Non-Traditional Businesses Suitable For Samui

[insertmembernamehere]

Nearly all foreigners who open a business on Samui run one of the following:

Bar

Restaurant

Massage parlor

Souvenir shop

Laundry

Dive shop

Website design, online booking or other purely online businesses (including gambling)

The purpose of this tread is to float ideas for businesses other than these (unless of course you have some unique spin on their operation that would redefine them.)

I have a number of ideas, but I will start with this one:

BATTING CAGE

For those unfamiliar with the concept, a batting cage is a coin operated entertainment where a robotic arm pitches balls for you to hit inside a netted area. You could have a few machines for baseball, softball, cricket (and even tennis if you had the space). This could be put in an existing golf driving range (the one in Lamai would be perfect). Since all the equipment is automated (including change machines), you'd only need to have one attendant to oversee the operation.

I think you could have a nice open-air lounge area as well, so people could come and watch as well as play.

The beauty of this is that it is extremely low hassle. Once all the equipment is in place, it almost runs itself. No problems with staff quitting, employee squabbles, inventories, stocking goods, no air con bills, etc.

Another good location in Lamai is the vacant coconut grove across and diagonal from The Spa.

Here is an example of baseball cages:

http://www.masterpitch.com/batting-cages/

[evadgib]

The only thing Samui hasn't got is a Ski slope!

IMO it may be possible to open a clay shooting facility (all disciplines) up in the mountains but any ferang doing so can expect to encounter more hurdles than can currently be found in East London.

Edited August 6, 2012 by evadgib

[BigC]

A proper full size table snooker club with sexy ladies doing the scoring and serving you drinks with private snooker room option VIP room

Always wanted one of those like in the u.k but better

[BigC]

Would like to see more entertainment business catered for expats not just tourists or Thais

Something other than sitting on the same bars every night

Also something indoors do can use day or night rain or shine

Also more indoor restaurants for night time with easy parking

Maybe drive in movie theaters plenty of land giant screens sound through the car radio

Bobs your uncle

Also a sizzlers

And a tony romers for spare ribs

A big bit of land for dog walkers

A dog hotel

Rather dog friendly hotels

How many hotels Llow pets

None

So there is a market for one

Sound proof walls kennel within the room compound with air con

And cats

Pets ate a problem when people go o. Holiday there is a gap for a hotel where they can bring thier pets and pay extra

How much does it cost to have your pet on a kennel for 2 weeks

Put that on the price when checking in a fog frog or cat

Edited August 6, 2012 by BigC

[notmyself]

A dog hotel lol

[Boater]

A few ideas that make money

1- mini cab service that can pick you up and collect you for a reasonable cost

2 - off license ...

3 - decent kebab shop

4 - uk style chinese take away

5 - uk style social club

6 - mechanic for expats

7 - euro supermarket

[brit1984]

International school (operating as a franchise of a British public school, maybe Eton)

Helicopter tours and transfers (including winch drop directly into the full moon party)

Super casino (this would require Koh Samui to declare independence from Thailand)

Human zoo (exhibiting examples of the various categories of Koh Samui residents)

[dixitron]

A dog hotel lol

There is already a dog hotel in Koh Samui.

[motocrosser]

Plenty of places to leave you dogs,as little as 150b a day with food included!

[Samui Coconut]

International school (operating as a franchise of a British public school, maybe Eton)

Helicopter tours and transfers (including winch drop directly into the full moon party)

Super casino (this would require Koh Samui to declare independence from Thailand)

Human zoo (exhibiting examples of the various categories of Koh Samui residents)

Best idea so far!

[insertmembernamehere]

I'll comment on some of the more plausible ones.

