How early can renew non-o Chiang Mai

[scorpio]

hi,

my wife wants to open a laundry business , a lady next door to us does laundry for hotels etc and says there is very good money to be made from it ( i dont know ) i fancy getting into something like this ( sounds bettere than buying a beer bar in pattaya ) and i have about 1 million to invest in it, van / pickup, 2-3 industrial washing machines etc. my wife would need to get her orders in first though before i go and put money into it. is there anything i need to know , pitfalls etc. we live in pattaya so plenty hotels but as i say its up to my wife to prove to me that she can get the orders in .

thanks

[CharlieH]

The way to make a small fortune in Thailand, start with a BIG fortune.

Be careful whose toes you step on, especially in Pattaya region, and make sure your involvement is legit and legal re visa's/permits etc or you could have BIG problems ahead.

[impulse]

First look to see if any Russians with bulges under their jackets deliver the laundry cleaned by your competition... Then see if it's delivered in Tuk-Tuks you'd have to pay 1000 Baht per run....

[lonewolf99]

Look for a going concern that is for sale. Do some back ground checks - why it is for sale etc. It could be just a BF and GF fall out and you get a good business at a knockdown price.

One laundry won't make a millionaire quick. But it would be a steady (Thai level income) if it gets busy.

I personally know someone that sold a laundry (based in a Condo) and the reason was he thought it was hard work for the small return.

If it is just for the GF and her pocket money no harm can come from giving it a go.

best of luck.

[WilliaminBKK]

Had a mate operate a small laundry service, in rainy season the electric cost for drying the clothes shot up and couldnt charge more based on the dryer taking longer.

If your target are hotels, I would really investigate how to kill bed bugs, I'm not sure if they are killed with hot water (again additional electric cost) etc but that would be a concern for hotels I think.

Best of luck.

[rgs2001uk]

After bars and internet cafes, a laundry must be up there with at least 2 or 3 on every soi.

Most of the larger hotels have their own laundry.

"says there is very good money to be made from it"

Very good money(?) is a matter of opinion, plus I would take with a large dose of salt anything the lady next door says, throw a bit of face into the equation for good measure.

If you are determined to go ahead, lease everything, premises equipment and why the need to spend good money on a van/pickup, subcontract.

As mentioned by a previous poster, costs, water, electric, detergents, rent of premises and equipment.

Seen to many of these places that think all they need to do is go to tesco/Lotus and buy three or four cheapo 10k baht LG machines and they are in business.

Who is going to do the ironing?

Have you thought about where to source the equipment for ironing?

[WhizBang]

To be honest, I would NOT do it.  It sounds like a very easy way to kiss one million baht good-bye.

As someone has already pointed out, there are two or three laundries on just about every soi already.  So unless you have connections with a particular hotel, and a firm agreement for business if you start up, I think it something of a pipe dream.

Take some time, walk around and see how many laundries there are.  Talk to the owners and try to get a feel for how good the laundry business is.  Then go talk with a few hotels and see how willing they would be just to consider you, if you did start up.

The quote below has more than a grain of truth to it...

 

The way to make a small fortune in Thailand, start with a BIG fortune.

[MRTELLYOUSTRAIGHT]

How many pairs of smelly under-crackers you gotta wash to get your 1 million baht back dopey.

[Beechboy]

Excesively hard work, especially with constant deadlines.

Massive electricity and water bills.

Prone to customer complaints as many stains just won't come out whatever and they don't understand this.

Low profit margins.

Chasing bills etc. etc. and this was in England.

A lady friend of mine here had one. It nearly killed her.

Best left to big companies, not individuals or couples, with a few local workers.

In Thailand, I should imagine that it comes in the category, "Not a business, but a livlihood."

Get her to take some ironing in, no overheads.

[scorpio]

How many pairs of smelly under-crackers you gotta wash to get your 1 million baht back dopey.

hey mrtellyoustraight, maybe your the one with the smelly under cackers you :jerk: . thanks for all rest of you replies, my wife is going to start up in a soi where there isnt too many laundrys in pattaya, she isnt interested in ironinmg peoples clothes etc she is thinking only of hotels, guesthouses etc. her friend can get her liquids etc cheaper too. as i say we are going to go down there soon and speak to her friend then do some more research, if it goes ahead she can bring her sister and brother to stay in our house rent free and they will help out with with driving etc. i wont buy a van , she will take out finance on a pickup at a resonable price per month. we where thinking of renting a couple of large industrial washing machines but i need to source these first so if anyone knows anywhere that rent these please mail me. i have got some quotes from a few companies on alibaba.com for new machines.

[Beechboy]

How many pairs of smelly under-crackers you gotta wash to get your 1 million baht back dopey.

hey mrtellyoustraight, maybe your the one with the smelly under cackers you :jerk: . thanks for all rest of you replies, my wife is going to start up in a soi where there isnt too many laundrys in pattaya, she isnt interested in ironinmg peoples clothes etc she is thinking only of hotels, guesthouses etc. her friend can get her liquids etc cheaper too. as i say we are going to go down there soon and speak to her friend then do some more research, if it goes ahead she can bring her sister and brother to stay in our house rent free and they will help out with with driving etc. i wont buy a van , she will take out finance on a pickup at a resonable price per month. we where thinking of renting a couple of large industrial washing machines but i need to source these first so if anyone knows anywhere that rent these please mail me. i have got some quotes from a few companies on alibaba.com for new machines.

Industrial ironing machines are a necessity. You will need the roller type and large ones too (bedsheets.) You can't press sheets with a Morphy Richards.

I say "ones" because you need a reserve in the event (frequent) of a breakdown.

Maintenance of these buggers is high and expensive (eg. bands to propel the rollers). The best come from Italy --- Ciprianti, I believe. Installation is a nightmare.

The very best of luck my friend, but as I said above, "A livlihood, not a business."

P.S. One significant outlet that your potential rivals will not have tapped is airlines.

I refer to napkins and blankets. My friend (see above) got good business from two of these, even sanitising and re-packaging earphones. She easily undercut a large company who were charging a fortune. You could investigate things at PYX and UDT.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Beechboy

[Heng]

Do something that not as many people are doing.

[Paul888]

Do something that not as many people are doing.

.......or at least something that you know how to do from the outset and do need to get advice about doing from a forum.

Even if you do manage to get started, you will hard pushed to beat Thai businesses on price and turnaround. Many of these places have been doing this business all of their lives.

[saintofsilence]

There is a big industrial laundry in soi 2 A one hotel they also have delivery vans and I think they do a lot for other hotels . Personally I would look at a different business be careful this is Thailand .

[scorpio]

anyone a good source for machines / equipment in pattaya - bkk region. thanks i just want to check out prices etc