#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Living In Thailand Forum >  >  Starting a Business in Thailand - Tips & Tricks

## dirtydog

So you want to start a business in Thailand, this is the thread for tips on starting a business in Thailand, not noodle soup stalls or fried chicken feet eateries, but proper businesses aimed at farang tourists who don't eat chickens feet and that sort of stuff.

First off you need a name, now remember most tourists do not speak Thai, so your guesthouse or hotel called Sabbai guesthouse is just a meaningless noise to them, how many meaningless noises do you remember? Would you recommend a meaningless noise to friend who also doesn't understand meaningless noises?

As most people speak English it would probably be a good idea to actually use an English name, that way people will remember it, people wont be searching on the net for "sabai" or "sabuy" or other equally useless search terms trying to find your business, so think of an easy to remember English name.

Right, anybody else got any tips?

----------


## AntRobertson

> Right, anybody else got any tips?


Why not start a business that caters to/serves both Thais, foreign residents, and tourists.  Even better would be a business exporting to foreign markets.

Aiming solely for the tourist market leaves you at the mercy of seasonal fluctuations and the like.

----------


## Spin

Learn to speak Thai, relying on your girlfriend or wife to manage certain areas of a business just on the basis that they can speak Thai is a mistake under most circumstances.

----------


## FailSafe

Location, location, location is true in Thailand just like anywhere else- spend the extra baht for a better spot, even if it's rundown a bit or not as big as a place further down the street- you will more than make back the extra investment.

----------


## Mr Earl

> First off you need a name, now remember most tourists do not speak Thai, so your guesthouse or hotel called Sabbai guesthouse is just a meaningless noise to them, how many meaningless noises do you remember? Would you recommend a meaningless noise to friend who also doesn't understand meaningless noises?


Wrong.

First off a foreigner who starts a business here should know going in he/she has the  
odds stacked against them. 
Second you should know a bit about what you're doing, it should be "FUN".
Thai people especially Thai ladies are inclined to having fun. If your employees are having fun it likely the customer will too.
Thirdly and perhaps the most important is locating the biz. You have to have a good location with a reasonable rent.
Fourthly if you perchance get a money making biz going always claim poverty. Otherwise the greedy [at][at][at][at] landlord will up your rent an demand exorbitant "key money". I sold my first business here because of the greedy Sihk landlord jacked up up the rent and overhead.

Yep I know a lot about it and my advice is to be very wary of investing money in business here.

I'd say:
First off you need a Thai proxy(someone who you would trust with your life) so you (the farang) can be totally invisible.

Anyway whatever it is you should consider the fun angle first.

On to my next thread which will be about how to start a winery, that should be fun, I hope. :mid:

----------


## klongmaster

Don't have a 'location'...do your business on the internet...that way you keep control...

----------


## klongmaster

> you (the farang) can be totally invisible


this is probably the best advice of all...I've seen lots of 'strutters'...but they expose themselves to unnecessary risk...

----------


## FailSafe

> Don't have a 'location'...do your business on the internet...that way you keep control...


That's not going to work if you have a business aimed predominantly at Thais- you need a visible, convenient location.

----------


## Panda

I reckon one of the biggest obstacles to a farang setting up a business in Thailand is the Thai attitude that farangs are idiots with too much money and there for the milking. The few farangs who have made it (and no doubt a couple will post here), will try to tell you that their success was due to their special skill and knowledge at sussing out Thai culture. But I reckon its 1 part skill and 9 parts luck. Luck in finding a Thai business partner or associate who has the brains to see a good business opportunity rather than just the old milk the farang scam for short term profit. Starting a business in Thailand is certainly more than just having a good business idea. Many of the Thai laws are stacked against farangs for a start. Then there is the problem of dealing with the Thai official corruption. Combine that with the Thai business mentality of cheating and rip offs as a legitimate business tactic and you are up against a formidable wall of obstacles not evident in the west.

All I can say is good luck to those who have run the gauntlet and succeeded, and even better luck to those about to try.

----------


## Isee

> I reckon one of the biggest obstacles to a farang setting up a business in Thailand is the Thai attitude that farangs are idiots with too much money and there for the milking.


Yeah I'd agree with that general sentiment - they don't believe you need the money so they should get a discount for that alone. Plus being a farang associated with a business, it easy for the thais to bad mouth the business because everyone knows farangs are jai dum - if they can't say anything bad, they will just make it up... Thais are like cows, they don't have the brain to think independently, if one says something is bad, they all think its bad and won't go out to verify the information themselves. Stand up to a thai and not let them rip you off = farang jai dum. 

