Business Ideas For My Unskilled Inlaws

[bungy007]

I would take that 1.3mil and put it into the kids education, English tutoring etc while they are young and furthering there education as they get older through Uni etc.

I would say the falure rate of business ventures on here seems to be 99%, give the next generation the opportunity to feed themselves.

Just my opinion

I tend to agree with Rick75.

They will not be serious with the business you start for them and surly will fail

I also have two separate business over here and knowing my wife and family, it would be better for you to save your money, and just help them sometimes and let them continue to earn their own money their own way. Make sure do not take the responsibility supporting them all the way, which is very easy to get trapped into and hard to get out of that.

You could start small and build up. don't hand over any money just stock it yourself with fast moving items that don't perish (you get your wife to do the stock take weekly). Open up a little noodle stand outside (just like 7/11) and maybe a coffee corner. If you are able to turn it into the local bill payment center (the clinic below my business did that until 7/11 opened and killed it) it maybe bring custom into the shop and they may then make purschases which could become habitual.

Keep a close eye on the money - don't hand it over or suddenly they all may have new mobile phones and have made a down payment on a pick-up as well as having purchased a new lcd tv to watch while they wait for custom.

Good luck

[def2708]

hello

buy more land for them to grow rice and banana and be prepared to sent them money.....land is cheap in petchabun

not easy when unskilled....

got the same problem.....

[loong]

I'm pretty sure that the OP has not revealed whether this is his idea or the in-laws'.

Have they suggested he invests in a business for them or is he telling them what to do?

If it is his idea, there may be no real enthusiasm for it.

Somebody suggested livestock earlier, I totally disagree. Thais that I know do not earn much money (many make a loss) from rearing cattle and pigs, the middle men do. Most have now given up keeping pigs as it is just not worth it.

Look around and see if you can spot something that is missing in the area. There will already be salons for sure, more than the local customer base will support.

One thing that may work, but will require some research. They have 2 Rai of land. If there is a regular supply of wood in the area and some able bodied workers, charcoal. This always sells and can be a good moneymaker. The traditional method of making charcoal is hard work and inefficient. A well designed and properly built kiln is more efficient and creates less pollution.

This could be set up for less than 50,000 Baht and will create immediate income. Add more kilns as the customer base and profits grow.

Be warned though, although a lot of people do go out collecting wood, they are usually actually stealing it. The people round here collect deadwood and trimmings and have no problems - it would be a different matter if they started to chop down trees.

[stingray]

Why are you asking farangs about what biz is good for low class uneducated Thais? doesn't make sense. all your getting here is advice from westerners who have run a business and that may help you but how will it help your extended thai family in the village? every cent that comes in will be spent because its profit. Better off investing it in the stockmarket on the global uptrend and triple it in 3 years right? give them the profits and thay can watch it grow everyday via internet platform, but hey its your money, up to you

Or lose you rmoney within 3 years. Yes you can make alot of money, but you can lose alot of money too.

My bet is play it safe and invest into something alot safer, like real estate. Will go up slowly, but it will always go up

Real Estate? Farangs can't own realestate overhere, except 49% of a conco complex. Don't buy any Land and Houses, when you can't own them. Would you buy a House in UK for example, if you can't legally own it?

[spysee]

Why are you asking farangs about what biz is good for low class uneducated Thais? doesn't make sense. all your getting here is advice from westerners who have run a business and that may help you but how will it help your extended thai family in the village? every cent that comes in will be spent because its profit. Better off investing it in the stockmarket on the global uptrend and triple it in 3 years right? give them the profits and thay can watch it grow everyday via internet platform, but hey its your money, up to you

Or lose you rmoney within 3 years. Yes you can make alot of money, but you can lose alot of money too.

My bet is play it safe and invest into something alot safer, like real estate. Will go up slowly, but it will always go up

Real Estate? Farangs can't own realestate overhere, except 49% of a conco complex. Don't buy any Land and Houses, when you can't own them. Would you buy a House in UK for example, if you can't legally own it?

Oh yes, I totally forgot about that.

Well best bet for the OP is find something else to invest in that has the lowest risk in losing it.

