Owning a Business

Since we are several years away from retirement, we will need to earn a bit of money to stay in Belize. Should we decide to stay (we've been here 4 months so far and are quite comfortable) we will likely buy an acre or two of land, build a modest home for ourselves and a rental cabana or two for tourists.

I was recently told that a QRP person can own and operate such a business. Is this true? If not, would it make more sense for one of us to get a work permit and the other to go the QRP route to save some money?

Under QRP, you can own a business but not run it. With a work permit or permanent residency, you can own and run the business. The other option is to work online out of country. If you work remotely, not doing business in Belize, you are not subject to work permit regulations.