Sorry for the delay as just came back and have to go reservist. Anyway, starting a business in the rural or semi rural areas are also another possibility. The town you choose need to be big enough (for the population) and potential to grow (if you really want your business to take off)
Some towns you could consider are Pattaya, Phuket, Koh Samui, Kachanaburi and Maesai.
I am currently staying in Maesai, thus I would focus on this town which I knew best.
Maesai is the most northern town in whole of Thailand. About 74km away from Chiang Rai (city) in Chiang Rai state. The town borders Myanamr's Thachilek. Over here, most of the core businesses here sells jeweleries and stones (raw). Maesai used to be an important gem stone trading post (till now it is) but its already lost much of its stone traders to Kachanaburi and Bangkok. This is mainly because Myanmar's Mogok rubies are actually running out. Moreover, just in year 2000, Maesai was bombed by shells fired by Myanmar's Junta chasing the Shan rebels. So after the scarce, most of them actually closed shop.
Other shops are mostly catered to tourists. There used to be a lot of farangs or foreigners would come here monthly to do their VISA run (30 day stamps) but since the october 2006 ruling of limiting 90 days limit. But the local Thais from the south still frequent here in the cool season to have their holidays and shopping. So the town is always crowded from Oct till May.
Maesai is developing at an exponential pace as it serves as a trade portal for goods from Myanmar and China. Already, they are building another bridge (just near my house) for the trucks of goods and imports.
Opportunities here are great. If you have a lot of capital you might want to consider doing an import/export business. Provided you are sure what are the things that Thai's would want to buy.
Law and order is average. No better than those in the city but the good thing is that most people here are definitely more friendly and helpful than those in the cities.
If you plan to retire here and start a small business to earn some extra cash. The easiest would be to open a small shop selling clothes or a restaurant. Rental is consider cheap for shop houses furthur away from the main road. While rentals at the main road could be exponentially expensive. (10,000 baht for a small unit)
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business. Show all posts
Thailand Business Guide (Chapter 1.1)
For me personally, I would classify urban areas as a location where major city centres are with a big population. I am not going to write about Bangkok or even Hatyai as I don't stay there as long. However, I would describe more about the northern areas of Thailand.
At the north,there is Chiang Mai. This is the 2nd largest city in Thailand. There are many shopping centres and you will be surprised that a lot of expats prefer to stay here than in Bangkok. This is because its busy but not as polluted as Bangkok (although things might be changing now). Chiang Mai thrived on Tourism as it serves as a gateway for people to visit furthur northern areas like Mae Hong Song or Chiang Rai. Its International airport was recently renovated with one more terminal to handle the growing crowd.
The expats ratio staying in Chiang Mai are quite high. My condo in Kad Suan Kaew has more than 80% taken by foreigners. If you walk along the street, its very common to see foreigners on the street. One of the main reason is that the city has a lot of schools that attract these people. Chiang Mai University is worldwide recognised and gives lessons in English rather than Thai. Thai language, art/crafts and Buddhist schools also peppered the city.
There are pubs and bars in Chiang Mai but their number is not as much as in Bangkok. Expat pubs are common for foreigners and most of them cater to a niche group. Such as German restaurant and Irish pubs.
Overall, the impression of Chiang Mai is that its still developing and have not reached its potential yet. Business opportunity is good. Capital needed to rent a shop house or even a store is definitely not as high as in Bangkok. But again, things are changing as Chiang Mai has recently become more and more expensive.
Here's some references
http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_mai
http://www.cmcity.go.th/english/history.php
At the north,there is Chiang Mai. This is the 2nd largest city in Thailand. There are many shopping centres and you will be surprised that a lot of expats prefer to stay here than in Bangkok. This is because its busy but not as polluted as Bangkok (although things might be changing now). Chiang Mai thrived on Tourism as it serves as a gateway for people to visit furthur northern areas like Mae Hong Song or Chiang Rai. Its International airport was recently renovated with one more terminal to handle the growing crowd.
The expats ratio staying in Chiang Mai are quite high. My condo in Kad Suan Kaew has more than 80% taken by foreigners. If you walk along the street, its very common to see foreigners on the street. One of the main reason is that the city has a lot of schools that attract these people. Chiang Mai University is worldwide recognised and gives lessons in English rather than Thai. Thai language, art/crafts and Buddhist schools also peppered the city.
There are pubs and bars in Chiang Mai but their number is not as much as in Bangkok. Expat pubs are common for foreigners and most of them cater to a niche group. Such as German restaurant and Irish pubs.
Overall, the impression of Chiang Mai is that its still developing and have not reached its potential yet. Business opportunity is good. Capital needed to rent a shop house or even a store is definitely not as high as in Bangkok. But again, things are changing as Chiang Mai has recently become more and more expensive.
Here's some references
http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_mai
http://www.cmcity.go.th/english/history.php
Starting a buisness in Thailand Overview
I think a lot of people would be interested in such a topic so today got some spare time to write about this.
This topic spans a lot of issues. Regarding policies, opportunities and etc etc...
So I plan to split these into different chapters. Here's an overview
1) Thailand's Opportunities.
1.1) Urban (City area like Bangkok)
1.2) Rural (Small towns and
2) Rules and Regulations (for a foreigner starting a business).
3) A simple guide on the process.
As of any business, there are many different rules and regulations for different types of business so I would only touch those that I have personally encountered and share it with you all. Hope this will help those who are planning to start a business in the LOS.
This topic spans a lot of issues. Regarding policies, opportunities and etc etc...
So I plan to split these into different chapters. Here's an overview
1) Thailand's Opportunities.
1.1) Urban (City area like Bangkok)
1.2) Rural (Small towns and
2) Rules and Regulations (for a foreigner starting a business).
3) A simple guide on the process.
As of any business, there are many different rules and regulations for different types of business so I would only touch those that I have personally encountered and share it with you all. Hope this will help those who are planning to start a business in the LOS.
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