Brief background
Pattaya. Koh Larn
I first went to Thailand in 2011 and saw it like you see in this photo. This was the country of my dreams. In 2012 I moved to Pattaya. For quite a long time I was afraid to make a decision. Subsequently, it turned out that we impose the complexity and stress of decisions on ourselves. I constantly travel to Russia and there is no “burning bridges”, you can only force it on yourself, it is not necessary.
In general, I lived well. The first two years. The exchange rate between the baht and the ruble was one to one. I didn’t have to work; I had a source of income for capital. I boldly spent 100-200 thousand rubles a month, this was the norm for a comfortable life. Then I spent a fair amount of my capital due to a couple of strategic mistakes, and decided to invest the rest in real estate in Russia, they convinced me that this good idea, income is less, but more stable.
At that time, Thailand was actively promoted everywhere on blogs, YouTube and forums as a place where you could “live like a king on 20 thousand rubles a month.” This is absolute nonsense, don't believe it. I will touch on the standard of living a little later in the article.
Last year this topic dragged on, I began to look for other sources of income, because there was nothing to spend. In the process, I found a good job in IT for 3 thousand dollars a month, I even managed to work remotely, but I didn’t work for long - the boss didn’t like the lack of control, they began to load me with tasks for a ton of “terribly necessary” reports, in the expectation that I would leave on my own, and then they fired me. I’m not a big supporter of working for my uncle and I wasn’t particularly upset.
Beach in Thailand Having completed the formalities with the apartment, I took in Once again one way ticket Moscow-Bangkok. It was October 2014, and this is where the story begins. I had with me 100 thousand rubles on my card, an agreement on minor work on the Internet, which I had been doing for 2 months at that time, and a rental agreement for my apartment for the equivalent of 900 dollars (I write in dollars, since at that time started ) per month. I was already accustomed to a more modest life and thought that this should be enough.
How I came up with the idea of opening a business in Thailand
It didn't really cross my mind. I forgot to clarify that my common-law wife- Thai. Her idea. I was going to take up Internet projects and find another remote job; the first one barely brought in 20 thousand rubles a month. During the first two weeks, the unexpected happened - my tenant’s mother became seriously ill, he moved out and asked for the deposit back. I spent the deposit on a ticket and rent in Pattaya (my wife lives in her house in the north of Thailand when I leave). I asked my friends to help me rent out the apartment, but this did not threaten me with any money in the near future - as long as tenants are found, I will give the deposit from the first month, and it is better to save the new one so that history does not repeat itself.
We parted ways with our employer after 3 weeks, and this source of income also disappeared. The dollar had already begun to grow strongly and “broke through” the 37 mark. I had to withdraw money from the card - at such a rate that, to be honest, I didn’t care. I don’t like spending my last money, it’s starting to get on my nerves. We both didn’t work and had no income, the rent was falling, this didn’t suit me, I suggested that my wife find a job first, so that I could slowly look for a good position remotely with a real salary.
She didn't like this idea. It must be said that salaries in Thailand for positions without higher education quite low (considered low at the old ruble exchange rate) compared to Russia, and labor legislation not complied with. If you want, work 10 hours with one day off a week; if you don’t, there’s a line of people from the poor province behind you, get out. You can relatively easily find a job for 8-14 thousand baht per month, not higher. She offered to rent space at the market where she had previously worked for a while and sell fruit smoothies. In a month, the high season began, and one could count on good sales. I didn't care as long as things moved forward. We went to the market and agreed on a lease.
Business conditions in Thailand
According to the international Doing Business rating, in terms of ease of starting a business, Thailand is in 26th place in the world, and Russia is in 62nd place. It happened this way because the government does not pay pensions on which one can survive (a pension of 500 baht per month, normal only for military and civilian public sector employees), and encourages self-employment. Small businesses in Thailand are almost never touched. Anyone can sell anything from a bike or cart - no documents are required, unless you rent an office - no individual entrepreneur, nothing. They only chase you for trading on the beach. They are severely fined for hiring foreigners without a work permit, more on that later.
Jomtien Market The lease agreement is concluded directly in the name of an individual (with Thai citizenship, of course, not in my name). There were too many drink stalls; we were allowed to sell food. The wife chose sausages that her friend sold in Bangkok. To open a point in the Pattaya market we needed:
- pay for the first 3 days - 660 baht. Per month with electricity and water - 8,000 baht for one tent per 3 square meters;
- deposit - 6000 baht. It is not refundable if you do not work for a month from the date of notification of closure;
- awning - 2500 baht - more for unification appearance market, and not from the rain - they are not allowed to work without it;
- buy a counter. We ordered a new one for 5000 baht. Used ones can be found cheaper in good condition;
- buy a bike, you can’t live without it. We found the cheapest motorbike in Pattaya. With taxes and fees it came out to 13 thousand baht;
- modify the bike for cargo transportation. 6000 baht. More on this in a moment;
- buy an electric grill for 500 baht.
The total cost of starting a business is $1,000. It took all of 2 or three days, the longest was purchasing and modifying the bike. Then we went to Chonburi for sausages. Nominally Chonburi is the provincial capital, but Pattaya is actually larger. The sausage seller is a distributor, he transports sausages by the ton from Bangkok and delivers throughout the province. A kilogram cost him 95 baht, in Bangkok - 80 (yes, far from elite Bavarian sausages, I’ll explain why such a product now). It would seem that you can make money on such a ridiculous markup? However, he earned himself two units in a townhouse, 2 pickup trucks for work and an SUV for the family. The Thais are very dedicated to their work and work seven days a week, putting themselves under strict conditions. This man was one of those (he opened at 5 am), and the sight of the property he acquired inspired me.
Opening a market outlet in Pattaya
Jomtien Night Market Seeing that my wife understood everything, I gave her freedom of action and only helped, mainly carrying weights. In the early days, she set the price at 10 baht per piece and sold sausages for 1,500 baht. The sausages quickly ran out (one batch - 20 kilograms). I didn’t understand what we had earned, and convinced her to raise the price first to 15, then to 20 baht. Later I weighed one piece and realized that we had a loss of 10. They began to buy fewer sausages, but revenue increased. I didn't understand how people eat empty sausages and decided to add buns to make hot dogs and Bavarian burgers, like at Stardogs. The Moscow model did not work in Thailand, they managed to sell only 3-4 pieces in 3 days, the bread was thrown away.
Grilled sausages and chinchilla We earned 200-500 baht per day. The apartment was rented out, but it didn’t suit me, the rate had already exceeded 40, I couldn’t live on that kind of money. It was necessary to expand. Our neighbors traded fried insects, soups and spaghetti (wild, right?) and decided to move out. They had 2,000 baht in revenue per day, and we decided to buy out their outlet. In total, they asked for 6,000 baht for the equipment, with the condition that their daughter would stay with us for 300 baht a day. They explained to us how and how to prepare them. It was December 2014, high season had begun.
More space allowed for more product to be displayed. The very need to prepare soup in order to maintain the level of revenue reminded us that my wife is a cook, and we added lunchboxes with steaks to the assortment: chicken, pork, fish.
How we opened our cafe
Assortment of our cafe in Pattaya In less than a month of trading, I did not see any accumulation of money and began to analyze. It turned out that the wife makes money at her point, and from the second, where the girl sits and sells bugs, we receive a loss (rent and salary exceeded the marginal profit). The girl had to be fired New Year. Apparently, karma returns, and they gave me the same gift. The tenant moved out without paying for the second month and breaking the plumbing. At the very beginning he asked for a deposit in installments, instead of a deposit he fed me promises, but I didn’t know. As a result, when I left, I received nothing from renting the apartment. And then - a sluggish January, renovations and it was clear that there would be no money. There were 20 thousand rubles left on the card, which melted away every week with the rise in the dollar exchange rate.
I decided to go all in. We closed the beetle spot, took a third tent and set up tables (we bought it second-hand with the last of our money), making it a street cafe. The assortment now includes about 25 dishes. In addition to us, there were 2 such points on the market, both of them were much larger, with serious sales.