Good example is buying a car, thais will ask why you didn't buy toyota (No1) or Isuzu (No2). Ask them why toyota is so good they can't give you any real answer except for "everyone say". 

The odds are stacked up against you - thais just don't believe you should be profiting   anything in their country. If I knew what I do now, I probably wouldn't have started the business that we do now and put the money somewhere else.

----------


## dirtydog

> Good example is buying a car, thais will ask why you didn't buy toyota (No1) or Isuzu (No2). Ask them why toyota is so good they can't give you any real answer except for "everyone say".


But that can also be put to good use, if you want a car that you can easily sell you buy a Toyota, if you don't then you can buy a mazda or puegeot which you will lose a tonne of money on.
So, if you want a secondhand car showroom do you go for mazdas or toyotas? Think the answer is obvious.

----------


## superman

> Don't have a 'location'...do your business on the internet...that way you keep control...


If I wanted to do a business in Thailand then this would be the way I'd go. But being as I don't need to, I'll stay well clear of all money making opportunities

----------


## Norton

> good idea to actually use an English name


Dirty Dog Diner in neon lights should be a winner.

Other than a great name, do your homework, choose a partner wisely and as others have noted, stay well below the radar.

----------


## Isee

> Originally Posted by Isee
> 
> Good example is buying a car, thais will ask why you didn't buy toyota (No1) or Isuzu (No2). Ask them why toyota is so good they can't give you any real answer except for "everyone say".
> 
> 
> But that can also be put to good use, if you want a car that you can easily sell you buy a Toyota, if you don't then you can buy a mazda or puegeot which you will lose a tonne of money on.
> So, if you want a secondhand car showroom do you go for mazdas or toyotas? Think the answer is obvious.


Yeah I agree with the resale argument, but the reason that toyotas get a better resale is for the reason I stated imho. Now, if you were talking about the merits of the vehicles, toyota don't rank No1 for me - I personally think they have grown long in the tooth while the other manufacturers are improving their models to get better market share.

----------


## Cenovis

I think the trusted Thai Name Porn is all what is needed to have success with Tourists, best if connected with a Massage Place or a Hair Salon.

----------


## klongmaster

> That's not going to work if you have a business aimed predominantly at Thais


you obviously didn't read the OP...



> this is the thread for tips on starting a business in Thailand, not noodle soup stalls or fried chicken feet eateries, but proper *businesses aimed at farang tourists*

----------


## good2bhappy

> On to my next thread which will be about how to start a winery,


That will be worth waiting for

----------


## phomsanuk

Some farang seem to succeeed here but I think most fail, it's difficult to run a business in any foreign country. 
Some friends have found a needed nitch that the Thai have'nt or can't do. Then they make $$$$ because of cheap labor etc.

----------


## wefearourdespot

My tip is don't ever start a business in Thailand, your ruin is guaranteed.

----------


## Smug Farang Bore

The odds are stacked against you.

Try not to let the Thai control the money as they will find many other mates who have business ventures that are to good to be true....sure sure you make good money Lek.

If its a hobby you can afford - same as buying a boat....

...on ya go....enjoy :deadhorsebig:

----------


## wanderer

> Location, location, location is true in Thailand just like anywhere else- spend the extra baht for a better spot, even if it's rundown a bit or not as big as a place further down the street- you will more than make back the extra investment.


"Location, location, location" is not necessarily true. As you know tons of underground parties and alternative clubs are located in warehouse districts in cities in the West. But they draw big crowds. 

A lot of expat businesses in Thailand fail because of their business models, even though they have good locations. For example-- the bar named Zoe in Yellow in Chiang Mai, in a good location just off Ratwiti close to the eastern moat. Run by an American woman and her Greek husband. It was a favorite hang-out of the ngo crowd. It was going until late '08. But then in 2010 when I visited it again, it had an all-thai staff, I did not see the woman or her husband. Don't know if they are still the owners, but the style of the place had changed to be more like a disco with a dj on top of high platform, unsuitable for a place that small. When the couple were there, the place rarely had more than a few people at the bar. So they had to stage "events" like parties, etc. to draw crowds. This sort of thing can only be done occasionally, so they might not have been making it on 5 customers for 6 nights of the week. 

In another case, a German opened up a place called "The Sandwich" in an even better location in Chiang Mai, right on Kotchasarn facing the eastern moat not far from the wat. Visible to major traffic. Brand new building with huge windows. Everything goiing for him. But just like Zoe in Yellow, his business model was flawed. 

