How to make money in Cambodia

So you refer to the whole country Cambodia and not only Kampong som?

Then I agree with you that the government should keep an eye on it and assure that the total Chinese influence is not overruling the country. I must say I have confidence that the government will not allow more Chinese influence than acceptable.

If you, as a country, accept enormous sums of money for infrastructure, hydro power stations, railways, highways, new airport, city trains in PP, new container harbour in KPS, offshore oil drilling, then you should also allow the citizens of the countries that provide loans and support, to enter your country, work in the way they are used to and staff hotels and casinos as there are not enough Cambodian people that speak chinese. The one cannot survive without the other. You cannot accept the money but reject the citizens!

There has been investment in real estate in PP for a long time, nobody seemed to bother. Nearly all garment and shoe factories are foreign investments, nobody bothered about it as it gave many Cambodians a job. Now there is investment in KPS and everybody gets upset. I live in KPS and I see the changes, I know what I'm talking about. Some years back there were a lot of Russians and people complained about Russians taking over the city. It never happened. Let the Chinese do their gambling in KPS, PP, SR, Poi pet, they cannot gamble in their country, not in Thailand, Lao, so they follow the result of Chinese government investment and the logically "smooth" relationship between both governments.

Here in KPS you can't find a construction worker, they are all occupied to work for Chinese engineers at sites to build. The Chinese engineers hired translators Khmer/Chinese so that no misunderstandings occur.
I know several Cambodians that work for Chinese casinos and hotels, and they get paid very well.

Also, talking about KPS, you realize that 80% of all tourists that come here are Cambodians? Yes sir, that many Cambodians come to KPS during holidays, they love the sea and beach, they are by far the largest group of tourists. Although Chinese are the largest group of international tourists, they are not even a quart of the group of Cambodian tourists, and that is good.

So please stop trashing KPS and blaming the Chinese, as I said before, and you know the laws, no Chinese company can own land, only when they join a Cambodian company they can buy land. So please blame the Cambodians that sell their land, houses, apartment buildings, hotels, shops to the Chinese, as they make it happen. If they don't sell, Chinese will not own that much.

Let's stop this discussion, we are allowed to differ in opinion. But this thread is about business in Cambodia and as such this is rather off topic. Have a nice day!

Joe
Cambodia expat-advisor
Expat.com team

I am chinese, hahaha ,i am going cambodia very soon. it seems there is a lot of chinese there.
Cambodia looks like shenzhen(20 years ago) .i think some bussiness will have a good market,can earn much money.

The best thing to do if you want to make money and have fun; is to open a bar.  Its very easy and the money just keeps coming.

*Hint* hire a few girls to spice the atmosphere while they serve drinks and chat with customers.

If you really want to rack in the customers, then pay a small commission to tuk tuk drivers to drop in customers. 

Good luck.

I'm looking for a place to rent. Where did you find such a big place so cheap?
I'm moving my aluminum boat building business here from Thailand. Need a place to rent in PP for my wife and son.
Thanks,
Geoff Reid.

Coastalboat wrote:

I'm looking for a place to rent. Where did you find such a big place so cheap?
I'm moving my aluminum boat building business here from Thailand. Need a place to rent in PP for my wife and son.
Thanks,
Geoff Reid.

Hi Geoff.

Check out the Housing section here, https://www.expat.com/en/housing/asia/c … -rent.html

Good luck.

Joe

gulfport wrote:

The best thing to do if you want to make money and have fun; is to open a bar.  Its very easy and the money just keeps coming.

*Hint* hire a few girls to spice the atmosphere while they serve drinks and chat with customers.

If you really want to rack in the customers, then pay a small commission to tuk tuk drivers to drop in customers. 

Good luck.

That is a very opportunistic approach.

Although many expats earn money by having a bar, also many lose all the money they had and return to their home country. The number of bars for sale after April, in the quiet season, is amazing.

But I like your positivism, it is possible, but niot just put some girls in and pay tuktuk drivers.
You need to have a USP, Unique Selling Proposition.

If you are in a street where there are already 15 bars, you have to make a difference. Otherwise it's again a bar that sells booze, have girls that like to drink, have some TV action.

Bars that are successful have something extra to offer: special food, day-specialties other than happy hour, promotions on certain days [wine, draft + ladydrink, food], life music, and so on.
The staff has to be polite, speak English more than How are you, where you from? They have to attract customers, not scam them. Real good and pretty girls as staff you will only get when you pay a decent salary, the monthly salaries of $120 are a disgrace.