Cafe in Thailand The income was excellent - 4-6 thousand baht per day. Orders - from 40 to 60. About 30% of orders are to go, the rest sat down. In general, the business was a success, every day we took home 1-2.5 thousand “clean” and even took our first day off in 3 months. But every day the dollar to ruble exchange rate grew. People automatically kept saying: “Oh, how cheap, 60 rubles for Tom Yum!” But in fact, 60 baht was already equal to 120 rubles. In general, these tourists were already on vacation, they didn’t care. What about the next ones?
How the decline in the flow of Russian tourists affected Thailand
Disco car on the market The business developed successfully for exactly one month. Then people calculated how much their vacation cost them and stopped coming to Tai. We lasted through February and early March 2015 due to the quality of the cuisine. Then we had to give up tables - it became unprofitable to pay almost $30 a day for rent, water and electricity.
Tom yum with chicken with coconut milk The variety of dishes depended on the volume of purchases. More is cheaper, I think it’s clear. Over the entire period, we sold about 2 thousand servings of soup, and we only had 4 customers who didn’t like my wife’s Tom Yum. Two of them were accustomed to a different taste, which they had tried somewhere, two of them did not like the fact that the shrimp were unpeeled. Well, excuse me, I just don’t allow her to peel shrimp for a miserable 60 baht - she already has constant cuts and burns, she didn’t have enough to prick her hands. The vast majority of customers said “Thank you, it’s very tasty,” dozens asked for the recipe and said that this was the best Tom Yam they had ever tried, including restaurant ones for 300 baht. Some people ate with us every day throughout their vacation. But we even had to give up soup - the ingredients cannot be stored, we need to sell at least 5-7 servings a day, and now even this is impossible.
The immigration police noticed that I was helping, and that I had a study visa. They told me through the market administration: pay 2,500 baht a month to us or we’ll get caught doing a test purchase, which means deportation and a fine of 50-100 thousand for my wife. We don’t have that kind of money, now I only do shopping and washing dishes.
Now we have only one tent left - spaghetti bolognese, fried potatoes, steaks and coconuts - this is the entire range that is still on sale. 300-700 baht remain “clean” per day, we work seven days a week. More precisely, one wife already works at the market itself. I rented out the apartment, but it’s already 300 dollars or 10,000 baht per month, prices have dropped significantly. We are trying to save up to rent a more accessible point or tickets to Moscow while we have to work.
One day of life in Thailand in photographs
The market starts at 4 pm. Previously people they came at one o'clock and wandered around in search of food. Now sometimes nothing is sold until 6.
My day starts with a trip to the local market to buy coconuts. The cheapest market in Pattaya is located near the Colosseum cabaret. We used to buy a lot of different ingredients there, now we only buy coconuts.
They are brought every day from a farm near Bangkok. The business is much more stable than ours.
The second destination is the Macro hypermarket.
Hypermarket Macro Pattaya I usually buy fish, spaghetti, minced meat for Bolognese, chicken breasts, potatoes.
But you can also buy a shark.
You can't make money on pork steaks; the meat is expensive. Chicken - 70 baht, and pork - 120. Beef is even more expensive. We count every penny to make a profit.
The minced meat is made fresh right in the meat department several times a day.
I return home, peel potatoes, wash dishes. We moved a long time ago from a very cheap condo with a pool for 9 thousand (with meters) to the private sector. This is literally the cheapest decent accommodation in our Pattaya area for 2015. We pay 4,500 baht per month, with meters it comes out to 6,500. Anything cheaper is barracks without windows, beds or air conditioning, sometimes with a shared toilet on the floor. It is in these that those who claim a “royal” standard of living in Thailand live at 20,000 rubles a month. When the ruble was more expensive, they still managed to eat with this money; I don’t know what they eat now and whether they are even alive.
