Business In Thailand

[Loftedfalcon]

A little advice please guys.

I currently have a petrol station here in England but the nature of business over here and in particular the petrol industry is squeezing tighter and tighter all the time. Anyway cutting to the chase I have come to the stage where I have to make a decision to carry out very expensive work to the station which I will never get back by trading alone (only a sale will offer any possibility of remuneration).

My other thought on the matter is to carry out a lifelong dream of setting up a business abroad in Thailand.

This poses many questions which I’d like the answers to. Can anyone who has done this please get in touch? I’d dearly like to communicate with anyone who has braved everything to follow their dreams. Obvious topics would be the pitfalls, tax and company issues relating to Thailand. I would most like to hear from anyone who has entered into any fish or fishing related ventures.

Can you help?!

Rob

[~G~]

What kind of business are you planning to set up?

[GuestHouse]

While you are waiting for answers to your question you might want to take this online No Going Back Road Test, it takes you through basic questions regarding setting up a business overseas and gives you a chance to work out the main issues you might need to address.

My view on Fishing is, it's not that popular an activitity in Thailand and where it is competition is fierce.

[Loftedfalcon]

I am thinking of buying land for the purpose of digging a pond. I would then stock the pond for fishing and have a small fish farm on the side to provide extra fish, a food source for my family and sell the surplus. An extra and seasonal primary income will be guided fishing tours catering mainly for western fishermen. This would hopefully allow me to charge a western fee for my service albeit a lower one by our standards. The pond will be a regular though small income during the low season by having completions and a good heads of fish for the local Thai fisherman.

The basis for all of this is that I’m a life long fisherman who has fish in Thailand many times now. I am bearing mind that there are 14 million fishermen in the UK alone, and that more British, in particular are finding Thailand as a very economical and exotic destination.

I can use some of my very good contacts to help with the Tourist side of things as I have two travel agents and an internet hosting and services business in my immediate family

[GuestHouse]

Try the road test I posted above, it helps you examine your plan:

How much you need to invest?

If you put that money into some other investment how much would you make there?

Consider what is your expected return and what your reasonable return might be?

The simple calculation of how much you need to make against how many customers that would be and at what price will help you put a scale on things.

Go to Thailand, visit such a fishing park and count the customers.

Consider how you would get customers, what is going to bring them to your door.

14million Fisherman in the UK are… well to be blunt, in the UK, not in Thailand.

I’m not saying it can’t be done, but I do think that fishing parks are a business that comes under the heading ‘Things that Thais can do, and do very cheaply”.

The oft quoted ‘Unique Selling Point” would, I believe, be a critical factor in getting a Farang run Fishing Park off the ground… or water ;-)

I hope this doesn’t sound too critical, I’m just putting up things to think about.

Try the test above.