Setting up a business in udon thani

Post by **clarejad** » July 2, 2015, 5:26 pm

Hi

Anyone can advise what kind of business suitable to do in udon thani?

Post by **jackson** » July 2, 2015, 8:43 pm

start with a big one and you will end up usually with a small one, seriously though remember most Thais only have money at the end of each month and that is not a lot. Be carefull

Post by **dezzer** » July 2, 2015, 9:40 pm

Pimping. :-"

Post by **jackspratt** » July 2, 2015, 10:23 pm

Perhaps a sensible, balanced internet forum?

Post by **clarejad** » July 2, 2015, 10:47 pm

Tks for respond. How about running a preschool? Actually my target is not so much of Thai but the Expat staying there. Pls advise

Post by **bignote1** » July 2, 2015, 11:54 pm

CJ..... Jack is right, pay no attention to people who want to denigrate a very sensible question.
Can I ask you a question? What business, on the basis of your experience and knowledge do you feel would suit you?

Post by **clarejad** » July 3, 2015, 8:41 am

B1..I'm experience in hair salon business. Do u think this trade is good there? Btw I hv seen a board games cafe, the business is good

Post by **Udon Map** » July 3, 2015, 8:49 am

Don't forget the legal formalities. Starting with Work Permit.

Post by **skinner** » July 3, 2015, 9:01 am

dezzer wrote:Pimping. :-"

hahaha , nice one Dezzer. maybe his own best customer lol

Post by **reddevil** » July 3, 2015, 9:06 am

I think Clarejad is asking what type of business to set up and not haw to set up, and the answer on a post card please as many Falang have done bars and restaurant so now what is next?

Post by **Zidane** » July 3, 2015, 9:32 am

Tour Guide.....obviously you would need your own transport but there are quite a few areas within driveable distance,such as.....
Mekhong River Valley (Chiang Khan,Nong Khai,Nakon Phanom etc)
Mountains around Loei.....Phu Rua,Phu Kradung.
Phu Foilom(scenery),Phu Prabhat(park with interesting rock formations),Phuphan national park near Sakon Nakhon.
A bit further afield,around 280km-300km,there is Khao Kho referred to by the Thais as "Little Switzerland" and Tat Mok national park near Petchabhun.
Day trip....Khon Kaen (lake,temple,shopping,micro-brewery at The Pullman Hotel for the men

)

Post by **skinner** » July 3, 2015, 9:37 am

Tour guide is a restricted occupation. Reserved for Thais only, and I think that is a good thing.
It is their country, after all.

Post by **toddmeister** » July 3, 2015, 1:58 pm

Wasn't there talk recently about allowing foreigners to work legally as "tour consultants" or something like that, I think mainly due to the amount of Chinese tourists visiting the islands?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Post by **bignote1** » July 3, 2015, 6:23 pm

clarejad wrote:B1..I'm experience in hair salon business. Do u think this trade is good there? Btw I hv seen a board games cafe, the business is good

I have no experience of business in UT. I visit twice a year and on that basis I can only give you observations. I would have thought hair salons, bars, restaurants(at all levels) fully serve and in some cases over serve the market. You only need to walk around at night to see very few customers in bars. If I was setting up a business in UT I would be looking for opportunities in commercial areas which are underserved. I don't know what those opportunities are, I don't live there, but I am sure if the forumites who live in UT put there mind to it and said to themselves In Udon Thani I wish we had......................you might get some interesting food for thought.

Post by **JimboPSM** » July 3, 2015, 8:54 pm

This is a link to an old thread on UM that listed types of work prohibited to foreigners in the OP:

http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/p ... t3372.html

A couple of other links that may be useful:

http://www.thaiworkpermit.com/prohibite ... iland.html

http://www.thailawonline.com/en/others/ ... -jobs.html

There is an old version of an MFA Business Handbook which has a section about "Starting a business in Thailand":

This section deals primarily with legal and management issues involved with establishing a business entity in Thailand. Details are provided on tax policy, trade and investment incentives, labour laws and immigration policy, industrial licensing, and intellectual property rights.

While it may not be up to date it does provide some background; this is a link to it:

http://www.thaiembassy.org/cairo/conten ... 170042.pdf

Post by **old timer** » July 3, 2015, 9:56 pm

clarejad wrote:Hi

Anyone can advise what kind of business suitable to do in udon thani?

clarejad, What nationality are you? what languages do you speak? Gender? Age (don't answer that if the answer to the previous question was F)? Married? If Yes, Nationality of spouse? Amount of money you are willing to put into the new business? Do you live in Thailand? etc etc etc.....
Loads and Loads of things to consider before a realistic suggestion can be given. Off the cuff OT would say a motorcycle service and repair shop considering the amount of motorcycles there are in Udon. And accidents. It would have to be a decent size workshop because you have to turnover a lot of business because like most things in Udon, there is not much profit.

OT.............. $\:D/$

Post by **samuel** » July 3, 2015, 10:05 pm

clarejad wrote:Anyone can advise what kind of business suitable to do in udon thani?

sorry to say - but if I had a good business idea, why would I be so stupid to make it public?
being the first on the market is the key to success ..... apart from the quality of the product.

Post by **old timer** » July 3, 2015, 10:16 pm

samuel wrote:being the first on the market is the key to success ..... apart from the quality of the product.

Agreed Samuel, but the success would be short lived In Thailand because the Thais would copy it straight away.

OT............. $\:D/$

Post by **papafarang** » July 3, 2015, 10:38 pm

1,000 ideas free for all, but sadly no point, girlfriend will tell you to open a bar or buy a farm. and you know what.. guys will listen to the girlfriend as she done so well working the farm , then she worked at a bar for 4 years. first thing is although she is thai and knows how it goes , that's all she knows ( not thai bashing). get real and use your experience with transferable skills, although you can't cut hair there's no reason why you cant own a salon, no reason why you can't dictate how the salon is operated. the dickheads that I've met who have been told they can't have a lease in there name are numerous , why .... because their girlfriend told them so lol. I started business in udon, I just paid a lady to get everything done, I had no lady at all, only staff. worked for me

Post by **can123** » July 3, 2015, 11:00 pm

I have what I believe is a sound business idea and one which I might pursue when I land in Thailand. I say "might" because I may decide to do no work at all. It's a very simple idea. Native Thais cannot do what I do and could not pose a threat to me in business terms.

I would have my own English language school and base this in a small coffee shop/ restaurant. Students would pay for lessons but would be able to access learning materials in the form of e-books, English TV and music, newspapers at any time during opening hours. They would be encouraged to help each other and they might actually end up being able to speak some useful English.

I am a qualified teacher of English as a Foreign Language and a graduate. My wife would run a coffee shop perfectly. The thing I didn't like about the language schools in which I worked in Thailand was the short sightedness of the owners. They couldn't wait to get their hands on the student's money and really didn't care if value for that money was given. I would offer a genuine service over a long period and would build up a small social scene which would be supportive.

My idea has been driven by my experience of hotel receptionists in Pattaya who were willing to part with more than 200 baht every week for one hour of tuition. They were desperate to learn English and I feel that they were being short-changed. I can do better than those schools.