A few words about the bike: Spark is the most disgusting jalopy I have ever ridden, including the “shahid taxi” - the “killed” six Zhiguli. The handling is terrible, you'll hurt all your legs on the kickstarter until it starts. There are no complaints only about the Yamaha engine. We used to have a brand new motorcycle from the showroom, but we had to sell it at some point.
What can you carry on a bike with a cart? But there is no cheaper commercial vehicle. Gasoline consumption - 100 baht per 150 km. We spent 900 baht on maintenance for 3 thousand km. Among the Thais, such carts are widespread and allow you to transport fairly large and voluminous loads; I have seen up to 9 people on such a unit.
I took the coconuts to the tent.
It's time to throw out the trash.
It's time to take out the trash All waste from the market must be drained into this ditch.
The ditch leads straight to the beach. The sea in Pattaya is very dirty, the beaches are unkempt. Absolutely not beach resort.
All waste flows directly into the Gulf of Thailand onto the city beach This is how difficult it is to do business in Thailand!
The young restaurateur and founder of Shum Lounge Andrei Kostin told the Zagranitsa portal about the nuances restaurant business, problems in communicating with Thai staff and their attitude towards Russian tourists
In Russia I was engaged in floristry. About twenty years ago my parents took a risk and organized flower business. I also took part in it. By the way, the parent company is still successful.
I got an idea of how everything works in the restaurant business during courses at Moscow University. Plus, I already had some experience in promoting a private business.
I traveled a lot on my own across countries South-East Asia, and with each new trip the thought of moving to a more comfortable place arose more and more persistently. climate zone. I have been living in Thailand for about five years. First I stopped in Bangkok, and about a year ago I moved to Pattaya.
Photo: Kseniya Kohansky 
Photo: Kseniya Kohansky In the capital, my wife and I (her name is Pairo) opened a karaoke bar. We focused on the Thai audience, but a number of factors and mistakes forced us to close the establishment. The karaoke bar was bought secondhand and was pretty worn out - old equipment, shabby interior. Plus, we had to move to an inconvenient location and we lost a lot of regular customers. Then we decided to move to Pattaya and focus on the Russian visitor.
In Pattaya, there is a merciless predominance of ordinary cafes and beer bars: without much design, with wooden tables and plastic chairs. We had no desire to be on par with a catering company without a name or an idea. I wanted to open an “atmospheric” place where I could hang out for half a day or until late at night. Listen to beautiful and stylish music. Order a couple of classic cocktails and have a snack. Take advantage free internet. Chat with friends over a cup of coffee. Lie on the sofas among soft pillows with a book in your hands.
“Noise Lounge” is my second project. I developed the concept, created the design, came up with the name. My wife took over the kitchen, creating the menu and completing the paperwork. We found the premises in a couple of days: we simply rented a motorbike and traveled all over Pattaya and its beaches. At first we considered Jomtien, but premises there are rented at an exorbitant price. At the last moment we came across a small unit opposite the hotel. They made a deposit at their own risk, and a week later they left Bangkok and moved here. We had too little time to think, but it seems to me that the risk was worth it.
We opened in 10 days. Special problems did not arise: yesterday the premises were empty, today they are already working. Big money there was no advertising, and we began to actively promote our establishment on the Internet - fortunately, opportunities social networks allow. We launched a group and advertised in other communities. A small dispute even arose on the forum, which escalated into a PR campaign with a black tint.
We officially opened on Halloween. A huge number of people came to the party: in our small establishment there were no free seats. That's how the Internet worked!
We employ only Thais - a cook, his assistant and two waiters. I do PR: everything related to advertising, the Internet and communications is my responsibility. Plus, my responsibilities include purchasing food and alcohol.
Due to lack of education, Thais have difficulty communicating in English. But even if I try to speak Thai myself, another difficulty arises - the difference in cuisines.
Photo: Pavel Sazontyev
The menu of our cafe includes Italian and Russian dishes. The composition and nuances of serving some of them are difficult for Thais to understand. We have to regularly explain and show that dessert comes after the main courses, and there is no need to add ice to cold beer. It’s difficult to find decent staff: the leisurely and relaxed attitude of the Thais confuses me. We can handle the rest, but how can we teach staff to work faster?! This is a mystery to me...
