flyingsaucersarereal Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Hi there, So my wife wants to open a small clothing shop in Pattaya. I gave her 100,000 baht when we got married and she wants to use that money to open a clothing shop. In my opinion this doesn't seem to be enough money to have a fashion shop and I am worried that she is going to get in over her head on this. Does anyone here have any experience with there wives owning a small business. It seems like to me that it wouldn't generate a lot of money. I just would like to see her not throw all her money down the drain. Opinions. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRYANG Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) At least 30% of your budget should be marketing so that leaves 70k for rent, interior and stock for the duration until operative break-even. Hmmm... I have two water machines that is estimated about 6000b/month low season and the double in high season. I sell them, including the contract for 100k - Break even in 1 year AND the cost of the machines paid Edited July 9, 2015 by MRYANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denim Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Might be an ok idea. As usual everything depends on location and cost of rental space. What you need is a lot of passing traffic. Anywhere out of the way will go unnoticed. The profit on a single item of clothing can be about 100 baht on average. Less for t shirts etc and maybe more for ' choot sak ' .... Full dress. Competition is tough but at least Pattaya has a lot of women with disposable income. Good luck but don't lose your shirt !!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Ask her why, with all the clothing shops and market stalls in Pattaya, what will it be about her shop that will make people buy her clothes as opposed to going somewhere else. I never liked the idea of going into retail: a lot of $$ up front for inventory, thin margins, and another dozen things. If things don't fly she'll need more money. Careful of getting a hole in your pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingsaucersarereal Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Ask her why, with all the clothing shops and market stalls in Pattaya, what will it be about her shop that will make people buy her clothes as opposed to going somewhere else. I never liked the idea of going into retail: a lot of $$ up front for inventory, thin margins, and another dozen things. If things don't fly she'll need more money. Careful of getting a hole in your pocket. I agree seems like won't make much if anything. Told her if you run out of money don't come to me because I won't give you more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konying Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Do not worry OP. You will be paying rent , bills and buying stocks , while she gets to keep the sales. Perfect business arrangements , be thankful she does not want to open bar, otherwise you would be not only paying all of the above but wages as well as police donations . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIPinthailand Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 don't open a shop. Do you have a car? if yes, buy second hand and resell second hand at market in the evening. if you have a shop, you pay rent , ac,... keep in mind people have no much money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onemorechang Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Op When the money has gone, she will want more., what you going to do ? cave in / yes / no she will then want to start one more business, as first one was unlucky. Sorry mate but most Thais don't want to work hard, most want a business so they can sit down and money come through the door. Don't do it. you will have endless problems. how many shops are there around town the same ? Try something a bit more mobile, with small fixed costs. shops are expensive and will eat all, if any profit. Good luck Edited July 9, 2015 by onemorechang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thailandforumaddict Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Somebody who cannot do business online should not risk to do it in real life... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolley Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I think the wife of the OP is onto something with the clothing store. There is a real shortage of cheap clothing stores in Pattaya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asiantravel Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 (edited) Ask her why, with all the clothing shops and market stalls in Pattaya, what will it be about her shop that will make people buy her clothes as opposed to going somewhere else. I never liked the idea of going into retail: a lot of $$ up front for inventory, thin margins, and another dozen things. If things don't fly she'll need more money. Careful of getting a hole in your pocket. I agree seems like won't make much if anything. Told her if you run out of money don't come to me because I won't give you more. but wouldn't it be nice if you could persuade her not to lose anything in the first place.As bendejo rightly says there are so many places to buy clothes so what would make your wife's place any different? and with the continual tightening of the economy in Thailand looking forward I can see people will have even less disposable income in the foreseeable future. Clothing will be just the kind of commodities that people will reluctantly have to cut back on. Edited July 10, 2015 by Asiantravel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrilled Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I see this all the time.Um prices of things add up quick.Put A business plan together.see how much for everything.Rent,inventory. How much will her monthly wage be.What price do you buy the clothes for?How much will you sell the clothes for. How long of A time will it take to turn over the inventory.You need to go into this with eyes wide open..not with eyes wide shut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattaya28 Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Everywhere you go in Pattaya there is clothing clothing clothing. OP, you're wife will work long hours for little, if any, reward. And you'll be topping up her funding for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucifer Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Take the 100,000 back. Clearly she is itching to spend it. Take away the temptation, and take her to a clinic for that itch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xen Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Tell her you will help her if she starts out by selling in the markets. She will then learn business basics if she hasn't had that before. She will learn what overheads are, profit and loss , book keeping and record keeping and so on . And if her interest wanes after a few weeks then the loss will not be as great as paying out a lease. Then , if it is successful in the markets and she makes money that money can go into expanding the business into a shop and she will have some business skills.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Diversify, have motorbike rentals, internet and massage offerings as well, oh, and don't forget to sell coffee and confectionery. By selling all those things under one roof you'll have covered at least 90% of small business offerings in Thailand. More seriously, people need to come up with new business ideas rather than doing to death existing concepts that have been, well er, done to death, talk about market saturation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttthailand Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 The chance of success is very small. She may make a few thousand baht a month but for the time and effort it is not worth it. Inventory, storage, trips to Bangkok for stock are all things she will need to attend to. Also, rainy season is coming and numbers will be down just due to that. Plus, there are thousands of girls doing the exact same thing and they don't make money. Send her to school to learn English or a trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fang37 Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Why not open 2 shops? Get rid of the $$$ even quicker. Seriously, the market concept seems more risk averse. You are not locked in with a lease. Clothing? A little more imagination might be helpful. This strategy is the usual idea for a Thai female. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
