Welcome Cherrish. Maybe tell us more. Expats are all over the place meeting in all sorts of sports bars, other bars, book clubs, other places. How many of you are there? What ages? Where will you be? What business is in your mind? Etc., etc.
thanks, my wife and I are looking at opening a clothing shop in seminyak are there associations we join to meet people and ask questions
There are several Rotary Clubs in Bali, including Seminyak - https://www.facebook.com/Rotary-Club-of-Bali-Seminyak-689461921070872/ That would certainly be one way to meet people.
Every second shop sells cloths in Seminyak so why would you want to join them? Wouldn't it make more sense to do something that isn't so prevalent.
Unless you or your wife are Indonesian you will have serious difficulties with the business form as Indonesia is not very business friendly and most definitely not foreign business owner friendly.
But good luck, you'll need it.
Unless you or your wife are Indonesian you will have serious difficulties with the business form as Indonesia is not very business friendly and most definitely not foreign business owner friendly.
But good luck, you'll need it.
P
paulseawind
Guest
Squillions of clothing stores here already
Ron, don't forget to tell them there are already zillions of places to buy body apparel all over the island. All over it. And the tourists want the cheap prices.
If these newbies want to be one of a million and think they will cream it, I suspect that's not gonna be the case. MKT can verify, in his own 'direct' way. He does that rather well.
The current world economy means less travellers with spare cash. Etcetera. Even the price-conscious Chinese probably do not take stuffed suitcases home. That speaks volumes?
I don't see Bali as being a Mecca for cashed-up clothes buyers.
Warn these people off.
Do the right thing by them.
Ron, don't forget to tell them there are already zillions of places to buy body apparel all over the island. All over it. And the tourists want the cheap prices.
If these newbies want to be one of a million and think they will cream it, I suspect that's not gonna be the case. MKT can verify, in his own 'direct' way. He does that rather well.
The current world economy means less travellers with spare cash. Etcetera. Even the price-conscious Chinese probably do not take stuffed suitcases home. That speaks volumes?
I don't see Bali as being a Mecca for cashed-up clothes buyers.
Warn these people off.
Do the right thing by them.
P
paulseawind
Guest
I am very very surprise you said this Markit, because in my modest opinion there is more and more business taking over by foreigners, villas, hotels, bars, restaurants, homestays, shops...............I am not sure how much Indonesia is not foreign business owner friendly, when you look around and see so many foreigners taking over of business in Bali!!!
Maybe in Candi Dasa there is not too many foreigners running business but in Ubud, Kuta, Sanur and Uluwatu is increasing every weeks
well begonia I have to agree with Markit - Indonesia is most definitely not foreign business owner friendly.
That's a fact! Even if you follow the rules (and laws) you will be 100 % disadvantaged
That's a fact! Even if you follow the rules (and laws) you will be 100 % disadvantaged
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paulseawind
Guest
Ha Ha
I don't think the Begonias are going to win Dancing With The Stars on this one.
They can come to Bali, plonk down their dosh, and count it again in December 2016. Much left by selling clothes? Probably not.
Their timing is also wrong. Best to be set up before the Xmas rush, or wait another x months for Easter or Xmas?
Maybe best to get clothes from here and sell back in Australia. That's a better option.
I have been in retail and it's not nice. I nearly lost my shirt! (just kidding about the shirt)
I don't think the Begonias are going to win Dancing With The Stars on this one.
They can come to Bali, plonk down their dosh, and count it again in December 2016. Much left by selling clothes? Probably not.
Their timing is also wrong. Best to be set up before the Xmas rush, or wait another x months for Easter or Xmas?
Maybe best to get clothes from here and sell back in Australia. That's a better option.
I have been in retail and it's not nice. I nearly lost my shirt! (just kidding about the shirt)
As with most things "important" the Germans have a wonderful saying "Mehr Schein als Sein" which roughly translates as more pretend than real, and that about sums up the extent of Ubud/Kuta/etc foreign ownership. Sure there's some foreigner poncing around pretending to own the business and he may have had the concept and the money but in the end the Indonesian state does not really accept foreigners as stand-alone business people and I promise you that business is in the name of some Ketut/Wayan/Made or Putu.
Fact is also that if it was being run by Ketut/Wayan/Made or Putu it would have rung down the curtain ages ago. Most of the locals just have not got clue one how to appeal to customers, particularly foreign customers.
Begonia has a point - if you think of successful businesses that are serving tourists and/or expats, there is frequently and expat who has developed the concept and maybe funded it. And then, of course, for each successful expat business person you can identify, there is some number of others who have failed. Expats are good at understanding what services foreigners want, they are good at using the Internet, and sometimes these skills are what are needed.