BigC:

A proper full size table snooker club with sexy ladies doing the scoring and serving you drinks with private snooker room option VIP room

As a former 8-ball addict, I too have thought of this. I thought the second floor in the almost unused "food court" behind the MacDonald's in Lamai would have been a good location. If anyone remembers Red Parrot in Patpong in Bangkok, you will know the kind of place BigC and I imagine. Clean and upscale without being pretentious, the place had girls with name tags who would play with you if you were alone or if you wanted company. They were pretty good players, in the main. If you wanted to try to make a date for after work with a lady, this was possible. There was also a small seating area with comfortable couches and low tables alongside a nice bar along a wall with shelves of drinks in comfortable lighting.

However, I think given that most visitors to Samui are not so familiar with playing on a full-sized snooker table and the sheer size of these tables, it would be better to stick with regulation nine-foot pool tables. Since there are already pool leagues on the island (or one at least) if there was a good venue, it might get some use by players if the standard was very high. Of course it would be ideal to have every competition game played there, but since the teams are associated with drinking establishments, and the once-a-week "home game" is often the best money-making day of the week for each pub, it is unlikely any team would agree to play all events at a single location, even if it was significantly better than anything in any bar.

The problem with this is that not enough people who come to visit Samui (or even live here) are really dedicated pool players.

Boater:

(I am not sure that foreigners could run all these businesses unless of course you are the deep pockets and your Thai "partner" is the front.)

1- mini cab service that can pick you up and collect you for a reasonable cost (Nice in theory but we all know why this would not fly.)

2 - off license ... (I assume you mean a bottle shop, selling alcoholic beverages. It's an interesting idea, but given that in many Ma and Pa shops there is a huge selection of spirits and beer, it might be hard to make inroads here.)

3 - decent kebab shop (Again, you can find kebabs in Samui if you know where to look, and the market for a dedicated shop would be insufficient, I believe.)

4 - uk style chinese take away (Not sure what UK. style is, but a good sit-down Chinese restaurant with take away would be nice. However, the two Chinese places that I can recall that were here both went out of business, so even though you and I like this food, it seems that it is not popular enough to sustain a business.)

5 - uk style social club (I am not sure exactly what this means. There is a Rotary Club of Samui already and I think there are other clubs if you look for them. I am not sure how one would make money from this either.)

6 - mechanic for expats (This is a good idea, but one that would be difficult for a foreigner to do. Again, you could be the silent partner, I suppose, but then I think there are already one or two mechanics on the island who meet Western expectations.)

7 - euro supermarket (Again, can a foreigner open a supermarket? And I think that although we can't buy every Western consumer good here we might think about, that's one of the realities of island life. If we had access to every Western supermarket product, life would be edged a little closer to being in the place we have chosen not to live. And tourists will probably not be spending much time in supermarkets looking for goods that they just left back home.)

brit1984:

International school (operating as a franchise of a British public school, maybe Eton). (I thought there were a couple of schools for this here already.)

[BigC]

A few ideas that make money

1- mini cab service that can pick you up and collect you for a reasonable cost

2 - off license ...

3 - decent kebab shop

4 - uk style chinese take away

5 - uk style social club

6 - mechanic for expats

7 - euro supermarket

English house hold products store. Maybe have to pay moreforimport taxbut i wouldpay more toget some things from ENgland because i cannot get that stff here.

Such as caberies cream eggs, curley woerlies, goarge forman grill. loads of stuff.

They have markets for Thai people in England why not Thailand

[BigC]

I'll comment on some of the more plausible ones.

BigC:

A proper full size table snooker club with sexy ladies doing the scoring and serving you drinks with private snooker room option VIP room

As a former 8-ball addict, I too have thought of this. I thought the second floor in the almost unused "food court" behind the MacDonald's in Lamai would have been a good location. If anyone remembers Red Parrot in Patpong in Bangkok, you will know the kind of place BigC and I imagine. Clean and upscale without being pretentious, the place had girls with name tags who would play with you if you were alone or if you wanted company. They were pretty good players, in the main. If you wanted to try to make a date for after work with a lady, this was possible. There was also a small seating area with comfortable couches and low tables alongside a nice bar along a wall with shelves of drinks in comfortable lighting.

