small business ideas in Isaan

[bodlivy]

Hello, for those in LOS living in Isaan. I am interested in understanding small business opportunities for 1-2 people in the area. Don't know anything about Isaan and have never been. It would be something that doesn't require specialized equipment and hopefully small initial investment, something along the lines of buy bulk/sell retail, food services, growing food, educational.  Any ideas are greatly appreciated, looking for some guidance and shared experiences from those of you who were both successful and not successful at it.

[CharlieH]

Better suited to isaaan forum, MOVED

[NanLaew]

Don't know anything and never been there but wanting advice on what sort of small business would work in Isaan?

 

What has she suggested?

[Denim]

I would start by doing a Google search on local demographics. 

 

Search for information on the specific amper and dtambon you plan to open your idea. This will tell you what your potential customer base is. From that number consider how many are elderly or children that might not use your service. If people in that area are simple farming folk they won't be very interested in wasting their money on non essentials like fancy restaurants etc.

If you try to do something that caters only to expats...very difficult as not enough potential customers. 

 

Over the years I have seen Thais and foreigners open businesses that were obviously doomed to failure right from day one. One muscular guy tried to open a small air con gym in the middle of town probably thinking that as the town didn't have one it would be a good idea. Lasted 6 months.

 

Our local store does a roaring trade especially in the morning selling precooked food and vegetables to the local villages. Very cheap and within their limited means.

 

Auto repair shops are always busy but that's another thing altogether.

 

Building supplies also do well but needs big investment and lots of space.

 

In the end though , almost all new business we see start up here fail.

 

So, what you are left with is doing one thing well and selling cheap. In the mornings a woman does well selling hot Thai donuts. Another sells only Pad Thai from a cart. In a rural area where the people are mostly poor, doing business is not easy.

 

My wife and I have our own little business selling online. Don't make much but bigger customer base so the profit pays all our bills.

 

 

[SamSipEt]

Be prepared for competition to appear very quickly if you are seen or seem to make money.  A new coffee shop / cafe opened outside our village a couple of years ago.  No competiton along the main road for a few km in each direction.  Today there are another three all doing very similar menus almost in sight of each other.  No one makes good money anymore because there aren't enough customers to go round.

 

Growing stuff?  Some years ago date palms were popular.  Exepensive to buy the plants but the fruit could be sold for a good price.  Lots of people planted them and the price has come down a lot.  Grapes used to be 300 - 400 baht a kilo but the price in the market is down to 75 baht or less a kilo. Currently the popular fruit appears to be the red / pink guava which command a premium in price.  We know of several rai being planted this year so, if the pattern is repeated, there will be as many red / pink ones as white ones in a couple of years and the prices will be the same.

 

Small businesses as mentioned above tend to specialise in one thing, do it well and have a loyal customer base in the village(s) they sell in.  E.g. a local market has a stall that only sells pad thai at 20 baht a small portion.  They appear to sell out everyday but how much money they make I wouldn't know.

 

Of course many businesse do make their owners a living but for all of the small family businesses I think it is very much a hand to mouth existance due to the wafer thin profit margins.  If you try and increase the margin someone else will simply undercut you.

 

My comments are based on village life but there are some major cities in Issan and in one of those things will be very different.  If you rent and are seen to make money then the rent goes up and sucks out as much of the profit as possible.  To buy in a good location will be expensive.

 

I hope I'm not sounding too negative but although it will be difficult it can be done.  Best of luck with it and please let us know how you get on.

 

[FritsSikkink]

Sit on a chair in a room with a red light.

[simon43]

1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said:

Sit on a chair in a room with a red light.

No windows?