Quote: (09-04-2013 02:56 PM)rvlefty Wrote:
BB you and a lot of us probably know that some of these "rich" expats that live a lavish lifestyle and boasting about their business are probably full of shit. Especially in places like Thailand where likely the wife or local owns the majority stake and they own very little themselves.
I get what you mean, but I assure you this particular one was not full of it.
His business is probably among the three most well-known adventure-type chains in Southeast Asia, which is why I didn't mention exactly what he's involved in. If he's not making money off tourists, no one out here is. I guarantee 95% of Thailand-based expats on this forum, if not all, know his business by name, even though we're not tourists here.
Also, he wasn't exactly bragging. He was hosting a party in the bar for a bunch of engineers he'd flown out for a new project, and we'd met before. We were sitting there sipping drinks and I threw some questions at him about his experiences, opinion on business out here, etc.
I met another expat in Laos that ran a successful software company in Bangkok and was moving to Hong Kong because he was sick of the place (you're doing pretty well if you move your business to HK from BKK just because you're weary of Thailand lol). In his spare time he started a side business sending big shipping crates of dried fruit back to Sweden (I think it was) for 500% markup, if I remember correctly. Sending it straight to a dried fruit company, and they were starting to ask him to handle packaging here too for a higher profit because it was cheaper that way.
Another guy I went to high school with moved out here right after university and became a multi-millionaire several times over from building and selling tech startups. He's pretty immersed in the startup scene in BKK and it's apparently off the chain; there are a lot of mainstream media articles on the web about his success.
And a lot of the more well-known tour businesses in a lot of these countries (see Conde Naste Traveler for examples) are foreign-owned and run rather than local. Sure, the locals have the shitty little travel agencies cornered and scratch by selling over-priced, cheesy experiences to unsuspecting buyers, but there's an entirely different market out there for high-end tourists who are willing to shell out some real dough to have an experience they won't forget.
So while I've met my share of flapping chodes, there are definitely guys making things happen out here.
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Nonetheless Cambodia is developing and probably does offer opportunities. If like you say it's 20 years, behind, the question is how long would a person need to wait and work while their business and the country develops before they started seeing a return. Unless it's something that would start being profitable in the second year I don't know if I would have the patience or will to keep at it.
Well, you also have to take into account that things are growing a lot faster than they were 20 years ago. The pace of tourism taking these types of places over seems much more rapid now. And then the developing economy overall...
Anyhow, what you mention about profitability has a lot to do with which industry you choose, which is why I though it'd be cool for us to brainstorm ideas. Obviously, some ideas would be more attractive than others because the return of (and on) investment would be quicker.
Since things are so cheap out here, investment is often minimal. The guy I was talking to has shareholders though, some of them southeast asian (maybe that helps keep him out of trouble even?).
And even though it's cheap to get started, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't charge decent prices. Siem Reap in particular is one of the hottest tourist destinations in the region at the moment, if not the world. Angkor Wat is a ridiculously significant draw for tourists at all socioeconomic levels.
Love Rio's idea, by the way. I thought about doing that with wine when I was in Thailand.
Anyways, I'm by no means promoting the idea for people to drop everything they've got going and run off to the third world to start a business. But I do think it's an interesting possibility for international-minded entrepreneurs.
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling