Business

[RAZZELL]

If you were going to let the other half loose with a few quid, what business would you do in LOS? Where? And why?

Mrs Razz has this idea about a clothes shop - not the usual tourist rubbish, something a bit more tasteful.

A cheap boutique

She seem's to think Phuket has "many farang" and would therefore be better than BKK.

Patong is busier but I'm sure more expensive than Kata.

The idea is not to make a fortune, a small profit would suffice.

How much would a small shop in Kata, Patong (obviously dependent upon location) cost to rent?

Would a budget to get it off the ground of about 1 million baht be enough?

Finally, no smart arse comments

RAZZ

Edited September 16, 2008 by RAZZELL

[RAZZELL]

Bump...

70+ views and not even a snide comment. That must be a TV record

RAZZ

[PCA]

Bump...

70+ views and not even a snide comment. That must be a TV record

RAZZ

Mr. Razz should advise Mrs. Razz that there are no good quality and reasonable priced clothes available in Thailand. What goes for brand names they are more expensive than in most other countries so simply forget about the tourists doing clothes-shopping. Better send her to a designer school stimulating creativity in bringing something new though you dont really want her becoming too successful

[zorro1]

Bump...

70+ views and not even a snide comment. That must be a TV record

RAZZ

okay ball rolling. Yes 1mill bht is enough just make sure you string out your losses over a few years that way she will have something to do for next 24mths before it all goes

[chiang mai]

Most Thai females are born with the idea that if they have a shop and sell something they will make money. Send them to "school" to learn beauty (god but I've been here to long) and they believe that opening a beauty shop will see their fortune made. If they can cook then opening a restaurant is clearly the answer because people have to eat and food will always sell. Further down the scale is the home laundry business which will inevitably be incorporated with an Internet shop and bike rental facility at some stage because it will be deemed to make money. Go up market and open a travel agency because, well, Thailand is a tourist destination and it must make money as a result.

The reality is that only a very small percentage of businesses here will survive and make money so whatever business you get into, be prepared to lose your investment. If you don't believe that, take a drive down Nanai road from one end to the other and see for yourself. Having said those things, if you pick the right business in the right location, and, you work really hard and put in lots of effort and get really lucky, you might be able to make a success of it - pretty much like back home really but with much worse odds.

Edited September 27, 2008 by chiang mai

[bob4you]

A well know business guru that mentored me for 10 years "Dr. Ivan Misner" a Dr. of marketing often gives the secret success in a small or large business by making this statement.

"The secret to success in business without hard work is

still a secret"

[lannarebirth]

How about opening a building materials business. If it doesn't work out, take the inventory and build yourself a house somewhere.

[soundman]

How about opening a building materials business. If it doesn't work out, take the inventory and build yourself a house somewhere.

A reasonably well apointed hardware store where the management takes interest in the customers needs (read special one off orders are never a problem), and the owners are responsible with the money (read not spending the takings before all the bills have been paid), will make a reliable stream of income.

Initial investment will likely be in the 5mil+ range, and a twelve metre wide shopfront in a medium traffic area without too much competition should return abot 60k - 100k per month depending on the rent, and what your shop specialises in that other nearby shops are not doing.

Anyone embarking on this type of enterprise should spend a lot of time tracking down & understanding supply, and looking into what brand naes are actually moving well in other shops.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[johna]

When I started building my house there was only 1 building materials supplier in my neighbourhood and the nearest hardware store was 7 Km away now there a 3 hardware stores within 1 Km and 3 building materials suppliers within 3 Km

Any good idea gets copied to death, notice the distance between 7/11's in BKK

[PoorSucker]

Massage massage, handsome man?

[bendix]

I suppose it's progress from the internet cafe boom of a few years ago . .

[soundman]

How much would a small shop in Kata, Patong (obviously dependent upon location) cost to rent?

Would a budget to get it off the ground of about 1 million baht be enough?

Do a search of this and SME forum about "key money".

Any reasonable location in a prime tourist destination is going to chew through that million baht before your feet even go through the door of the premisies.

[johnnyk]

I gave my gf 8000 baht and she bought a cart to sell cold fruit and 2 deep fryer set-ups for fried bananas and potatoes in her village.

She operates them in the courtyard of a huge temple in Lopburi province, tons of people up from BKK every weekend.

A restaurant operation in the temple came available with cold storage, drinks cooler, cookers, tables, chairs, etc etc. She took it over for 10000 baht, bought nice tablecloths, new utensils, a sign and hired a helper for 100 baht a day.

She now has a good viable business in her village temple 300 yards from her house and across the road from her little boy's school. She is home in her moobaan and seconds away from her child.

She works hard but she's quite happy, 18K well invested I think.

[Chaimai]

I gave my gf 8000 baht and she bought a cart to sell cold fruit and 2 deep fryer set-ups for fried bananas and potatoes in her village.She works hard but she's quite happy, 18K well invested I think.

One hears of so many disasters but this is a great success story - any more out there ?

[Chaimai]

still a secret"

Not sure if that brought a smile to the face of Maigo6 but it didn't register on my laugh-ometer. Mai pen rai