Is Doing Business In Thailand Even Worth It?

[DJ_Illusion]

I can understand that i have to be sponcered by my own company or by any other company so that i can do business in thailand that is after applying for a work permit but what i do not understand is why do i have to keep going out and back in every 3 months ??? i mean ######! and even pay more money everytime i exit the boarder to go back in i just cant get it. I mean after showing them a capital of 2 million for my company and paying tax do i still need to be going through all the sh*t like the visa run ?? i dont get it at all i mean i own a company and i have a business visa B for a year and still i have to go in and out every 3 months it just dont make any sence does anyone know why that rule is there?

ok other than that 90% of poeple in bangkok cant talk english or atleast in the area i was staying in i used to feel like i was living alone with 12,000,000 thais around me, most thais seem to think that all farangs are loaded with cash, i was once fined 1000 baht by a police man for not wearing my seat belt and guess what my thai girlfriend was with me and he told her make sure u dont have a camera on u.. other than the stories that i read on here from other guys getting riped off by police or other thai nationals. I am sure alot of you guys on here have been to places where there is a sign that says foreigners pay 200 baht while thais pay 50 baht. All i am trying to say does anyone think its worth all that ? leaving ur own country for this i mean it does not make any sence. i mean there must be a very good reason for everyone to decide to live and work in thailand or even do business for me i would really love to do business in thailand but if someone enlightens me on the positive side of doing business in the LOS i would really apreciate it thanks guys

[p_brownstone]

Your few Posts on this subject seem to be completely negative on Thais, Business and Immigration regulations in Thailand and, indeed, Thailand in general.

I addition your “Business Plan” – is wooly and incomplete, you are asking vague questions on the most basic of subjects.

This is not intended as a flame, but I strongly suggest you take a few steps back and think very carefully as to whether you would be happy in Thailand and, in particular, able to deal with all the hassles and difficulties you will encounter – running any business, let alone something like a Karaoke Bar; the entertainment business here is intrinsically fraught with problems for the unwary or un-prepared.

Patrick

[Sunbelt Asia]

I can understand that i have to be sponcered by my own company or by any other company so that i can do business in thailand that is after applying for a work permit but what i do not understand is why do i have to keep going out and back in every 3 months ??? i mean ######! and even pay more money everytime i exit the boarder to go back in i just cant get it. I mean after showing them a capital of 2 million for my company and paying tax do i still need to be going through all the sh*t like the visa run ?? i dont get it at all i mean i own a company and i have a business visa B for a year and still i have to go in and out every 3 months it just dont make any sence does anyone know why that rule is there?

If you are paying the tax on the minimum salary for your nationality and your employer employs one Thai (if you are a consultant) or four Thais for any other company objective for your work permit. You can apply for the extension of stay based on business and eliminate the visa run.

On the other hand, you can apply for a extension of stay based investment. You can buy a new condo( 3 million Baht) or 3 million Baht in a Thai State bank and still maintain your work permit.

Married to a Thai you can have a extension of stay based on support of a Thai national and you still can maintain a work permit.

I am sure alot of you guys on here have been to places where there is a sign that says foreigners pay 200 baht while thais pay 50 baht. All i am trying to say does anyone think its worth all that ?

Show your Thai Tax ID card next time. Most of the time you will be charged the Thai rate.

someone enlightens me on the positive side of doing business in the LOS

Certainly is not for everyone but a number of people have done VERY well here. Factoring in both the infrastructure and cost, and Thailand is one of the top countries to do business in.

www.lawyer.th.com

[rcm]

I can understand that i have to be sponcered by my own company or by any other company so that i can do business in thailand that is after applying for a work permit but what i do not understand is why do i have to keep going out and back in every 3 months ??? i mean ######! and even pay more money everytime i exit the boarder to go back in i just cant get it. I mean after showing them a capital of 2 million for my company and paying tax do i still need to be going through all the sh*t like the visa run ?? i dont get it at all i mean i own a company and i have a business visa B for a year and still i have to go in and out every 3 months it just dont make any sence does anyone know why that rule is there?

