G'day - I'm new to this forum and am setting up a consulting business in Dumaguete City (or close by), where my PA already lives. Are there any Kiwis or Aussies living or owning businesses in Dumaguete, please? I am also looking for office accommodation, furniture, etc as well as help with the legal side of setting up a business, if you can recommend someone. My company will be a New Zealand resident company but with operations in Dumaguete. So, I'd welcome any advice you could give me please. Cheers, Mark
making a big premise here. going from your usename if u business is blogging/internet marketing/blackhat/seo. 4 people have tried setting up here in dumaguete, in the last 18 months, with very mixed results
Hi barramac Thanks. No, my business is not in those areas. I am an accountant and business consultant and want to employ local people for administration, etc. May I assume that "very mixed results" means some succeeded, some didn't. Cheers, Mark
without registering the business in your partners name.u will be required to incorporate, of which the main stipulation is a $100k investment. i am not going to recommend a lawyer as had v bad experience in this area here is the process. Starting a Business in Philippines Details - Doing Business - The World Bank Group that will give u an idea of the bureaucracy involved most foreigners fail here because of people. be selective of who u employ. some are great, some will be an endless disappointment. foreigners setting up an office here tend to presume that a uni degree is equivalent to a degree in the west, it is not. u will have to provide extensive training as accounting practiced are different to say the least. believe it or not with the huge degree of unemployment, u may find it difficult to hire people that u regard as experienced. additionally there is a reluctance to work for a foreigner. so u need to start recruitment at the earliest possible stage (if u are looking for grads, uni ends in march and the majority go to cebu to work in call centers) any way your pa will be of great assistance to u there is an abundance of vacant new office space. office equipment is available in town but with limited choice and similarly priced to down under best of luck in your endeavor mark. i have no idea if u have big plans but u have alot of work ahead of u
Barramac is spot on. I suggest you advertise position openings for the types of people you want to hire. Conduct interviews. See if you can find ANY qualified applicants before you start setting up an office. If, after that, you think you can find qualified employees, expect to train and retrain and retrain again. Also, anticipate the need for constant supervision and management and anticipate the difficulty finding that. Do not underestimate the challenges you face.
Thanks Thanks to everyone who has offered advice. I suspect that it will be more difficult than I first imagined. Do your comments reflect Dumaguete or the Philippines as a whole. My Dad is married to someone from Cebu (but they live in the UK), so I am looking there too. Cheers, Mark
Honestly, you sound a bit like looking through pretty pink glasses. Before talking about a business, get yourself familiar with this country and culture.
Thanks Thanks Rhoody I'm not sure what you mean by "pretty pink glasses" as I am familiar with "this country and culture". I have also been employing Filipinos for over 2 years.
