How Can I Set Up A Business In Thailand

[Trenady Bendy Wendy]

Hi all,

I have had a look at some of the different information on this site but find it a bit overwhelming .

We would like to open up a clothes shop on Ka Toa we will be travelling to Thailand on a tourist visa initially .

Is it possible to set up a business in Thailand?

Once opening a business is it possible to remain in Thailand and then become a resident?

How difficult will this be?

We were also thinking of looking into buying a small bit of land & setting up some accommodation for backpackers ever in Thailand or Cambodia

Any advice would be welcome

Kindest Regards Wendy & Steve

[the scouser]

Hi Wendy,

You will get more responses in the visas for Thailand forum, so I've moved your thread there.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[Trenady Bendy Wendy]

Thanks Scouse.

[wolf5370]

Hi Wendy - welcome to the forum,

You'll probably get loads of answers here on both ways around the law to buy land in LoS (Thailand - Land Of Smiles) and on how to set up a company etc. I would suggest, if you are serious, talking to Sun Belt Asia (sponsor of this forum).

Can I ask a few questions first to help us answer:

Are you/your spouse Thai? - I guess not, but you never know until you ask.

Are you sure you want to sell clothes in LoS? Bit like Coals to Newcastle - can you compete with the Indian 3-suits-an-hour-for-the-cost-of-a-good-lunch tailors and market stools etc. Clothes are pretty cheap here by American/European standards unless you are talking Shopping Mall Beautiques - then your clientel is limited and competition fierce (and costs higher). A lot of foreigners do the export thing (especially Indian and Nigerians) as there's a lot to be made selling in the UK etc - and its easier to export than sell here.

Foreign ownership of companies here is not that straight forward, so talk to the pros. Be careful of being sold shops and businesses that were owned by either Thais or foreigners that are sold as going-concerns. Don't beleive everything you are told - including any suggested references - do the research and get the business checked by your own lawyers etc. Be careful all the way down the line.

Oh, and good luck.

Edited April 13, 2006 by wolf5370

[vinny]

See also Setting up a Thai Private Company Limited and Starting Company In Thailand.

[Trenady Bendy Wendy]

Thanks Wolf & Vinney,

Steve is English so it means things are not straight forward.

The clothes I would be looking to sell would be to travels I would have the patterns made up cheaply to enable the cost to be kept down. I have travelled around the world for a number of years but have always found it difficult to find western clothes that I like even clothing for walking. Ko Toa is still pretty undeveloped and has limited clothes stalls for westerners so I thought this might be a good idea. We are not looking to make millions just enough to live comfortably on.

I can no longer cope with the ethos of the western world and am fed up with the cold. I work in central London its has just about killed me (that’s not even an understatement) I can not handle the politics any longer of wanting more and more material goods all the time and stabbing your colleges in the back to reach your desired goal I need to give this ago before it’s too late. It’s likely that Steve may do his own thing we are just not sure what yet.

I have 20 years of working with young people at risk so may also look for some voluntary work at the same time as I feel it is important for me to be giving something back to the community or maybe do some work for a charitable organisation.

Kindest Regards Wendy & Steve

Edited April 13, 2006 by Trenady Bendy Wendy

[Prasert]

I assume you mean Koh Tao? The market there consists mainly of clothing shops and restaurants (apart from the diving schools). So you will have to compete with several Thai shop owners....

Check your mail.

[astral]

From the experiences of my Thai brother-in-law and his wife I have to warn you

that the Thai clothing market is very cut-throat and has low margins.

They used to run a fixed location stall, but now travel between a number

markets setting up their own stall in a different location each day of the week.

This reduces the overheads considerably. I am not sure a farang would be

welcome, or succeed in a similar venture.

Also, I am not sure how the labour dept would view an application for a work permit

such circumstance.

[Trenady Bendy Wendy]

Thanks for the feedback

We will just have to wait and see what we end up doing I just thought this would be something I would like to do as I can sow and now were to get cheap material. One thing that is lacking around the world when you are travelling is clothing that you can fit into because clothing is made much smaller & the styles are not much to right back home about. I would only be looking at this as a small business employing local people on an island that has a large number of travellers that pass through. We intend to go travelling around Asia first to enable use to spend some time finding a location to settle down and then to try and figure out how we can stay in that particular country and set up a business. We are not looking to get rich just live in Asia and earn enough to be comfortable.

[vinny]

Make sure that the work that you are planning to engage in is not on the prohibited list.

[Trenady Bendy Wendy]

Thanks Vinn

This list is really useful

Wendy