Then there was the place also in CM on Chang Moi Kao (hope I got the name right)  which is one street north of Thapae Road. It was a barn-like place, meant to be a restaurant, run by two Dutch guys who did not have a clue. They just did not have a business model, and could not come up with one when things were not working. I offered to try to save these guys, but they did not connect before we all had to go our separate ways. 

A few years before this, Dtoy's coffee shop was also on Kotchasarn. It was so empty most of the time that I was 50 or 100% of the clientele on many afternoons. I offered to help these guys too--thai wife (Dtoy) and Brit husband (Phil). There were two major problems that I could easily have solved. But with consulting in an unstable legal environment, one must either have a lot of trust or cash up front. 

Tons of places in excellent locations. But the owners just could not think about how to make things better even though a little observation and analysis would have told them at least some negative things to improve.

The Burmese food place, also on Kotchasarn, also just closed (Feb. 2010). But right next to it, the Burrito place, which neighbors Mike's Burgers on the other side, seems to be full much of the time. 

For some reason working-class Brits with their fish-and-chips shops, and working-class yanks with their burger or mexican food places seem to make it in LOS.

----------


## the dogcatcher

A friend has just started up here doing something that he has done for years in Europe.
His raw materials come from China and are wholesaled by the Thais, the Thais are making a business out of absorbing the outragious minimum orders from the Chinese manufacturers.
Turns out that the Thais public up to now have had no exposure to this product and they love it. All the wholesaled raw material seems to be exported and although this product has been very popular in Europe for 30 years it has not been available to the Thais. And they love it.

----------


## FailSafe

> Originally Posted by FailSafe
> 
> 
> Location, location, location is true in Thailand just like anywhere else- spend the extra baht for a better spot, even if it's rundown a bit or not as big as a place further down the street- you will more than make back the extra investment.
> 
> 
> "Location, location, location" is not necessarily true. As you know tons of underground parties and alternative clubs are located in warehouse districts in cities in the West. But they draw big crowds.


One-off events that generally can't be held in more populated areas and specialty clubs are not really germane to the point.

Obviously location is not a _guarantee_ of success, but it sure is a major consideration.

Using Thailand as an example, look at how (some) shops on large thoroughfares flourish, while their counterparts on sub-sois often flounder as no one even knows they're there.

Yes, there are plenty of people out there that can screw up a wet dream, no argument, but (depending on business type) location can be the single most important factor to success.

----------


## Beadle

Do something you are good at and enjoy.

Do not rely too much on Thais.

Keep complete control or as much as possible.

Keep your head down and remain inconspicuous.

Do not flaunt your earnings and manage your money efficiently.

Do not trust anyone and I mean anyone, Thai or foreign.

Make sure you are well acquainted with Thai business and labour law and keep as legal as possible.

Can't think of much else at the moment, that should start you off.

----------


## Butterfly

> Right, anybody else got any tips?


don't give the key of the safe to your Issaan whore  :Razz:

----------


## tonyroma

lots of obstacles in starting a business in los . The more successful u r the more probs u seem to get from officials etc as smug farang says it should be a hobby that u can walk away from  cheers

----------


## Camel Toe

If location is the deciding factor that would leave out Thailand.

For a restaurant it goes like this:  Location, Decor, Price, Food Quality.

Thais aren't interested in the uncommon.  Especially food.

But this is the answer you're looking for:  To make a small fortune in Thailand all you most do is come here with a large fortune.

----------


## wanderer

> Originally Posted by wanderer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by FailSafe
> ...


There are successful permanent restaurants in the most beaten down wino-junkie-prostitute areas, like the tenderloin, of San Francisco. The entire SOMA district of SF was started in an abandoned crime-ridden warehouse district. 

The trick to business is figuring out how to profit from the least expenditure. Spending more money is not an original or even a successful strategy. Well capitalized ventures fail all the time.  Telling people they are fools if they don't pay top dollar for a storefront on a major thoroughfare contains the hidden message that they should not even try. We could stretch this ridiculous argument further: If they can't afford a $5000 Swiss watch, don't even get a watch; or if they can't afford a Maserati, don't get a car at all; if they can't get their clothes custom-made in London, just go naked. 

Maybe you know that little Japanese restaurant that is in the middle of the soi in CM between Chang Moi Kao and Thapae road just east of the gate, not even visible until you are right on top of it. It is always at least 30% occupied with regular as well as tourist clientele. A good food place can, in fact, create a location.