ok other than that 90% of poeple in bangkok cant talk english or atleast in the area i was staying in i used to feel like i was living alone with 12,000,000 thais around me, most thais seem to think that all farangs are loaded with cash, i was once fined 1000 baht by a police man for not wearing my seat belt and guess what my thai girlfriend was with me and he told her make sure u dont have a camera on u.. other than the stories that i read on here from other guys getting riped off by police or other thai nationals. I am sure alot of you guys on here have been to places where there is a sign that says foreigners pay 200 baht while thais pay 50 baht. All i am trying to say does anyone think its worth all that ? leaving ur own country for this i mean it does not make any sence. i mean there must be a very good reason for everyone to decide to live and work in thailand or even do business for me i would really love to do business in thailand but if someone enlightens me on the positive side of doing business in the LOS i would really apreciate it thanks guys

Hi,

I don't know what is wrong with you .....if you don't like it here .Go Home. No one is holding you on Gun Point to stay. Also your other Posts display that you aren't coming up with something that Thailand would benefit of (Businesswise). A Karaoke Bar/Pub great f .....g Idea! Besides this point , you are in Thailand so people speak thai ....and if you ever intend to do any Business here ,Thai Language (at least to understand ) is quintessential.

If you are ignorant(is it possible that you are??) and wait for" Thailand" to learn English just because you open a Karaoke Bar then you are very very mistaken .

If you haven't seen the positive side of Thailand yet......i don't know where & what you looking for ?

I see a lot of friendly People i see good Food and affordable way of living . If you live outside in the Countryside there is beautiful Nature . If you into drinking you'll find out that this is quite affordable here and if you happen to like Asian Woman you might just see how nice they are...

good luck in whatever your future has in Store...

rcm

[OldAsiaHand]

.....Certainly is not for everyone but a number of people have done VERY well here. Factoring in both the infrastructure and cost, and Thailand is one of the top countries to do business in.

www.lawyer.th.com

Oh come on now. 'One of the top countries to do business in'? What a pile of rubbish.

I know you earn your living off people naive enough to believe this kind of nonsense, but even a casual reading of the posts on this forum amply demonstrates that the overwhelming experience foreigners have in business here is quite negative.

I am one of those people you cite who most would think 'have done VERY well' in my nearly twenty years here. Regardless, the combination of smugness ond sheer stupidity most Thais bring to commercial transactions continues to astonish me nearly every day. No foreigner with the slightest sense ought to be stumbling around in a country like this pretending to think he is accomplishing anything productive. And if he tells others that he is......well, he is either incredibly dumb, hopelessly naive, or a complete scondrel.

[bendix]

just curious Old Asia Hand.

Why are you here? You write about counting off the days till you can leave your Thai cell; is something keeping you here?

Not a flame . . just curious what keeps you in a place you've obviously have lost any empathy for long ago.

[DJ_Illusion]

Your few Posts on this subject seem to be completely negative on Thais, Business and Immigration regulations in Thailand and, indeed, Thailand in general.

I addition your “Business Plan” – is wooly and incomplete, you are asking vague questions on the most basic of subjects.

This is not intended as a flame, but I strongly suggest you take a few steps back and think very carefully as to whether you would be happy in Thailand and, in particular, able to deal with all the hassles and difficulties you will encounter – running any business, let alone something like a Karaoke Bar; the entertainment business here is intrinsically fraught with problems for the unwary or un-prepared.

Patrick

you see all my posts are part of my business plan patrick you are right from the legal componant of the equation my plan is kinda wooly and incomplete and that is why i find this site very useful as to finding the missing pieces not that i am depending only on this site but it is part of my research i am also looking forward to dealing with sunbelt asia to clearifying these matters and then after i do clearify everything, i want to do my feasibility study and by the way the karaoke bar is just to kick off with thats not what i was planning to do in the first place but it seemed like a good first step to get in touch with the thai nightlife

[DJ_Illusion]

I see a lot of friendly People i see good Food and affordable way of living . If you live outside in the Countryside there is beautiful Nature . If you into drinking you'll find out that this is quite affordable here and if you happen to like Asian Woman you might just see how nice they are...