We focus on Russian tourists. There are several hotels near the restaurant that our compatriots love, so we are counting on them. We give preference to young and middle-aged people. Our establishment is in a “lounge” format - with modern music, an evening bar and an atmosphere of relaxation and communication. Tourists sometimes come in wearing only shorts, but we politely ask them to wear a T-shirt. Nobody is offended.
The flow of Russian tourists is growing every year. For some reason, it seems to those around us that if something happened or someone behaves indecently, then it must be Russians. But I respect my compatriots: Russian tourists behave more modestly than, for example, the Chinese in my area. I came across both Germans and Irish who, having too much alcohol, screamed at the top of their voices in the middle of the night.
I love it when clients leave after dinner or a couple of cocktails with a smile on their face and shake my hand goodbye. I am pleased that people leave the establishment happy and come back to us again.
Photo: Kseniya Kohansky My advice to those who want to organize their own restaurant in Pattaya: take your time and think everything through. There are countless restaurants and cafes in the resort town. You need to study the situation before you open something of your own. Try to understand what the consumer needs and what audience your restaurant is aimed at. Any business you do requires responsibility and work, but if you have a goal and desire, go ahead!
With a salary no less than the average in the Russian Federation, which is about 30 thousand rubles, it can appear provided that your specialty is not in and you know Thai well or at least. But since this opportunity is close to zero, foreigners (or) prefer to open their own business in Thailand or buy ready-made.
A Thai employer planning to hire a foreign specialist will incur very significant financial costs associated with obtaining and for his employee. Therefore potential employers in Thailand and do not seek to hire foreigners.
Types of Russian business in Thailand
Our compatriots usually do the following types business:
- They collaborate remotely with clients on other continents, while simultaneously earning money from rent in or Russia.
- They have a “remote” business that does not require a permanent presence in Russia and allows you to fly.
- They work unofficially, providing the services of photographers and guides (read more about this in the following materials: " " and " ").
- Open or buy ready business in Thailand. In case of purchase ready-made business, You most likely will not have to hire, he will remain from the previous manager, but if you wish, you can also hire foreign workers (if their activities are not prohibited).
So what business is most popular among foreigners?
Bars and cafes
Open a business in Thailand in the form of a beer bar in good location costs up to 2 million baht. However, renting with a deposit of 100 to 200 thousand baht and monthly payments of 15-25 thousand baht to the bar owner is also possible. Maintenance costs must also be taken into account. Also, during the work, many nuances and production issues arise, which become clear after about six months. By the way, opening a business in Thailand implies...
Profit in this type of business depends on turnover, i.e. number of attracted clients. To do this, the bar must become your essence: you must literally live in it, communicate with the permanent contingent around the clock, and even drink with guests. After all, many of them will come to you to discuss pressing problems with you. You should not rely on the Russians in terms of contingent. Yes, you can have a drink with them, but they won’t bring in any income. Profits can be counted on from Australians and Western farangs.
Payouts and Payments
Key payment(kei money) is the rental of premises for a business, which, as a rule, is paid in advance for a year in advance. In addition, a monthly rental amount is also paid. Recent trends are the possibility of renting without key money. In addition, a deposit is also required when renting - an option for a security deposit. If there is no violation of the terms of the rental contract, the deposit is returned.
Apartment rental business
The best property with European-quality renovation and furniture in View Talay 5 costs from 3 to 3,300 million baht. The monthly long-term rental amount is 18,000 baht, short-term - 20-23 thousand. Long-term contracts will ensure almost 100% occupancy, short-term - up to 75% in a good situation.
In addition to the sea and sun, Thailand has one more feature - to discover the entrepreneurial talent in people. The dream of living and earning money in a piece of paradise haunts many. Europeans were business pioneers in Thailand, but now you can often find an Englishman or a German wildly celebrating the long-awaited sale of a business in a bar. “Finally, I got this stone off my neck!”, “Now let’s live freely!” or “Never again!” - say former businessmen. Our compatriots take risks and lose in the Kingdom everything they have acquired through backbreaking labor in their homeland.