----------


## FailSafe

> There are successful permanent restaurants in the most beaten down wino-junkie-prostitute areas, like the tenderloin, of San Francisco. The entire SOMA district of SF was started in an abandoned crime-ridden warehouse district. 
> 
> The trick to business is figuring out how to profit from the least expenditure. Spending more money is not an original or even a successful strategy. Well capitalized ventures fail all the time. Telling people they are fools if they don't pay top dollar for a storefront on a major thoroughfare contains the hidden message that they should not even try. We could stretch this ridiculous argument further: If they can't afford a $5000 Swiss watch, don't even get a watch; or if they can't afford a Maserati, don't get a car at all; if they can't get their clothes custom-made in London, just go naked. 
> 
> Maybe you know that little Japanese restaurant that is in the middle of the soi in CM between Chang Moi Kao and Thapae road just east of the gate, not even visible until you are right on top of it. It is always at least 30% occupied with regular as well as tourist clientele. A good food place can, in fact, create a location.


You're offering exceptions rather than 'rules'- your 'Swiss watch' and other examples are, indeed, ridiculous (a cheap watch and an expensive watch both tell you the time, and in function are exactly the same- a good location will always make you more income than a bad one)- a better comparison would be comparing someone who succeeds despite having no formal education vs. someone with a doctorate who fails miserably- certainly it's not impossible, but who had the better chance to start out?

If you're going to open a _niche_ business like a bowling alley, would you open right next door to another bowling alley that is already doing mediocre business?

Start me off with a good location any day over any other criteria (beyond a good business plan, of course- then again, a good location would be part of my plan to start with).

----------


## panthira

Hi. I've been here 10 years. Started a business 5 years ago and only now am making money this year. I don't sell to tourists. It can be done but as you have read it is not the easiest road. The most important things are to love what you are doing , know when to fold, don't trust anyone, and be patient!

As you know many people come here for dental/medical work from the usa as it costs 5x more there and insurance/gov aid is not a choice anymore.

There are several people doing now and I'm pretty sure they are making a profit.

No overhead low cost internet ads like this site and the  "other" site help you grab the customers..couple that with google adwords and you can get a worllwide presence.

----------


## wanderer

> You're offering exceptions rather than 'rules'- your 'Swiss watch' and other examples are, indeed, ridiculous (a cheap watch and an expensive watch both tell you the time, and in function are exactly the same- a good location will always make you more income than a bad one)- a better comparison would be comparing someone who succeeds despite having no formal education vs. someone with a doctorate who fails miserably- certainly it's not impossible, but who had the better chance to start out?
> 
> If you're going to open a _niche_ business like a bowling alley, would you open right next door to another bowling alley that is already doing mediocre business?
> 
> Start me off with a good location any day over any other criteria (beyond a good business plan, of course- then again, a good location would be part of my plan to start with).


Have you got any ideas we have not heard before, that don't require a doctorate, and that might give people a reason for optimism?

----------


## FailSafe

> Originally Posted by FailSafe
> 
> 
>  You're offering exceptions rather than 'rules'- your 'Swiss watch' and other examples are, indeed, ridiculous (a cheap watch and an expensive watch both tell you the time, and in function are exactly the same- a good location will always make you more income than a bad one)- a better comparison would be comparing someone who succeeds despite having no formal education vs. someone with a doctorate who fails miserably- certainly it's not impossible, but who had the better chance to start out?
> 
> If you're going to open a _niche_ business like a bowling alley, would you open right next door to another bowling alley that is already doing mediocre business?
> 
> Start me off with a good location any day over any other criteria (beyond a good business plan, of course- then again, a good location would be part of my plan to start with).
> 
> ...


I haven't seen anything posted in this thread that required a doctorate- a good location (if possible) is a no-brainer- I can't believe you would argue that- yes, businesses in poor locations have succeeded, but they are the exceptions to the rule.

I haven't seen any originality out of you either.

I currently own three profitable businesses in Thailand (I do some real estate on the side, but I don't count that as a 'business'), and, except for the concepts themselves (forgive me if I don't go into them- I don't want to put too much personal information on a public forum), I followed basic sound business strategies and started with a well-thought-out business plan- they are also all in excellent locations- similar establishments in poorer locations don't do as well.

The one business failure I had was mostly due to a poor location choice- I learned from my mistake, licked my wounds, and moved on.

Other people I know who have gone with bad locations to save money or have more square footage have generally regretted it and wished they would have gone with the better location in the first place.

I'm speaking from my experience here- do you currently operate a business in Thailand?