good luck in whatever your future has in Store...

rcm

very convincing... girls, s*x and rock'n'roll eh? u could find asian women even in sudia arabia

[bendix]

[if you need to point out errors, please do so in a factual manner. Sarcasm is not ok. Keep in mind that the board has many members who do not have English as their first language (me included), as well as native English speaking dyslexic members. Try to look at the message instead of the words. Cheers. /Meadish]

Edited April 4, 2006 by meadish_sweetball

[rcm]

I see a lot of friendly People i see good Food and affordable way of living . If you live outside in the Countryside there is beautiful Nature . If you into drinking you'll find out that this is quite affordable here and if you happen to like Asian Woman you might just see how nice they are...

good luck in whatever your future has in Store...

rcm

very convincing... girls, s*x and rock'n'roll eh? u could find asian women even in sudia arabia

Yes go to saudi arabia.....make your karaoke joint there ...

being happily married ...i think girls s*x and r&r is applying to you....also look into your previous posts you even had to point this out:

I been to thailand a couple of times, but i do see a great market for night life with all the prostituation and all the franags going after them so on. this fueling up promoters and companies to bring in international djs, bands so on like the full moon parties that go on on islands in samui i think opening up a pub,bar is a great idea. Any advise on the best location in Thailand for opening up a pub or karaoke bar? which is a good area in Bangkok? i mean i do know sukhumvit is a known place but its packed with bars, resturents there, please tell me something i do not know already and i greatly apreciate any feed back.

In regards to the complain about the Thai's english....look at your's(yes ,from your post!) ! And , don't you have any skills? Anything you're qualified in....because needless to say if you had ANY skills than you might come up with anything better than a karaoke....

Another positive side in Thailand will be when you standing at Don Muang going to Saudi arabia....

Enjoy it there,

rcm

[DJ_Illusion]

[Please do not respond to flames. It will only escalate, with nobody benefiting. /Meadish]

Edited April 4, 2006 by meadish_sweetball

[Heng]

You should probably spend several years in country before you try to start and run a business. And just like anywhere else, plan (not in a negative sense, just in terms of financial reserves) to lose money for a bit as well. Even as a Thai from abroad, I spent two years here before doing anything, and even when I got started, bled money for a full year before making a single satang.

You might be able to get by without being able to read and write (I do), but you probably won't be able to do well without at least being able to speak and understand the language (understanding naturally more important than the ability to speak), unless you have a few well trusted intermediaries (or a spouse).

[DJ_Illusion]

In regards to the complain about the Thai's english....look at your's(yes ,from your post!) ! And , don't you have any skills? Anything you're qualified in....because needless to say if you had ANY skills than you might come up with anything better than a karaoke....

Another positive side in Thailand will be when you standing at Don Muang going to Saudi arabia....

Enjoy it there,

rcm

well for skills i got more skills then you think for my age if i didnt i wouldnt even think of risking it by going to a 3rd world country like thailand and venturing into the nightlife business of that country, about my english and the way you put it "In regards to the complain about the Thai's english....look at your's" atleast i get the message through and i do listen and understand when someone talks and i reply accordingly not just nod my head like a f**ken idiot and pretend i understood what was said or just laugh at someone's joke when i acually dont get a word he said just cause that person has cash or i think he does... anyone out there with some useful tips please let me know. Thanks

[DJ_Illusion]

Heng,

i totally agree with you and that is why i went from taking over a 3 storey nightclub in patong beech to a karaoke bar in bangkok. About my understanding of the language well i am working on it right now and i think i am getting there

[Sir Burr]

Heng,

i totally agree with you and that is why i went from taking over a 3 storey nightclub in patong beech to a karaoke bar in bangkok. About my understanding of the language well i am working on it right now and i think i am getting there

What happened to the nightclub in Patong? Was it in Soi Sea-dragon? What was the name of it?

