Does anyone here have experience starting a business in a third world country? Is it difficult? Where do you recommend that is safe and with strong property rights?
I actually have a friend who's living in China right now who is a British-South African (originally from GB but grew up in Johannesburg) and he said he hated every minute of it.
@Kakugo - Thailand does seem to be the best option (in Asia). Thank you for your input.
Does anyone else have any experience with Thailand? The people, the culture, starting up a business there, etc?
I've read that Malaysia is better than Thailand or Singapore. It of course isn't a "Third World" country, though.
@shackleford - can you please elaborate on Malaysia? Business aspect, people, culture, etc?
@ Kakugo
What would be a way to get to stay in Chile, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. (what would be the industry to get in to).
Also, when you say that Singapore is the place to go if you're looking to get the most amount of money in the least amount of time, are you saying in terms of starting up your own Singapore-based business (even if you're a foreigner) or taking a job there?
rosstaylor,
I just remember reading a website awhile back that said Malyasia is more friendly to Americans (whites) than Thailand. It's also a bit more modern, has affordably decent medical care, etc.
SkepticalMetal: @ Kakugo What would be a way to get to stay in Chile, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. (what would be the industry to get in to). Also, when you say that Singapore is the place to go if you're looking to get the most amount of money in the least amount of time, are you saying in terms of starting up your own Singapore-based business (even if you're a foreigner) or taking a job there? Chile has a very healthy demand for people with scientific and technical skills to train people down there and/or help them to get up to speed. Last time I checked there was a very strong demand for people from an engineering background who can use/write CAD and CAM programs. People trained in advanced aerospace maintenance (last generations FADEC etc) are also in very high demand both to run maintenance themselves and train local personnel. Hong Kong is a bit of a nutcase. There isn't strong demand for a single particular job but the appetite for qualified manpower, especially in marketing, IT and banking, is very consistent. Singapore... opportunities for big bucks are strong both if you start/move your business there and if you take up a job there. Obviosuly working for a company such as Siemens or Microsoft (which curiously/tellingly enough always has a ton of vacancies in Singapore) cuts the need for initial capital to a minimum but as we all know can be much less rewarding. Together we go unsung... together we go down with our people | Post Points: 20
Okay. I know Hong Kong has a vibrant film industry, and that's the kind of industry I'd like to get in to, and I know there's probably opportunities with dubbing and the like, and foreign distribution. A pocket idea of mine was to actually go overseas and get into a seperate industry like the tech industry and use paychecks to finance independent films, but that's just an idea right now.
Thanks once again for the great info.
I also like Chile but let's say things turn out for the worst and one decides to stay in Chile permanently and becomes a citizen - doesn't Chile require that all of its citizens report their incomes worldwide as well? I am not quite sure on this, but I do recall reading about this somewhere. Chile is the most developed nation in south america, and I do really like that fact.
Hong Kong and Singapore are great choices to live, albeit they are quite small...the last time I checked, the population density is quite high and not to mention the way their work culture (not enough work/famliy life balance) and real estate prices. Wouldn't Hong Kong's economy be affected by the burst of the real estate bubble and China's economy?
I really like Thailand and Malaysia, beautiful countries, less populated, friendly people, and very affordable living. Although those new frontier's markets were mentioned earlier (Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar) are quite attractive as well. Perhaps someone else here has some experiences in those new frontier markets and would like to share some facts with us?