[Foggy Dew]

Hi Mac101,

If you have 1.3m to invest, think of it as just that. An investment.

I am not familiar with Petchabun province, and what works best in this area, but this is my suggestion.

As I am sure you know loosing face in Thailand is a big thing, so I would try to attach the success/ failure of the venture to gain/loss of face of the family in the community. Have a public launch party and you stay WELL in the background, with your in-laws taking all the credit for setting up the business.

Looking at the skill set of you “Partners” I would opt for “Agricultural Contractor”. Invest in a rice ( local crop) harvester machine.

No stock to worry about.

No work for the machine = no income for them.

Your in-laws have the skills to drive and repair the equipment.

If you pay for the machine the only expense they have is diesel and routine maintenance. ( they should have no problem competing with the local competition... no capital repayments!)

You are a partner who financed the deal, and expect a return on your investment. If it fails you should not be expected to cough up any more money, EVER! (another win)

Ok you get the idea, I hope.

Regards

Foggy Dew

PS. Best of luck whatever you decide.

[BigSnake]

Hi, I am looking to fund a business for my inlaws who live in the petchabun province, Thailand. My wife will soon be paying for a new home for them and I really want them to be able to support themselves.

They live in a small thai town with a population of 2000 people approx, they own 2rai of land but It would not suit a retail business. I am prepared to buy a shop unit or land to build a shop unit as I can only see a retail business working in their village/town.

I have 1.3million baht to invest into this business

I have owned 7 business's to date and will help set-up their business

The business needs to be fairly idiot proof

Ideas I have come up with as follows: 7/11, family mart, privately owned newsagents, internet/game shop, breed fish for eating, hydrophonics, cosmetics shop

any ideas TV?

I would say bad idea on 7/11, family mart, they would need skill people to maintain the franchise standards. breed fish, internet/game shop, comestic shop so what on the right from the family you describe. Why not putting things on hold for a little while, talk to the wife, her mom, dad try to find out if they have a PASSION for anything, in other word something they would just love to do, even for free, I know sounds so simple, but if they don't have that passion/desire they want make it in any business you set up for them. Good luck, hope things workout well for all.

[Foggy Dew]

Why are you asking farangs about what biz is good for low class uneducated Thais? doesn't make sense. all your getting here is advice from westerners who have run a business and that may help you but how will it help your extended thai family in the village? every cent that comes in will be spent because its profit. Better off investing it in the stockmarket on the global uptrend and triple it in 3 years right? give them the profits and thay can watch it grow everyday via internet platform, but hey its your money, up to you

Zorro you are an arrogant SH1T!

I respect you are a senior member here on this forum but who the <deleted> do you think you are with a statement like “low class” this is not India!

What global uptrend?

In every Thai village I have ever been in I have seen real entrepreneurship and competition that no western business could thrive against.

You were obviously born with a silver spoon in your mouth, the companies you talk about investing in are real companies. They buy, add value and sell at a profit. This can (and is) be done in a small scale in any Thai village.

Get off your high horse and give the man a bit of real encouragement.

Regards from a normally restrained,

Foggy Dew.

Ps. I have many examples of Thai entrepreneurship, give them some credit.

[fiddlehead]

I tried to set up a business for my inlaws.

I thought i had a great idea.

Everything went wrong.

I was at a big festival and saw this Thai guy that i knew. He had one of those stands where he sets up a bunch of beer bottles and soda bottles and people buy 7 rings for 20 baht and try to throw them over the bottles.

He was sitting in the back drinking and letting his 8 year old kid rake in the money.

I thought, this is easy.

I tried to set up a stand for my inlaws.

First they broke the water main running through their alloted space.

They fixed it by throwing dirt over it.

The stand turned to mud.

They made a little money but then it rained.

Their stand turned into a lake.

They drank all profits and then they drank all the beer that was there for the props.

I got laughed at (and toasted to a lot) for their mudpit being a disaster.

Never again. Let them eat their moldy food and throw their garbage in their yard. It's what they prefer.

[Geekfreaklover]

I tried to set up a business for my inlaws.

