photo studio in thailand,any advice will be appreciated.


Status
Not open for further replies.

studiolabmaster

New Member
Mar 15, 2004
1,472
0
0
Tampines SG
i am thinking of opening a photo studio in bangkok.but will be in dindeang district or a bit off the central.my main customers will be mostly the thais.
1]i would really appreciated if any one here had any ideas how to run a photo studio overseas?
2]how do u manage if you are not there,could the studio run by itself,just employ a photographer n a counter sales girl cum accountant.
3]my main drawback,how could i possible secure my daily sales into my bank account?what if they hold on to the $$$$?because i am weak in accounting.
:confused:
Any advice will be greatly appreciated...
any female photographers willing to work there?can also email or call me to arrange for further details.thanks
 

never leave an ah tiang to run your business in thailand
if you want to start something there, stay there and take care of it.
 

Foreign ownership rules apply, you may need to get a Thai citizen as a partner in terms of registering a business. Also, it's difficult for foreigners to open a bank account in Thailand. Long-term visas are much harder to get also nowadays due to stricter control.
 

Dude forget it. You already failed 3 basic principles of biz, especially overseas venture. Basic accounting is an essential skill and not having any market insight and no one to trust on your overseas market is suicide.
 

Agree...like throwing money into a bottomless pit.

Better to start one on Malaysia. :p


Dude forget it. You already failed 3 basic principles of biz, especially overseas venture. Basic accounting is an essential skill and not having any market insight and no one to trust on your overseas market is suicide.
 

Foreign ownership rules apply, you may need to get a Thai citizen as a partner in terms of registering a business. Also, it's difficult for foreigners to open a bank account in Thailand. Long-term visas are much harder to get also nowadays due to stricter control.

in thailand, can be settled with money : pay an agent, they do all the dirty work for you (e.g. find thai names just to help get your business registered)

paying for some thing like this... up till now, i still think its not worth it.
 

"""my main drawback,how could i possible secure my daily sales into my bank account?what if they hold on to the $$$$?because i am weak in accounting.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated..."""

i could install 24hr internet cctv to watch over the general sales.
i would not mind if the extra pictures commission to be pocketed by them.what i wan is the package price to be declared.
Most Thais are lazy n if i promised them a yearly bonus.i think this motivates them.
Invoice can be label with running numbers with carbon copy.there is no escape for this with cctv monitored.but for extra photos[meaning extras $$$,i do not mind them pocketing it,just close 1 eye if they do]
i would expect to travel there more often,like say 3days every month... to settle the monthly rental n salary.
what i would stress is the accounts side n the management side!
i am not thinking of commit suicide n throw money into the sea....start small first.
i could spend S$3000 in thai for rental ,water ,electric bill n 2 staffs compare to singapore
S$3000 1 small shop n 1 staff only[ with a much smaller market]
i was trying to figure out how 7-eleven ,cheers , cold storage or even ntuc run their business...for example how the daily sales are reported,how the money is transfer to the main account etc...big company can do ,a small comapny also can!!!
Pls advice...............................................................................more advice..
any experience guys or girls here can contribute more advice???
appreiciated....:)
 

Dude forget it. You already failed 3 basic principles of biz, especially overseas venture. Basic accounting is an essential skill and not having any market insight and no one to trust on your overseas market is suicide.
Yap i need the 3 basic principle of biz.

basic accounting:i can do up a daily sales record file for them to run the daily show,but 100% sales may not be declared[which i do not mind as long as i had the basic package written n declared,extras they can pocket,i close 1 eye but if over,they will be in trouble.]

not having any market insight: what do u mean?pls advice.the market there is huge.

noone to trust:frankly speaking in terms of $$$,really there is noone that can be trusted!
even monk get the temptation of $ n embrezzl the donation,even real brothers fight over a dollar n killed each other. [i 'm trying to entrust this to an account company maybe]
 

never leave an ah tiang to run your business in thailand
if you want to start something there, stay there and take care of it.

what u mean by ah tiang?thai people maybe lazy but most thais are jobless.can get them to work more n pay more...extra commission means extra income.every world have their own culture,but still i believe there are still good ones there.....

IF ANYONE CARE TO MEETUP FOR DISCUSSION,WHY NOT!CALL ME LAWRENCE@90269997 to discuss.
Frankly speaking,i got a god thai sister there whom i can trust [maybe 50% only] to run the show,but trusting is always an issue when the $$$$ started to grow!This are always the problem when we are not familar with accounting.but basic ones i do have.just that i need to know how the big company actually run,by itself...
 

I have a thai sister-in-law... LoL Anyway that's OT.


In terms of daily sales collection, can be done in so many ways. It really depends on how much cash u're comfortable with leaving within shop premises. Simple systems like weekly bank-ins for cash and daily cheque drops should work, whilst only float/petty cash is left within register every few hours.
 

commercialised grocery shops can work because of stock.
stock taking and tally the numbers.

if u sell 10 cans of coke, u expect profit from 10 cans of coke.

your business however involves no stock.
the fella can do his own business while you are away AND he takes a basic pay from you.

i have friends who do business in thailand and they always say, never leave an ah tiang to handle things like this for you. you HAVE to stay there during the initial stages to monitor.

its not only the accounting, it is also the daily running of business.

the fella can go for super long lunch and keep the store closed, the fella can go run his/her own errands, the fella can use your phone line to call his/her bf/gf and talk the whole day, that ah tiang can do it because you are NOT THERE.
 

i was trying to figure out how 7-eleven ,cheers , cold storage or even ntuc run their business...for example how the daily sales are reported,how the money is transfer to the main account etc...big company can do ,a small comapny also can!!!
Pls advice............................................ ...................................more advice..
any experience guys or girls here can contribute more advice???