[DJ_Illusion]

acually nothing happened to it i just walked away from the deal felt i was pushing it since i only been in Thailand for just 3 months and havent done enough research yet. I mean i managed big clubs and dj'ed in alot of big clubs in the past but in the club business there is a saying that says what works here may not work there. I rather not disclose any details about the nightclub sorry to burst your bubble

[Sir Burr]

acually nothing happened to it i just walked away from the deal felt i was pushing it since i only been in Thailand for just 3 months and havent done enough research yet. I mean i managed big clubs and dj'ed in alot of big clubs in the past but in the club business there is a saying that says what works here may not work there. I rather not disclose any details about the nightclub sorry to burst your bubble

People don't walk away from a successful business, so, I'll assume it was unsuccessful.

If you can't make it in Patong, why do you think Bangkok will be different?

[Simmo]

DJ.

Could you please learn some basic English writing skills such as

* Capitalize the first letter of a sentence

* Learn to spell or at least use a spell checker.

* Learn to use commas (the , symbol) to break up your gigantic sentences into coherent thoughts.

* Try not to start every sentence with "I".

[Your comments are valid. The following sarcasm was not. In the future leave it out. Thank you. /Meadish]

Edited April 4, 2006 by meadish_sweetball

[DJ_Illusion]

People don't walk away from a successful business, so, I'll assume it was unsuccessful.

If you can't make it in Patong, why do you think Bangkok will be different?

That is true but when someone wants to convince you he could feed you all types of bull how was i to confirm that it was truely successful and whatever was said about the place is true? i asked for profit and loss statements for the past year and they gave me one for a month plus it wasint recent probably one that was the best month. Another thing is you walk into the place at night and you find it packed but do you think that if the place is packed it is acually making profit? i went there for a couple of nights and saw that everyone there is ordering one beer bottle and just sitting their asses all night with it. I didnt say i cant make it in patong i just thought i would give myself more time in thailand to study nightlife there more and be more familiar with it, the reason i thought about bangkok is that its way more cheaper so its a good spot to start off with to learn about the thai nightlife and to operate a karaoke bar it costs peanuts and with my background i could operate it with my eyes closed that would let me focus more on other important components like learning the thai poeple and their way of thinking such as hearing their opinions about certain fundamental issues.

[bendix]

[No more sarcasm please. If you have something substantial to contribute, please do so. Thank you. /Meadish]

[DJ_Illusion]

DJ.

Could you please learn some basic English writing skills such as

* Capitalize the first letter of a sentence

* Learn to spell or at least use a spell checker.

* Learn to use commas (the , symbol) to break up your gigantic sentences into coherent thoughts.

* Try not to start every sentence with "I".

I pray for the kids that get stuck with you when your karaoke bar tanks and you decide that teaching is your next gig.

i am not writting a letter for any ministry here

BTW i already teach djing, music and club management

[rcm]

hahahaha . ..

Can i retract my request to ban this guy?

Every post is a winner.

Let's play a game where we guess his profile. I'm guessing he's mid-20s, British, and most likely from London. He's previously earned a living as a bricklayer, before his cousin invited him to be a DJ at his wedding.

Since then, he's become a professional DJ (whatever that is) and has taken to wearing big chains, baggy jeans and a cap on the wrong way round.

I like him. I really do. He's funny, and it will be intriguing to watch his 'progress' through Thailand over the coming months.

Because, let's face it . . we all know how the story is going to end, don't we?

I absolutely agree.....

Dj's next thread will be " Can primary School drop-outs teach English in Thailand & will i get a work permit for it too?"

[Gary A]

I can see where a guy in his 20's could have illusions of grandeur. Unfortunately in Thailand experience in MANAGING (??) big clubs doesn't mean a lot. Here, money talks and bullshit walks. Unless your daddy is very generous you should probably stay where you came from. I would like to know what you consider is a big club. Maybe a DJ in some dive is more accurate unless it is your daddy who owns the place.

[DJ_Illusion]

I can see where a guy in his 20's could have illusions of grandeur. Unfortunately in Thailand experience in MANAGING (??) big clubs doesn't mean a lot. Here, money talks and bullshit walks. Unless your daddy is very generous you should probably stay where you came from. I would like to know what you consider is a big club. Maybe a DJ in some dive is more accurate unless it is your daddy who owns the place.