However, there are also happy earnings stories. Not much has been written about them: our people are not used to boasting about business successes. But for the ZagraNitsa portal, expats anonymously shared their ideas for effective business.
Shop on eBay
Investments - from $2000
Monthly profit - from $100
First of all, study the rules of customs and mail in Thailand - tariffs and delivery times for parcels, goods prohibited from sending (according to reviews, liquids have recently been added to the list), as well as possible duties for both the buyer and the seller.
We set up several accounts on eBay and one in the PayPal payment system. Further, the main components of success will be high-quality photos and a wide range. It is advisable to test the goods selected for sale and give truthful reviews, but it is not necessary to have your own warehouse - purchases can be made as orders arrive. It is unprofitable to send very small orders in terms of time and labor costs, and therefore we set a limit, for example, at $150.
Among all the items, you need to have several with a low purchase price and maximum markup - they will become your main source of income. And the last tip: do not forget to monitor prices and offers of competitors.
Photo: Shutterstock Motorcycle rental
Investments - from $30,000
Monthly profit - from $800
Rental owners recommend starting such a business only by acquiring a reliable Thai partner, or better yet, a Thai wife. In addition to opening a company, renting space and buying bikes, there are a number of non-obvious, but mandatory points. For example, agreements with other distributors. An attempt to compete with the Thais for a farang ends in open conflict or problems with the police.
Also, your Thai companion or employee will have to write out contracts and contact the police in the event of a lost bike. According to statistics, up to 30% of the motorcycle fleet disappears along with the tenants! Please note: by filing a report of theft with the police, you will ensure that the tourist is included in the “black list”, but most likely you will not return the lost money.
Photo: Shutterstock Travel company with unique routes
Investments - from $30,000
Monthly profit - from $1000
Transfer to the Festival fireballs or Wai Kru, as well as individual tours, visa tours and trips to shamans remained in demand even during the crisis. You will need a small fleet of vehicles, Thai staff (salary, for example, for a driver, starts from 15,000 baht), public company with the required deposit and license. As well as a deep knowledge of the history and culture of Thailand. Then it's a matter of hard work, good season and basic luck.
They are so primitive that people simply do not notice them under their feet. They walk on them, kick them, avert their eyes. But there is nothing easier to focus your gaze and understand that money is there, literally lying around at every step. Of course, these are not millions of dollars or even millions of our native rubles, but still.
If you choose between “working for your uncle” and working for yourself, then most of our readers will choose the second option. We believe in this. And precisely for such progressive and active people We search for and publish business ideas from all over the world.
Recently I ( Chief Editor this magazine) visited Thailand. Quite an interesting Asian country with its own characteristics. Since I've lived there enough for a long time(Thai girls are addictive, you know), then I began to record for myself some moments from the life of Thais that are related to business. What do they earn from, how do they do it, how much can you ultimately earn from their activities/products.
Thailand is a fairly poor country and a salary of 10,000 rubles is considered very good there. It’s not for nothing that many people rent out an apartment in the capital of our homeland and go somewhere to the islands. But this is a topic for another conversation, which we will avoid. Despite the fact that people in the country are poor, they are also lazy. Well, who would want to tear their claws when you can lie under a palm tree on the seashore and leisurely sip fresh juice, which is quite cheap. The average Thai's brain is completely unprepared for any serious business.
A simple example. Cafes, which are a dime a dozen in Thailand. Most of the establishments that look presentable belong to Europeans, or people who are close to them. A standard Thai cafe consists of a gas cylinder, simple cooking utensils, plastic chairs and tables. Cheap and cheerful. It's delicious, no one can argue. But many avoid such places, fearing that they will become infected with something terrible and end their days somewhere on the seashore, dispersing into ashes at dawn.
This is why business ideas in Thailand are quite simple. People make some money from their business, but the amounts are most likely not very significant.
Here are 5 business ideas from Thailand that are worth mentioning.
1) Selling Chinese lanterns on the beach.
