Dumaguete Info Search


Any business success stories in negros

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Forum' started by oztony, Jul 12, 2014.

  1. oztony

    oztony DI Senior Member Blood Donor

    Messages:
    605
    Trophy Points:
    170
    Ratings:
    +211 / 39
    So many stories of bad news in regards to foriegners doing or getting involved in business in Dumaguete / Negros.
    Has anyone got a successful story to share at all , or is it just a stupid thought to think that something could actually
    work there.
    There must be at least a couple of guy's that have tin arsed it somewhere , or is doom and gloom the only story
    available.
     
  2. shadow

    shadow DI Forum Luminary

    Messages:
    2,904
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Ratings:
    +39 / 0
    We have had a reasonable amount of success in two of the ten or so businesses we got into here. Reasonable as in they have been supporting us for a few years, and getting more business all the time.
     
  3. Dave_Hounddriver

    Dave_Hounddriver DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster

    Messages:
    2,033
    Trophy Points:
    376
    Ratings:
    +2,502 / 1,061
    gerry, formerly of Garcias, may be a success story. But the story of the bird flying south comes to mind:

    A little bird left it a bit late to fly south one winter. On the flight his wings froze up and he fell to the ground. To make matters worse he landed in a pile of cow sh*t.

    Fortunately the cow pile was warm and started thawing his wings. He was just about ready to start flying south again and started singing a happy song. Just then a cat heard him and pounced. End of story.

    The moral is, if you are doing well, even in a pile of sh*t, you gotta keep your mouth shut.
     
  4. TheDude

    TheDude DI Forum Patron Highly Rated Poster

    Messages:
    1,907
    Trophy Points:
    351
    Ratings:
    +1,465 / 822
    Mike's Dive Shop started as a small cafe / shop in what is now Bogart's and has since expanded. He is still around and I assume doing well.
     
  5. alex

    alex DI Forum Patron Highly Rated Poster

    Messages:
    1,410
    Trophy Points:
    291
    Occupation:
    EXPERT BOLA BOLA
    Location:
    DUMAGUETE
    Ratings:
    +1,296 / 1,129
    If you want a small business in the Philippines buy a big one and wait. I started a small business when I first arrived because i had to wait 18 months before I could get my aussie pension , that was 9 years ago , locals did not like the competition and ran me out of town lol
     
  6. OP
    OP
    oztony

    oztony DI Senior Member Blood Donor

    Messages:
    605
    Trophy Points:
    170
    Ratings:
    +211 / 39
    Larry thanks for sharing that , I think a lot of the good stories that you are going to hear are when people don't have all their eggs in one basket , with unrealistic expectations , different things going on from different angles , a bit from here and a bit from there is probably going to safety net things a bit from the get go. You hear about these people selling everything and moving to the Phils to start a business and deep down, without being negative just realistic , you know the failure rate is going to big bigger than the success rate . We have heard a hell of a lot of stories of Aussies returning home with nothing after trying to execute their grand plans in the Phils .
    I met a kiwi guy , probably 7 or so years ago , at a little bar near Mactan in Cebu , I was just killing time before a flight , he said he had been there 4 or 5 years and was doing ok , just doing 5 or so small type operations , supplying and delivering the fresh vegies to some restaurants , some laundry etc. He did emphasise that it was his Filipina girlfriend that twigged him into things though.
    Hope some else shares a nice moment about business in the Phils

    Tony
     
  7. shadow

    shadow DI Forum Luminary

    Messages:
    2,904
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Ratings:
    +39 / 0
    Mike is doing very well, but he didn't have to do anything. Mostly he is doing what he can in order to leave a legacy for his family.

    His resort often stays busy when most are empty due to Mike's business practices and personality. There is a reason he was number one on trip adviser for all of the Visayas for a while.

    Mikes Dauin Beach Resort - Dauin - Dumaguete City - Negros Oriental - Philippines

    Larry
     
  8. TheDude

    TheDude DI Forum Patron Highly Rated Poster

    Messages:
    1,907
    Trophy Points:
    351
    Ratings:
    +1,465 / 822
    The problem as I said in another thread is that few people here are entrepreneurs. They come here having worked regular jobs their whole lives and retire from those jobs and then think they want to start a business.

    Now, you run into a number of issues.

    1) These guys aren't really hungry. They have their retirement setup. If they are retired, then how are they going to be putting any work into running a business?

    2) They don't have experience running a business. If you are going to start something, you need to be ready to fail. It's likely going to happen and multiple times before you get anywhere. So, in most cases you probably need to start small and build from there. Instead, these guys come in and make big investments and flame out hard for everyone to see. Even worse than having no experience is adding the extra difficulty of starting a business abroad.

    3) Some people come with enough resources to stay a while, but don't have enough resources to get through the tough times. Maybe they barely get into the place to start. Then they immediately run into a cash crunch. That crunch creates more friction which results in a hand to mouth existence which never lifts. Eventually, your lucks dips to a point where something wipes you off your precarious perch.

    4) Because people are living in their expat bubble and don't experience real life here, they don't seem to see the real problems which need to be solved. Instead, they look to what everyone else is doing and think to do the exact same things.

    5) People don't want a business so much as a lifestyle addition. "I like to eat, I like to drink, I have friends that like to do the same thing, I'm going to build a resto-bar for us." Right, that's a recipe for great success.

    6) They just don't have the muscle. The most successful foreign owned businesses are likely started by those who came here looking specifically for opportunity. Not retirement. They come well equipped with expertise and resources.

    Business failure shouldn't be a bad thing necessarily. That's part of the risk you take. This is just such a small community and these businesses are frequented by "friends" so everybody knows everything about them.

    Me? Everything I do is digital and in my head. Nobody can take that away from me or steal my business.
     
  9. OP
    OP
    oztony

    oztony DI Senior Member Blood Donor

    Messages:
    605
    Trophy Points:
    170
    Ratings:
    +211 / 39
    At the present moment my wife wants to purchase a block of land on the highway in Tanjay , 1.7 million pesos , 1,730 sqm , she has a few ideas on what she wants to do , which all start adding up to a lot more than 1.7 mil , having worked for myself for 27 yrs, I have a pretty good understanding of how much effort / slog it takes , to ground up start something, I suppose my concern is that it takes 150% of effort in an attempt to succeed and I am not sure that "those" around me realise that , jury is still out on that one. But as far as business is concerned an old guy once told me "any business is only as good as its worst employee". At 49 years old I have still got a fair bit of poke left in me , and retiring in Australia is not an option.

    Tony
     
  10. OP
    OP
    oztony

    oztony DI Senior Member Blood Donor

    Messages:
    605
    Trophy Points:
    170
    Ratings:
    +211 / 39
    To be honest when I look at posts and thoughts of the Dude and Wrye , in regards to business ,I see success and profit written all over it , because of the thought processes applied
     
Loading...