----------


## tony wall

i am interested in the winery idea as we own some land near mugdahan and thought of starting a small distilery with the hope that we could bring a little money to the villagers by means of salary , oh yes we would also like to make a profit to give my wife an income when i eventualy depart this world

----------


## peterpan

> Do something you are good at and enjoy.
> 
> Do not rely too much on Thais.
> 
> Keep complete control or as much as possible.
> 
> Keep your head down and remain inconspicuous.
> 
> Do not flaunt your earnings and manage your money efficiently.
> ...


You have hit most of the key points there Beadle.

I would add a couple: 
If you do not posses accountancy skills, retain one, I cannot over emphasize the importance of monitoring your financial status.

Depending on the type of business I would also advise retaining a decent Legal advisor, the amount of embezzlement that occurs here is amazing, almost every business I have had contact with here has had staff thieving one way of the other.

----------


## wanderer

> I would add a couple: 
> If you do not posses accountancy skills, retain one, I cannot over emphasize the importance of monitoring your financial status.
> 
> Depending on the type of business I would also advise retaining a decent Legal advisor, the amount of embezzlement that occurs here is amazing, almost every business I have had contact with here has had staff thieving one way of the other.


In the Bkk post lawyers advertise work permits for about 6k baht. This would allow someone to run a business and work it themself without employees. 

One of the keys to a good business is that the owner is on site. This has a way of galvanizing the energy in a place, unless of course the owner is an asshole. 

In many cases especially in third-world countries, the owner sets it up then leaves the place in the hands of teenagers who know nothing and don't care. I remember one place in CM that had the same slack-jawed teenage girl working there. (This could have had something to do with the thorough hands-on study the expat husband of the thai wife owner was making of the shape of her buttocks.) This girl played one song by a two-girl Western group called M&M (something like that); when it stopped, she played the same song over and over and over all afternoon, as long as the owners were not around. 

Small business owners all over the world seem to lose interest in being on site. Maybe the dream dies. Perhaps the key to this is that the business itself must not be its own purpose. It should be a means to a further goal, like total world power.

----------


## MustavaMond

> In the Bkk post lawyers advertise work permits for about 6k baht. This would allow someone to run a business and work it themself without employees.



 Don't you have to have a Thai partner who has a 51% share which essentially gives them access to the companie's monies? 

 This is what stops me, I do not trust anyone and the  legal loops regarding voting shares  sound.. illegal as in "nominees."

----------


## wanderer

> Originally Posted by wanderer
> 
> 
>  
> In the Bkk post lawyers advertise work permits for about 6k baht. This would allow someone to run a business and work it themself without employees. 
> 
> 
> 
>  
> ...


I am aware of this method, but I know an expat in Bkk who "owns" a popular food-service business using this method. Whether it is making money or not considering his overhead is another matter. He got into this business to get away from internet sales, but as of the last time I talked to him, he would also sell this business in a split-second if anybody offered. He has been running this business since 07 or 08, and I have not noticed that suddenly a group of Thai "nominees" swooped in. As I mentioned above, in the case of Zoe in Yellow in Chiang Mai, the expat owners (who also used this method) did suddenly disappear but that may have been because of the relative lack of customers. Zoe in Yellow attracted mainly the ngo crowd working in North Thailand. This guy in Bkk has attracted a different segment of the expat population. What this tells us is that you cannot base a business model on the ngo discretionary income.  Ngo workers would not be big drinkers, so they would not keep a bar, like Zoe in Yellow, in business. 

The Thai govt is constantly tinkering with the expat ownership laws and the method referred to above was specifically mentioned in the press as subject to scrutiny. But after the dust settles, lawyers usually find another way to cook the goose. A time of political termoil, like now, in Thailand would be the right time to take advantage of this, but strangely the Thai stock market is going up, so foreign investors are not worried. 

In addition, there was just an article in the Cambodia Daily about how that country will allow foreigners to own more property. Cambodia passed this law to play catch-up with other Southeast Asian countries who are all liberalising their foreign ownership laws, so they can attract more foreign investment.

----------


## lozillionaire

Is real estate a decent option? I always thought of owning an apartment complex close to a university. Cheap affordable housing is always needed plus the female students would be pleasing to the eye come rent day.