I thought i had a great idea.

Everything went wrong.

I was at a big festival and saw this Thai guy that i knew. He had one of those stands where he sets up a bunch of beer bottles and soda bottles and people buy 7 rings for 20 baht and try to throw them over the bottles.

He was sitting in the back drinking and letting his 8 year old kid rake in the money.

I thought, this is easy.

I tried to set up a stand for my inlaws.

First they broke the water main running through their alloted space.

They fixed it by throwing dirt over it.

The stand turned to mud.

They made a little money but then it rained.

Their stand turned into a lake.

They drank all profits and then they drank all the beer that was there for the props.

I got laughed at (and toasted to a lot) for their mudpit being a disaster.

Never again. Let them eat their moldy food and throw their garbage in their yard. It's what they prefer.

That made me chuckle. A wise tale of caution.

[Foggy Dew]

I tried to set up a business for my inlaws.

I thought i had a great idea.

Everything went wrong.

Never again. Let them eat their moldy food and throw their garbage in their yard. It's what they prefer.

That made me chuckle. A wise tale of caution.

BULLSH1T

And true!

More than 50% of all new start-up’s fail within two years in the western world.

Quote from Fiddlehead

“I tried to set up a business for my inlaws.

I thought i had a great idea. ... Everything went wrong.”

What’s wrong with the above statement?

Is it anything to do with “I tried” and “I thought”

Look my point is simple, in business I have been extremely successful and lost the lot again. Yes broke! Learnt my lesson and made it back again.

I am sure that Fiddlehead and GeekFreakLover are nice guys but really...

what the <deleted> do they know about business from seed idea (beer mat) through development, financing to implementation?

I don’t know what these guys experience’s are but I am dam well sure that if they experience the same up’s and down’s as most of us mere mortals then they would not say “Let them eat their moldy food and throw their garbage in their yard. It's what they prefer.” or “ A wise tale of caution.”

Again bullsh1t, we love something about Thailand but let’s not get superior, drop your stereotype views, after all are all Americans loud and obnoxious? Are all Irish drunks ? are all English...? Italians...? French...? Thais...?

Regards

jim

[loong]

I tried to set up a business for my inlaws.

I thought i had a great idea.

Everything went wrong.

Never again. Let them eat their moldy food and throw their garbage in their yard. It's what they prefer.

That made me chuckle. A wise tale of caution.

BULLSH1T

And true!

More than 50% of all new start-up's fail within two years in the western world.

Quote from Fiddlehead

"I tried to set up a business for my inlaws.

I thought i had a great idea. ... Everything went wrong."

What's wrong with the above statement?

Is it anything to do with "I tried" and "I thought"

Look my point is simple, in business I have been extremely successful and lost the lot again. Yes broke! Learnt my lesson and made it back again.

I am sure that Fiddlehead and GeekFreakLover are nice guys but really...

what the <deleted> do they know about business from seed idea (beer mat) through development, financing to implementation?

I don't know what these guys experience's are but I am dam well sure that if they experience the same up's and down's as most of us mere mortals then they would not say "Let them eat their moldy food and throw their garbage in their yard. It's what they prefer." or " A wise tale of caution."

Again bullsh1t, we love something about Thailand but let's not get superior, drop your stereotype views, after all are all Americans loud and obnoxious? Are all Irish drunks ? are all English...? Italians...? French...? Thais...?

Regards

jim

The simple facts are that not everyone has a business brain, not everyone can balance books.

I know so many farang wannabee business men in Pattaya. They have no idea how to run a business and it's almost as if they think that they are successful if they don't lose too much money. Of course the Landlords love these people, they can keep upping the rent because the farang "businessmen" will keep subsidising the business.

In the Uk, I had to explain to quite a few people why they were not making any money. Ie a jobbing builder wanting to earn 80 pounds a day. For an 8 hour day he would price jobs at 10 pounds an hour. He just couldn't understand why he didn't have 400 pounds a week even though he was working 60 hours. I tried to explain that to earn 400 pounds a week, he had to charge maybe 20 pounds per hour, but he didn't get it.

