First thing always to remember is the old saying that runs something like: "To make a small fortune in Thailand, you need to begin with a big fortune".
There are of course several successful businesses with foreign ownership, but there are also many small businesses that gives up – and some investors that lose (all) their savings.
To establish a company at present you'll need 2 shareholders and minimum 51% owned by Thais. You cannot use nominees, the Thai shareholders might be asked to prove that they have their own funds for the investment. According to lawyers you can control the company by using preferred shares, where the foreign shareholder(s) owns a number of preferred shares with 10 votes per share, while the Thai shareholders owns normal shares with one vote per share. Another method can be that a Thai shareholder has preferred shares with no voting rights, but instead a guranteed dividend payout of for example 4% of the nominal amount of the shares. Both methods might let you gain voting control over the company.
In short, you need to find one or more Thai business partners that can legally afford to invest in your company.
When a company buys land, some land offices will only accept 39% foreign ownership. If you have 49% foreignownership, this can often be arrenged by temporary transferring 10% of the shares to Thais, and then revert the shares after land title deed is registed.
Another possibility is to lease land on 30-years agreement. There is no such ting as 30+30 or more years, or 3+3+3 years' rental agreements. When renting land for more than 3 years it need to be registered on the title deed in the land office and a tax of 1% of the total agreed lease sum for the whole period shall be paid.
For one working permit for a foreigner you'll need a company capital of not less than 2 million baht and 4 Thai employees.
You cannot expect to be a tour guide, this work is reserved for Thais. In general a foreigner can only perform management jobs and jobs requiring special skills.
Russians and other foreigners might run a business on the edge of the law or in a gray-zone – it might cost them some fees for cookies in some tea money boxes – now and then you can read in the news about these illegal business getting closed by authorities.
The benefit of moving one's savings – or part of it – to Thailand is that you are free from currency exchange rate fluctations. However, it's difficult to gain a reasonable profit or interest. The Thai equity market lives a kind of it's own life, only partly affected by the the World market. It might be a good time to invest, as the stock prices has gone down during the past few years and are low know – but bear in mind, they can fall to an even lower value, if foreign stock investers continue to money of out.
However, a number of large well-run Thai companies can in average give you a paid dividend around 4% per year after withheld dividend tax. 4% is the average hand rule of what you gain when not into (very) high risk investments.
Establishing a business in Thailand I will consider as high risk. You really need to do your home work of demand for a kind of business, rather than outliving a dream of what you wish to do, or what would be nice to do. 4% dividend from a good 6-figure savings – which depends of which currency the six-figures are in – might be more safe than opening a business. You might also find more fun to enjoy your life when not running a company in a foreign country with different rules than you might be used to.
For your info: I have – i.e., 49% ownership – a Thai company limited that owns a n umber of land plots, which are rented out; furthermore the company has some othe activities. I'm only a shareholder and board member – director – while dauly managment is a Thai. Furthermore I have private investmen ts in SET-equity – SET is short for Stock Exchange of Thailand – that gives me the around 4% dividend, which adds some extra to my retirement pension and savings from abroand. So, I fully enjoy my life in "Paradise"...😎