*** pls leave me a more contructive advice...do not flame me..i am here to learn.to learn the correct way of handling people...
as for the previous message ,isnt there a thing call internet cctv video surverlliance????
 

what u mean by ah tiang?thai people maybe lazy but most thais are jobless.can get them to work more n pay more...extra commission means extra income.every world have their own culture,but still i believe there are still good ones there.....

The whole city can come to a standstill just because of street protests. They can earn money just by participating in protest, so why work?

I'm sorry, but I really don't see it being a good business venture.
 

i dont see standstill..only most for my side maybe max 5 hours,when the army came into our street.the protest is not as terrible as what u see int he news.i was there to even witness the riot!!!nothing that terrible.most is open fire from the army rushing in to catch the red shirts. thailand had 23 riots in 18 years!1 year is 365 days.the most i mayoperate is 300 days,which i think is enough to cover all the expenses.
 

what u mean by ah tiang?thai people maybe lazy but most thais are jobless.can get them to work more n pay more...extra commission means extra income.every world have their own culture,but still i believe there are still good ones there.....

you have a very shallow perception of the jobless thais
there is a reason why they are jobless.

there are many who live on a minimum, why? because they don't see a need to get so rich. 100THB a day will give them 4 meals a day easily.

give them a chance to relax and they will. give them a minimum and they will just take the minimum. finding a good worker is hard to come by.

the ones who want to earn money are already going towards that aim in a different direction. i know a lawyer who sidelines as a property agent, those are the ones who are looking to earn extra money.

i will keep saying the same thing, if u want to run a business overseas, you have to be there. putting money and letting those ah tiangs run it when it is still new is asking for trouble.
 

Lazy people are there everywhere, I know a lot of Singaporean living on the CPF, find every possible excuse not to landed on the Job, can I applies this to all Singaporean?

I lost a big sum of money here investing in business, I know a lot of Singapore Ah thiangs, who living on Cheating people, even in club sanp here. I saw a NEA officer who threaten to close my business due to he is not up to the challenge i put him in, and have no ability to learn what I am doing, can I applies all these to business environment in Singapore? No.

Doing business in everywhere is not easy if you just want to put money in, but not based on trust and persimistic perception to your business partners/ potential employee, even in Singapore.

Thai People are content and they belive in karma, first step there is to build yourself up as a trusted business partner.

In Thailand, As a Foreigner, you cannot just go and put money in, the possible way is to put up a 49/51 joint venture, you can hire any accounting firm to set up a company registration, don't tll me you didn;t know how to get control and Majority share in this 49/51 Company,

Cash register is one of the possible control/Monitor that you can keep track of your income and Stock,

Every shoot, you should have a work order, this is where you can tally up your Income versus expenses,

If you use Digital shoot, Shutter count and stock Photo in Light room tell you something on the amount of work been done which can count as part of stock as well.

your employee ! A year bonus not activate , nor motivated them. you need to trust them, you need to make them trusted you as well, you need to make them feel that they are part of the business. If your projection toward them as a crook, they will be a crook.

I had people who work for me in Thailand, that never take a Single cent from my cash drawer, even his Mother was in the sick bed, and he barely effort the expenses to taking care of her.

I am surprise that you give only 50% trust on your God Sister ( sorry I am not religious thingy, but does God Sister not virtually mean she is part of your family??), if your trust base is only that, better not going in, for me the trust on money have to be 100% otherwise you will have a nightmare every night.

I am agreed on the basis that you need to be there for the start up, setting the direction, setting the Objective of your business, looking for the trusted people, build up your business partner and your Business cuture there.
 

I am surprise that you give only 50% trust on your God Sister ( sorry I am not religious thingy, but does God Sister not virtually mean she is part of your family??), if your trust base is only that, better not going in, for me the trust on money have to be 100% otherwise you will have a nightmare every night.

reason,i barely know her for 3months...thats the reason.also what business did u setup in thailand? did your staff runs on the show?how do u manage,care to share more?
n u was saying the share is 51/49 %, so i as the investor only 49%.
should i give the 51% to my god sis or to a account firm whom they will get a thai stranger as the holder?can we legally draft out a lawyer paper which 100% share will still remain as my rights etc.
pls advice.thanks.if u could meet up for a coffee session,its on me.thanks:)
law@90269997
 

1st, have you spoken to fellow CS member Zeckson who is living in BKK? i am sure he can provide more info.
2nd, Thais are generally quite honest people. I think you need to worry more about getting business, rather than fraud. I started my first Thai company 13 years ago, and leadership, Mgt, & Sales were always the main problems, never fraud. BTW, I am currently working for a French company in Thailand.
 

1st, have you spoken to fellow CS member Zeckson who is living in BKK? i am sure he can provide more info.
2nd, Thais are generally quite honest people. I think you need to worry more about getting business, rather than fraud. I started my first Thai company 13 years ago, and leadership, Mgt, & Sales were always the main problems, never fraud. BTW, I am currently working for a French company in Thailand.

hi how do i contact him?he got an email?can u give to me?is he having his photo studio there n staying there permernently?
pls advice
:)
 

This is a thread started by him: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=512755

I suggest u try to pm him first.

Also, the normal process to get approval for foreign ownership is to go to BOI (Board of Investments). Do check outh their website for more info.

Even if you draft a legal document to transfer the rights of the proxy thai shareholders to you, it will not mean anything in court as you are in breach of basic laws already. Also you need to be careful in transfering funds from the Thai entity because of withholding tax issues (as much as 30%).
 

Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.