OK its obvious most of the replies are from the wrong poeple, let me enlighten you though. A big club or huge club is a club that is anything over 15,000 square feet in size and no i wasint a Bricklayer (more of a pricklayer ha ha) and no i am not british, started djing when i was 14 with an agency that took me on after hearing my demo and yes my cousin did have something to do with it. BTW [Flame edited out. /Meadish] i aint illiterate i got a bachelors in marketing. I do think my english is very fluent for a second language mind my spellings and my little errors its just i am doing alot of things at once here. cheers

[DJ_Illusion]

Oh and by the way Gary when you talk about clubs and nightlife in general, usually you would be more focused on the young poeple. so Illusions does appeal to them does not necessarily mean i am in my 20s just thought you should know.

[Sir Burr]

OK DJ Illusion, I understand now. You were looking into buying a place in Patong. I thought you had actually bought it.

Other posters - Cut him some slack on his writing skills. He has already said that English is his second language.

The trouble with the club scene in Asia, is that if you open a place with a new concept it becomes hot, the in place. After a couple of months, another place becomes hot and the people move on.

If this does't happen and you find you have a viable business, then once the lease comes up for renewal, the landlord jacks up the rent so high that you are pretty much working for the landlord.

Other pitfalls if your club becomes a success are that others will copy your idea, or, put a gun to your head and tell you to leave town quick smart.

Doing business in Thailand is not easy.

Edited April 3, 2006 by Sir Burr

[bendix]

We'd be inclined to cut him more slack if he didnt deliberately come across as arrogant appearing to know everything there is to succeeding in Thailand, without having spent any time here.

[Flame edited out. Please make your point without using invectives.] /Meadish

[DJ_Illusion]

Sir Burr now we are talking... what took you so long ? well you see thats why ideas like re-decorating, changing staff uniform, changing the theme of the club were invented, along with a solid marketing plan should do the trick as far as i am concerned this is how it works around the world i dont know in thailand if it would work too that is why i wanted poeple like you to enlighten me on what works in thailand.

About the landlord jacking up the price at the end of the lease i am guessing i should build a good relationship with him maybe if he likes the way i do business and doesnt want me to leave he would change his mind about boasting up the price for the next contract thats my opinion what is yours?

IF someone does copy my ideas well then lets see how well they do it, i mean thai's are very popular for copying, that i know, or if someone does point a gun to my head and tell me to leave how about getting to know poeple in high places or keep the right poeple happy? shouldnt that solve the problem? looking forward for your reply. cheers

[PREM-R]

(DJ_Illusion Posted Today, 2006-04-03 13:57:28)

About the landlord jacking up the price at the end of the lease i am guessing i should build a good relationship with him maybe if he likes the way i do business and doesnt want me to leave he would change his mind about boasting up the price for the next contract thats my opinion what is yours?

The landlord will probably be Thai/Chinese, he will "call in" on a regular basis and you will get on well, when the lease is due for renewal he will jack up the price X2 orX3 (depends how well you are doing) You will either pay or go, he won't care, he will just wait for the next "punter"

This happens everywhere in Thailand, the T/C landlords are smart cookies, they don't give long leases (awaiting someone to post that they have a 50 year lease from a T/C landlord).

Edited April 3, 2006 by PREM-R

[DJ_Illusion]

The landlord will probably be Thai/Chinese, he will "call in" on a regular basis and you will get on well, when the lease is due for renewal he will jack up the price X2 orX3 (depends how well you are doing) You will either pay or go, he won't care, he will just wait for the next "punter"

This happens everywhere in Thailand, the T/C landlords are smart cookies, they don't give long leases (awaiting someone to post that they have a 50 year lease from a T/C landlord).

SO What in your opinion is a good solution to this ? is there a solution or do i have to keep moving on from place to place until i find a decent place to buy off? that is if there is a place to just buy off as far as i have been told in patong there is no such thing as buy for good