.....now take a look at the name on my wife's ID." To reinforce my point I showed her my Thai drivers license as well.

As soon as she saw the same surname she knew she screwed up. Of course, there was no apology, and she was pretty pissy after that. No worries, we were about finished dealing with her anyway.

All these remarks saying 25,000baht/mo is excessive is also laughable. All this about it being so cheap to live in Issan is nuts. Guess it depends on the earnings of the OP. When I'm home I can blow thru 10,000baht pretty damn quick. A trip to Makro, stop off and get a few things at a hardware store, clothes. Of course the average Thai in an Issan village doesn't live this way. They don't wake up and say Oh, think I'll go to makro or Big C and blow 3000baht on groceries and household items. They can't afford to buy the best formula and diapers for baby. Their kids go to village school, ours don't. We eat good meats and vegetables, if a few neighbors show up around meal time then we feed them as well. The only way to live cheap is to never leave the village.

Most of the responses came from guys on bar stools. Is she giving a little money to family along the way? maybe, probably so.

The way I see it is, If I make 25,000baht in one day working I'm not worried about alittle overspending.

The obvious trouble with is you have got her accustomed to, or rather, expecting, a certain lifestyle.

In the future when your situation changes and you arent earning as much, the s#it will hit the fan when you cant keep up the charade..and it will be bye bye farang.

Obvious?