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paulseawind
Guest
Yes, and you can have all the Board Room Planning in the world but it's what is dished up to the customers that runs the show. And (most of) the locals here have no idea how to market to the foreigners, which is where the money is. Business, restaurants, in-store service. You see this all over the place. (Where is this thread going??)
My neighbour built his Villa and sw/pool on bare land. Then he declared he need a garden. He got someone who was attuned to how us foreigners think and treated him accordingly. He got the job over the other 2 quoters. I commented 'Your guy seems to be able to deal with foreigners'. He said 'Yes, he can'. Both my neighbour and I have business in other countries. I in Australia and he in Germany, HK and China. We know what it's like. And how we want to do business. And how we need to be treated.
If you are thinking of starting a business in Bali.
You will need a LOT of money, a local business will cost $1 to run, your business will cost $10 to run. You will need the tourist dollar to make your business work locals will not pay tourist price, Tourist are hard to keep happy unless you had a bar in snoozeville were they only worry about how cold the beer is(if next door has cooler beer you lose). I have a local friend that has a cloths & acc shop in Seminyak makes good money, she sources everything from Java, rent is paid 10 years in advance(main street), employs relatives etc.
A chef I know build his business up to 5 resto's, after the problems 2002 he pick up some cheap resto's. Now he is back down to 3 resto's but his wife has tried the fashion trade in Seminyak and all 4 have gone down the tube and they put serious money into them, only time I ever drank bubbly in Bali.
Anyway have a least 3 years of out goings in hand & keep smiling :icon_e_biggrin:
You will need a LOT of money, a local business will cost $1 to run, your business will cost $10 to run. You will need the tourist dollar to make your business work locals will not pay tourist price, Tourist are hard to keep happy unless you had a bar in snoozeville were they only worry about how cold the beer is(if next door has cooler beer you lose). I have a local friend that has a cloths & acc shop in Seminyak makes good money, she sources everything from Java, rent is paid 10 years in advance(main street), employs relatives etc.
A chef I know build his business up to 5 resto's, after the problems 2002 he pick up some cheap resto's. Now he is back down to 3 resto's but his wife has tried the fashion trade in Seminyak and all 4 have gone down the tube and they put serious money into them, only time I ever drank bubbly in Bali.
Anyway have a least 3 years of out goings in hand & keep smiling :icon_e_biggrin:
sakumabali, I am not discussing about if Indonesia is or not foreign business owner friendly, I am saying everywhere in bali there is more and more business and shops taking over by foreigners and that is a fact as well, would be interested to know how much per cent of business are running by foreigners, somebody told me that in Kuta and Seminyak is already very high and in Ubud has been increasing day by day.
Anyway, after all I don't think there is a big deal to rent a shop o a restaurant, find a place, agree about the price, make a contract and run it, right? maybe to open a villa or a hotel is more complicated but to rent a shop or a restaurant, where is the big deal? if it would be difficult would be not that many shops and restaurants running by foreigners.
Make me terrible sad but I have to agree with you, sometimes foreigners knows better how to run a business and specially knows how to marketing a business.
It shouldn't, remember all those businesses have hired lots of locals that are also learning by doing.
Here in Candi Dasa we have the La Rouge restaurant that was originally started by Fred and his partner from Vincents. They sold it to one of their long time Balinese employees who is making a good go of it and who has now opened a new warung in Amlapura (totally different concept but he's grasped the necessary lessons and hired his sister to help run it....!).
So trickle-down does work here too and the women are also getting a chance to get involved and learn.
Off the subject but would you recommend la rouge. Please advise other recommendations in Candi Dasa and close by.
La Rouge is a good western style restaurant as are Vincents and several others. BUT I generally do not recommend western restos in Indonesia. Not out of any reverse chauvinism but out of the simple reasoning that when ever any of my visitors have had stomach problems it's because they went to a western resto.
Not so hard to understand when you look at it: western restos all have this huge menu - 200/300 items and food here in the tropics just doesn't keep (if I stuff something in the west in the fridge and pull it out 1 week or 10 days later it's mostly still good, stuff the same thing in the fridge here and it's poisonous after 3 days) and to keep that huge menu supplied they have to have lots of stock.
They will almost never say "out" if you order something.
Go for good Indonesian food in a good Indonesian resto there's lots of them about. Just watch to see if they have lots of customers to insure that the food isn't hanging around. Oh, and avoid like the plague Padang restos unless you know the owner - that **** has grown legs of it's own.
Thanks for the advice I agree a large menu sets off alarms bells to me.
Just back from Tasmania and wife wanted to try Indonesian rest she spotted. Menu was huge no customers but she insisted. It was crap so I insisted she pay.
The Padang bit went over my head???