However, I think given that most visitors to Samui are not so familiar with playing on a full-sized snooker table and the sheer size of these tables, it would be better to stick with regulation nine-foot pool tables. Since there are already pool leagues on the island (or one at least) if there was a good venue, it might get some use by players if the standard was very high. Of course it would be ideal to have every competition game played there, but since the teams are associated with drinking establishments, and the once-a-week "home game" is often the best money-making day of the week for each pub, it is unlikely any team would agree to play all events at a single location, even if it was significantly better than anything in any bar.

The problem with this is that not enough people who come to visit Samui (or even live here) are really dedicated pool players.

Boater:

(I am not sure that foreigners could run all these businesses unless of course you are the deep pockets and your Thai "partner" is the front.)

1- mini cab service that can pick you up and collect you for a reasonable cost (Nice in theory but we all know why this would not fly.)

2 - off license ... (I assume you mean a bottle shop, selling alcoholic beverages. It's an interesting idea, but given that in many Ma and Pa shops there is a huge selection of spirits and beer, it might be hard to make inroads here.)

3 - decent kebab shop (Again, you can find kebabs in Samui if you know where to look, and the market for a dedicated shop would be insufficient, I believe.)

4 - uk style chinese take away (Not sure what UK. style is, but a good sit-down Chinese restaurant with take away would be nice. However, the two Chinese places that I can recall that were here both went out of business, so even though you and I like this food, it seems that it is not popular enough to sustain a business.)

5 - uk style social club (I am not sure exactly what this means. There is a Rotary Club of Samui already and I think there are other clubs if you look for them. I am not sure how one would make money from this either.)

6 - mechanic for expats (This is a good idea, but one that would be difficult for a foreigner to do. Again, you could be the silent partner, I suppose, but then I think there are already one or two mechanics on the island who meet Western expectations.)

7 - euro supermarket (Again, can a foreigner open a supermarket? And I think that although we can't buy every Western consumer good here we might think about, that's one of the realities of island life. If we had access to every Western supermarket product, life would be edged a little closer to being in the place we have chosen not to live. And tourists will probably not be spending much time in supermarkets looking for goods that they just left back home.)

brit1984:

International school (operating as a franchise of a British public school, maybe Eton). (I thought there were a couple of schools for this here already.)

snooker ismuch more popular than 8 ball. They have world snooker on Telly all the time. I think i know the place in Patong that u r talking about.

As for Euro super market. I think it would work. Even though we have moved country we cannot change who we are and what we like to eat just as when Thai people go to England and America and Europe. They have Thai products super markets there.

I like Thai food but one ofthe things i like about samui is not that i can only get Thai and English food but because of so many cultures you can get the best of all foods. Italian Idian kebab.

I wouldlike more indorr restaurants for the evening away from mosquitos they have them in phuket and everywhere else.

I think central world might have some interesting restaurants to offer.

Unless someone wnts to buy the sizzlers franchise.

Also asony center for problemswith sony products.

i would like the government to make a public park as a gift to the people who either from here or live here. Like lumpini park. it is good for the envroment. they have swings and stuff for kids. epople jogging round it.

lakes to take the bird

Car parks food stalls maybe a musium in the middles and buiding for government meeting and other stuff etc. maybe even show films out door on big screens.

ihave always wanted to go to a drive in movier theater where my car is my cineman set where i can make as much noise not have to kick the perrsons seat infront of me. Drinka beer. what ever

[Tropicalevo]

Bic C - you amaze me. I love your posts. Now come on - you have lived on the island long enough to know that.....

Would like to see more entertainment business catered for expats not just tourists or Thais

Something other than sitting on the same bars every night

Also something indoors do can use day or night rain or shine - called a cinema/bowling alley?

Also more indoor restaurants for night time with easy parking - Called hotel/resort restaurants?

Maybe drive in movie theaters plenty of land giant screens sound through the car radio - oh no

Bobs your uncle

Also a sizzlers - yuk

And a tony romers for spare ribs - plenty of places here to get good ribs

A big bit of land for dog walkers - it's called a mountain

A dog hotel - there are at least 3 that I know of (near to Makro, Same side of road down past the PTT garage, and The Dogfather)

Rather dog friendly hotels - there are some - my neighbour took his dog to one for Christmas dinner last year. Search the internet (although with your typing skills you will probably get a hotel for gods)

How many hotels Llow pets - my neighbour found three - at the south end of the island

None

So there is a market for one

Sound proof walls kennel within the room compound with air con - The Dogfather has a/c kennels

And cats ditto

Pets ate a problem when people go o. Holiday there is a gap for a hotel where they can bring thier pets and pay extra

How much does it cost to have your pet on a kennel for 2 weeks - Warning - some hotels on Samui that advertise 'pets allowed' on the internet do not really allow them. Phone and confirm before you pay.

Put that on the price when checking in a fog frog or cat

[carmine]

International school (operating as a franchise of a British public school, maybe Eton)

Helicopter tours and transfers (including winch drop directly into the full moon party)

Super casino (this would require Koh Samui to declare independence from Thailand)

Human zoo (exhibiting examples of the various categories of Koh Samui residents)

Human Zoo. 100% Great idea

You wouldn't catch me in a helicopter maintained by thai mechanics.

A thieving loud mouthed agreesive taxi driver informed me years ago as he was ripping me off on the "no meter/inflated fare that "this not Thailand, this Koh Samui and the rules and laws of the land do not apply here so a casino could presumably open anytime.

Schooling at a sensible affordable cost with properly qualified teachers would be great too.

[smokie36]

Hot air balloon. Plenty of fuel available....

[insertmembernamehere]

I should try and make this clearer, this thread is not a "wish list" of things you'd like to see in Samui; it's a list of businesses that a foreigner could possibly open and run (but not bars/restaurants, etc) that are something different from the usual.

Sure, I'd love to have a digitally projected cinema here along with an IMAX theater but these have nothing to do with this thread. I'd love to get real dill pickles too, but unless I am advocating starting a company selling original dill pickles, that too is irrelevant.

Some of you must have thought of real possibilities with out-of-the-ordinary businesses, yes?

[carmine]

I should try and make this clearer, this thread is not a "wish list" of things you'd like to see in Samui; it's a list of businesses that a foreigner could possibly open and run (but not bars/restaurants, etc) that are something different from the usual.

Sure, I'd love to have a digitally projected cinema here along with an IMAX theater but these have nothing to do with this thread. I'd love to get real dill pickles too, but unless I am advocating starting a company selling original dill pickles, that too is irrelevant.

Some of you must have thought of real possibilities with out-of-the-ordinary businesses, yes?

Makros has dill pickles

[brit1984]

A water park / amusement park (themed on Angry Birds for the Thai market maybe)

A "real" haunted house / hotel (most overnight guests would be foreigners I expect)

A branch of the church of scientology (assuming you are able to keep a straight face)

[Rooo]

I am a bit confused. Does the OP think that anyone with a workable original idea will post on here? Didn't we start that same topic once before?

[carmine]

A security company with a number for assistance that can be called AND ANSWERED 24 hours a day.

[mjj]

Tops supermarket has Marmite, Jacobs Cream Crackers and English tea bags. What more could you want??

[ydraw]

There is already a water park in Lamai.

[samuijimmy]

Tops supermarket has Marmite, Jacobs Cream Crackers and English tea bags. What more could you want??

so does Tesco!!!

[steelerian]

i would like the government to make a public park as a gift to the people who either from here or live here. Like lumpini park. it is good for the envroment. they have swings and stuff for kids. epople jogging round it.

lakes to take the bird

Car parks food stalls maybe a musium in the middles and buiding for government meeting and other stuff etc. maybe even show films out door on big screens.