americansiam Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 It is a positive sign that your wife has a desire to "run a business"; however, does she have experience running a clothing shop or even working in one. Pattaya would be one of the worse places to start a clothing shop since they is an overflow of them from the little shops on the sois , to the little stands at the night markets. The profitable times depends on the tourist season which is about 5 months out of the year and now with the flow of tourists down (and Chinese are not out and about spending their money with their group tour bookings) things are bleak. The other downfall is that rent in Pattaya is quite high and most owners renting out space want a year's worth of rent. (They do not care if you go out of business; for some other fool will move in and pay another annual year's rent.) What your wife should do is take that money and attend a beauty salon school and learn how to cut/style hair or learn some other trade so she has a skill to lean on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davetrout Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I think its a good thing your girl wants to work. you could rent a home on a busy street with a front room to make small shop and some clothes out front. you move in to home and save rent, thats if you rent now i mean. and it would be easy to come and go from work. your cost would come down. anyway that's my thoughts cheers big ears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbo Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Hi If you are really serious about this idea than you should contact me back. I work for a garment manufacturer in China who is looking for an opportunity to slowly get into Thailand Quality brand clothing and mainly swimwear but also other lady and menswear but at affordable prices and with EU and Asian sizes so some for the tourist and some for the locals Then you have a product that stands out... In a few months I am opening a shop also with these items (and others) in Wang Noi Now back to your investment, do you think 3,500 USD will be enough to set up shop?You need shelves, racks, storage, cash register, lights, fitting rooms, floors... And then the goods.... You need to dig a little deeper in your pockets or forget the whole thing.. Contact me if you are interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onemorechang Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) It is a positive sign that your wife has a desire to "run a business"; however, does she have experience running a clothing shop or even working in one. Pattaya would be one of the worse places to start a clothing shop since they is an overflow of them from the little shops on the sois , to the little stands at the night markets. The profitable times depends on the tourist season which is about 5 months out of the year and now with the flow of tourists down (and Chinese are not out and about spending their money with their group tour bookings) things are bleak. The other downfall is that rent in Pattaya is quite high and most owners renting out space want a year's worth of rent. (They do not care if you go out of business; for some other fool will move in and pay another annual year's rent.) What your wife should do is take that money and attend a beauty salon school and learn how to cut/style hair or learn some other trade so she has a skill to lean on. I think there could be a few around town now days !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Having a desire to have a business is the usual dream in Thailand, but very few wish to put the real effort into it, to have any chance of successes. Its usually this. Free money = start business = hire staff = sit down money come = bust in year = unlucky = try again !!!!!!!!!!!! Is Op prepared for his wife to not be around the home for 14 hours a day. every day ? The list of cons for a business here is very long. but that said some do ok, . Edited July 11, 2015 by onemorechang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLock Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Agree with thrilled, that get her to write a simple 1-page Business Plan...so she can she for herself that she will be broke in 12 6 3 months... Better still, get her a job with a successful clothing store for 6 months so she can at least understand what it takes to run a business...and how hard it actually is. Bad idea all round...but sometimes you have to let them prove you right...expensive lesson...but hopefully she'll only do it once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 diversification ..... she could also have a couple of massage rooms out the back .. and a few bottles of brew to sell. Make the clothing as just a front ... she can make more on the other ... Once word gets around and customers keep coming back for more ..... 50,000 - 60, 000 / month easy. How often do customers return to buy a dress or shirt ? once a year ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onemorechang Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 diversification ..... she could also have a couple of massage rooms out the back .. and a few bottles of brew to sell. Make the clothing as just a front ... she can make more on the other ... Once word gets around and customers keep coming back for more ..... 50,000 - 60, 000 / month easy. How often do customers return to buy a dress or shirt ? once a year ? Are you talking about the other occupation that some hair dressers / Stylists can have in this town Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaPhom Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Forget the 100k set up.. Calculate monthly costs. Rent, staff, utilities, transport. What is the profit on a dress or shirt? These shops come and go for a reason. Why not try try at the markets, less hours and overheads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onemorechang Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 6a0133f4950835970b019b0108faa3970b-pi.jpg Do you get a free hair cut ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brit_Doggie Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Run 2 to 3 shops 1 is clothing/shoes/bags not a good idea my friend peak times ok but longer low season, make money but then little, the money makers are the hair laundry shops trust me, big investments and top ups often required with slow returns that are not noticeable but having said that it keeps her happy she also does a loan scheme wow now that makes bigtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyUK1960 Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I see so many businesses funded by farlang for Thai partner draining money away. Most Thai partners do not have business education, Most fail. Invest 1 million baht in Thailand and end up with 0 Baht. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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