Spotted in Phuket. In the evening and at night there are quite a lot of solvent vacationers on the beaches. Thais buy Chinese lanterns from numerous stores and then resell them on the beach at night. Trade is going quite briskly. Lovers wander along the shore and are not averse to performing the mysterious ritual of launching a lantern into the air. It's funny, but all the launching actions (setting it on fire, releasing it into the sky) are done by the seller for the lovers. You just pay and help a little. Got a fan? Satisfied? Please pay 100 rubles. If this flashlight costs 30 rubles, then on a good day an active Thai can earn up to 500-700 rubles in net profit.
2) Numerous laundries. 
Everywhere in Thailand you can find the inscription “Laundry, 40 BT/ KG”. Laundry services are very relevant and in demand, so they can be found within a radius of 1 kilometer, wherever you are. If you are temporarily living in Thailand or suddenly wine was accidentally spilled on your evening dress, then you can use the services of washing machines that are located practically on the street. There are several types of laundries.
For example, there are automatic laundries. There are washing machines on the street that act as vending machines. You pour in your powder, throw on your clothes, pay 20 baht (20 rubles) and go for a walk for an hour. After that, come and pick up your clothes.
Where to get money to start own business? This is exactly the problem that 95% of new entrepreneurs face! In the article, we revealed the most relevant ways to obtain start-up capital for an entrepreneur. We also recommend that you carefully study the results of our experiment in exchange earnings:
There are also hand laundries. Bring your clothes, they measure your weight in front of you and ask you to pay. The next day you can pick up your washed and ironed clothes. Very convenient, I must say.
3) Massage
If you didn't Thai massage, then you have not been to Thailand. Many Thais open their own massage parlors, where they welcome tourists and their compatriots. Several types of massage, pleasant smells and a relaxing atmosphere, all this contributes to the fact that massage parlors are almost never empty. An important fact is that if the price in Russia for an hour of massage can reach 1000 rubles, then in Thailand you will get an incomparable massage for 300 rubles. They will also give you tea.
If the massage point is located in a crowded place, then it can generate up to 3-4000 rubles of net profit on a good day. Simple idea, but quite profitable in terms of monetization.
4) Ultramobile taxis 
Anyone who has been to Bangkok, for example, has seen what hell is going on there on the road. Lots of cars, scooters, motorcycles and other moving and roaring vehicles. Hence the resulting traffic jams. In this case, small-sized vehicles that can easily maneuver in heavy traffic are very helpful.
Therefore, the so-called tuk-tuks are very common. It's something like a scooter, but there's a seat for two people in the back. Cheap, cheerful, fast. This is not Artemy Lebedev’s studio, whose slogan is “Long. Expensive. Awesome." Everything is simpler here. Even cheaper is a regular scooter. The taxi driver is in front, you are behind.
Similar scooter taxis have already begun to appear in those places where traffic jams form every day (hello, Moscow). We can say that we adopted this business idea from the Thais.
5) Selling ice cream
This idea is nothing new, it has become widespread even in our local resorts. Well, except for the resorts in the Baikal area :) The point is that a person takes a cooler bag and goes to the beach to sell ice cream at a slightly more expensive price. This is not for you to sit in the office for 8 hours. Here you will have to work hard. Walking back and forth along the beach in 40 degree heat is not easy.
These ice cream sellers on the beach are very intrusive. You can refuse the same person five times, and he will still come up and ask “ice cream?” I have regretted many times that there are no similar sellers, but selling cold water and drinks. Apparently, Thais believe that eating sweet ice cream under the scorching sun is much more pleasant than drinking soft drinks. Strange logic.
How to develop an idea - a mobile ice cream maker. The point is this. An ice cream freezer is attached to the scooter, creating a mobile kiosk that travels around the neighborhood. This is especially popular in areas that are far from major stores. There is a demand there, otherwise the driver of such a device would not make 30 circles around the same place, periodically turning on his peculiar music, by which he is distinguished in the crowd.
These are the business habits from the land of smiles. Keep it up.