I know this isnt exactly what OP was asking for, but BIG C has just mentioned something that has amazed me for the 3 years I have lived here - there is no public space/park land in Samui (that I am aware of). Something that is seriously needed IMO.

[notmyself]

Producing non German western style sausages. I done a feasibility study on this mid 2009 and found that whilst it was unlikely to make serious money, it would generate enough to live on and had comparatively low start up and running costs. It could be done in a bungalow with a decent size kitchen (mine is 12' x 6' and big enough) which negates paying for rental offsite. Equipment is not much more than a mincer/sausage stuffer, a mixer, full size fridge and a chest freezer. Spin off would be producing Scotch eggs once in a while for parties. Only extra cost with this is deep frying which can be done in a big wok on the house burner. I've noticed over that last couple of years that the local market to me (old night market in Lamai) has started selling locally produced sausages to the Thais, not many but shows a potential customer base outside the Chang Mai sausage.

[insertmembernamehere]

This is not a repeat topic. I wrote in the "Running a bar on Samui":

insertmembernamehere, on 2012-04-15 10:42:16, said:

If you want to start a business with the aim of making a living, there are hundreds of other enterprises from which to choose from.

I was challenged to name some. So here is the thread. I will add some of mine along the way, be patient.

Does the Church of Scientology make money? How would that work? Can I time-share with Jesus?

Yes, there is a "water park" in Lamai for growth-stunted dwarfs. You could throw a baseball wrong-handed farther than the length of this place. It's really, really small (the water must be hot as hell) and the slide is like a bigger version of what you had in the neighborhood playground.

I think a real water park would be an interesting idea, but as I recall, there were plans for such a thing with the office across (or nearly) from Makro a few years ago. I assume the financing and perhaps the red tape involved fell through.

Why not post workable ideas? If someone really has a good idea, then do it. But the fact is that 99.9 percent of people will not try it.

Here is one that isn't exactly new, but I am convinced if you really knew your stuff and had a good sales team, you'd make decent money off of this. It is one of the "traditional" businesses, but as I said in the opening, it has a twist (that of size).

There are some laundries here that service hotels and resorts, but I believe there is more than enough room for one more. The "industrial" laundry on the ring road just as you start to leave Lamai is open 24-hours a day. That alone tells you something. There are thousands of rooms on this island and more opening all the time. A service to launder all the bedding, towels and so on is an absolute requirement for many resorts. Sure, as I said, there are a few places that handle this business already, but my thinking is to go in big and work with the resorts and hotels to make the service more reliable, the quality better and be more accommodating than any competitors.

Here's another:

Mobile make-up artist(s)

This is something that might not make too much money but would be good for a small group of Thais (or a solo act). Train to actually know how to semi-professionally apply make-up and take your kit along with you to the bars and charge the ladies something like 80 baht or 100 baht for a full-face make-up job on the spot. It might take about 30 minutes per person. Have the make-up artist wear the same polo shirt or such with a logo and brand name on it (make one up) every day, as a uniform. If you were good, you'd get quite a lot of girls signing up as regulars, I think. You might charge more for special things, like hair braiding or whatnot. The uniqueness is that this service comes to each bar in the evening. And even after "opening" you will get some girls who, after a few Spys, will want to spruce up.

If it took off well, you could actually make a small company of it and have girls all over the island (and guys too) working for you. It might be more popular even than I think.

[PoorSucker]

The only thing Samui hasn't got is a Ski slope!

http://www.thephuketinsider.com/hotels/thb12-billion-indoor-ski-slope-mega-hotel-project-for-koh-sa.php

[Boater]

The only thing Samui hasn't got is a Ski slope!

http://www.thephuketinsider.com/hotels/thb12-billion-indoor-ski-slope-mega-hotel-project-for-koh-sa.php

What ever happened to this project ?

[notmyself]

The only thing Samui hasn't got is a Ski slope!

http://www.thephuket...-for-koh-sa.php

What ever happened to this project ?

Melted