----------


## AussieBazza

Are there any laws in Thailand in regards to online businesses selling discounted genuine oem brand name mobile phones, not the cheap chinese copies.
I run this type of business in Australia online as an alternative to ebay where the business is purely an online store where customers place their order and pay for their selected item using paypal or direct money transfer, the phone prices are very attractive as they are close to wholesale prices once the customer pays, the item is then mailed to them by registered post. Has anyone ever heared of this type of business in Thailand, Would there be any forseeable pitfalls, and would you need a licence or business registration?
maintaining the business is by just using a website and direct email contact with the suppliers who are already established.............profit is made between wholesale cost and discounted retail selling prices
Can anyone see a problem with operating this type of business in the land of smiles?

----------


## CaptainNemo

I'm rebooting this thread to ask about the steps, and licences, and generally update the info if anything's changed.

This stuff below is useful, but doesn't have any numbers about how much money needs to be put up either by a setup involving a foreigner, or a setup where all the parties are dual nationals.




> *How to Set Up a Thai Limited Company as a Foreigner*
> 
>                    Last updated: January 31st, 2015 | in Working 
>                                                      A Thai Limited Company is the most common type of all Thai  companies. No matter if you want to run a restaurant, a bar, a hotel, a  coffee shop, a beauty salon, an online business, a spa, a motorbike  rental service or most other business objectives that come into your  mind – you will need to set up a Thai Limited Company.
> *Ownership Requirements for a Thai Limited Company*
>  There have to be at least three shareholders owning a Thai Limited  Company and at least 51% of the shares must be owned by a Thai legal  entity (natural person or company). There are three exceptions to this  law:Companies set up by foreigners holding US citizenship using the Amity TreatyCompanies set up under the support of the Board of Investment (BOI)Companies that only export products and servicesA Sole Proprietorship company type is only for Thai citizens as it doesn’t allow to issue work permits for foreigners.
> *The 8 Steps of Setting Up a Thai Limited Company*
> 
> * 1. Reservation of the Company Name*
> ...


How to Set Up a Thai Limited Company as a Foreigner | Thailand Redcat

----------


## thaimeme

> I'm rebooting this thread to ask about the steps, and licences, and generally update the info if anything's changed.
> 
> This stuff below is useful, but doesn't have any numbers about how much money needs to be put up either by a setup involving a foreigner, or a setup where all the parties are dual nationals.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *How to Set Up a Thai Limited Company as a Foreigner*
> ...


 
Or other variables as: dealing with twisted Thai bureaucracy, integrating one's business into Thai social order/community, employee relations [Thai or others], etc....

----------


## CaptainNemo

good points, yeah.

----------


## bluecowry

Lots of great advice in here already, I especially like and agree with the "be invisible" rule. 

I would add, learn Thai customs and practice them with your employees, it makes you much more relatable for Thais and breaks down the "you are and will always be a foreigner" mentally.  Do small things that show your workers you are really investing in them and the business.  This way they feel you aren't just here to make yourself successful, but them as well.  

Also, is there a thread where farang can talk about possible business venture collaborations?

----------


## Seekingasylum

A farang business owner should always ensure that his Thai staff are managed by a competent and trustworthy Thai placed in a position of authority. The further the farang distances himself the better - respect is automatically accorded and will be genuine provided he has a 'good heart' and is fair, although there should always be an element of fear.

----------


## justme2017

If things don't seem to be working throw more money at the problem.

----------


## wasabi

I'm thinking of starting a Pie business in Isaan, any tips and market research done by the esteemed Teakdoor market research experts suggest that the many Farang bars and restaurants have a pressing need for good old Hybrid pies, an Australian Masterchef cross between Aussie and Jamacian British pie skills of excellence.
Any suggestions on where to start an Isaan billion £ & $ industry just waiting to take off.

----------


## redhaze

> The further the farang distances himself the better


Businesses with hands-off owners are a receipe for failure

Personally I would not open a business in Thailand. Not with a physical location at least. Success would breed people interested in stealing your business and/or money.

----------


## Hugh Cow

> Originally Posted by Seekingasylum
> 
> The further the farang distances himself the better
> 
> 
> Businesses with hands-off owners are a receipe for failure
> 
> Personally I would not open a business in Thailand. Not with a physical location at least. Success would breed people interested in stealing your business and/or money.


Agree RH. My business has struggled due to my  FIFO life. Also a Thai manager with an MBA means SFA.

----------


## justme2017

Agreed I have a business in Laos that suffers terribly when I am away. Every time I come back it is like I have to redouble my efforts just to stabilize it. To assume you can train Thais to do do your job or play your role in your absence is dangerous. 

Particularly if you have a business such as a bar or guesthouse that operates on word of mouth. The word gets out you aren't there and people won't come anymore if you are away extended periods.

----------