In a 40 hour week, you will waste at least 12 hours on administration, estimating, at the merchants etc.

That's 28 billable hours a week at 10 pounds is 280 Pounds

Expenses, depreciation, tools, advertising, insurance, running a vehicle etc will knock that 280 pounds down to maybe 150 pounds.

Then take into account no holiday pay, no pension, sickness or other benefits. There will be problems with customers not paying.

Actually, he was working 40 hours per week more or less for nothing, he only had some sort of income because he worked 60 hours.

As a plumber and CORGI registered gas engineer, I had even higher overheads, but some people without any understanding of how business works thought that I was a rip off merchant because I charged 25 pounds per hour.

Thais/farang, some understand how to run a business, some don't. But it is only in Thailand that I've seen so many people start a business with no concern whether it will make a profit or not.

[HakimKlunker]

...any ideas ... ?

Did you ask your relatives? What do THEY want?

If your in-laws do not have the idea and concept themselves, my suggestion is this:

1. Give them the money in cash

2. Don't expect to see it again

3. Feel a positive surprise if it works

I have a feeling that I already know the result

[Geekfreaklover]

I tried to set up a business for my inlaws.

I thought i had a great idea.

Everything went wrong.

Never again. Let them eat their moldy food and throw their garbage in their yard. It's what they prefer.

That made me chuckle. A wise tale of caution.

BULLSH1T

And true!

More than 50% of all new start-up's fail within two years in the western world.

Quote from Fiddlehead

"I tried to set up a business for my inlaws.

I thought i had a great idea. ... Everything went wrong."

What's wrong with the above statement?

Is it anything to do with "I tried" and "I thought"

Look my point is simple, in business I have been extremely successful and lost the lot again. Yes broke! Learnt my lesson and made it back again.

I am sure that Fiddlehead and GeekFreakLover are nice guys but really...

what the <deleted> do they know about business from seed idea (beer mat) through development, financing to implementation?

I don't know what these guys experience's are but I am dam well sure that if they experience the same up's and down's as most of us mere mortals then they would not say "Let them eat their moldy food and throw their garbage in their yard. It's what they prefer." or " A wise tale of caution."

Again bullsh1t, we love something about Thailand but let's not get superior, drop your stereotype views, after all are all Americans loud and obnoxious? Are all Irish drunks ? are all English...? Italians...? French...? Thais...?

Regards

jim

You obviously haven't spent much time in a rural Thai villiage. Believe me, that guy sitting on his arse drinking Lao kow all day is not the next Bill Gates. The woman chewing betel nut and pissing her money away on gambling does not have a sound business brain. Yes, it's sterotyping, but sterotyping is there for a reason. People use generalisations, beacuse by doing so they are generally right.

When you've lived in the village for many years you begin to realise that the in laws do not want a business. After a while you realise they already have a business. Then you realise that you are the business. You are the job. Once you leave they have to find a new job. Not before.

Edited June 8, 2009 by Geekfreaklover

[Briggsy]

Forget the idea. It's doomed before it's even begun.

[timinchina]

Why are you asking farangs about what biz is good for low class uneducated Thais? doesn't make sense. all your getting here is advice from westerners who have run a business and that may help you but how will it help your extended thai family in the village? every cent that comes in will be spent because its profit. Better off investing it in the stockmarket on the global uptrend and triple it in 3 years right? give them the profits and thay can watch it grow everyday via internet platform, but hey its your money, up to you

Or lose you rmoney within 3 years. Yes you can make alot of money, but you can lose alot of money too.

My bet is play it safe and invest into something alot safer, like real estate. Will go up slowly, but it will always go up

Historically,equities outperform just about any other investment on the market and have done for the last 100 years.It's unlikely you'll make 300% over the next 3 years but not impossible.

Real estate is a poor investment,historically it may just keep up with the rate of inflation if you're lucky!

[Lancashirelad]

My house in the UK is worth about 2.5 - 3 times what it was 12 years ago.

My inherited share portfolio, originally purchased over the course of 12 - 20 years ago, is worth about half what it was 12 years ago!