Cheers.

Joe
Cambodia expat-advisor
Expat.com team

I absolutly agree with you; the manager has to come up with innovative ideas to keep customers entertained:  special offers incl food, quality music, digital tv and wifi, cordial staff etc.

An investor can rent a really nice place for little money if they choose to step outside the beaten track; but he must also be confident that what he has to offer  appeals to the crowds - they will go the extra mile for a unique experience in terms of nightlife and entertainment.

Value for money is the keyword if a business wants to attract expats.

TBH $1 Angkor beer mugs is what brought me to Cambodia the first time lol.  But i'll spend a few extra bucks to rent a comfortable place, buy quality meat from a western supermarket and make my own bbq on my balcony.

gulfport wrote:

I absolutly agree with you; the manager has to come up with innovative ideas to keep customers entertained:  special offers incl food, quality music, digital tv and wifi, cordial staff etc.

An investor can rent a really nice place for little money if they choose to step outside the beaten track; but he must also be confident that what he has to offer  appeals to the crowds - they will go the extra mile for a unique experience in terms of nightlife and entertainment.

Value for money is the keyword if a business wants to attract expats.

TBH $1 Angkor beer mugs is what brought me to Cambodia the first time lol.  But i'll spend a few extra bucks to rent a comfortable place, buy quality meat from a western supermarket and make my own bbq on my balcony.

Good ideas you have, and yes drink promotions are popular among customers. I like the promos they do at night clubs and KTV's, like buy two buckets of beer [5 bottles each] and get one free. It means 15 bottles of beer [some offer Corona and Heineken] for $3 each. Some bars do the combo draft + ladydrink for $3.50, which means the draft is for free. Many ideas, I found only one bar in PP that has a wine promo on Mondays. Hope more will follow, the only alcohol I drink is red wine 

Cheers

Joe

What about starting a business in provinces and targeting the needs of farmers? My girlfriend and I want to start a shop in Kompong Chnnang. I notice everyone seems to talk about Phnom Penh, Siem Reap or Sihanoukville. How about selling fertilizers to farmers, providing streetfoods for them as well as beer. What about homemade soap and candles. Another idea would be to make housing materials from waste plastic which could lower housing costs. I eventually want to have a laboratory and live somewhere quite where I can invent things.

However, don't forget the location. it is the most important point to think. when there is a good location, the rental fee is very high. Furthermore, the competitors are around.

As I am Cambodian, I would like to give some ideas if you want to establish the business in Cambodia. First, you have to spend at least a year searching the locations, situations, culture, and people needs. Second, you have to know the law in Cambodia. if you know nothing, you will be punished or arrested. Therefore, you will spend much money and time. Third, which is the most important point is try to seek the person who is working in the government. Especially, the one who works in the ministry of interior who got the high position in the government. There reasons I said that because your business will not run smoothly because of the competitors are around you.

Thank you very much for your advice,
You are right when you state that it would take a year to get a feel of the place, the law and the connections.
I am 78 years old, all I want is to spend my time there, as I like the place.
The caption " how to make money in Cambodia " is misleading in my case.
By the way, your command of the English language is perfect.
Please reply to my post, I would really like to know you.
Best regards
Karl

We have similar thinking, I am from Hong Kong btw.

do you have a website or away i can see your products?  thx.

I think your advice is more for those who wish to start businesses in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville?  What if I was more interested in research and development? My family background is in science and engineering. My mother is a biologist and my father was a mechanical engineer.  I have a degree in political science and chemistry is a hobby of mine.  I make my own soap, wines, and candles.  I also know how to make my own fertilizer by producing potash. I also know how to grow Botulism to use as a pesticide for rat control. Botulism comes from a bacteria that produces the most toxic substance to humans. One teaspoon of the toxin could kill 1.5 billion people. Interestingly many women inject this into their faces. You know Botox.  I have future projects that I would like to build. For example, I would like to build hydrogen cell generators so I have plenty of energy and I can go completely off the grid. I would also like to design my own nuclear reactor if I can find  Uranium ore, I want to design my own generators. Eventually, I would like to build a genetic research lab where I can study DNA and learn how to make myself live forever, never get sick or old and turn myself into a firebreathing reptile that can fly. I know the last one is odd but I always have the desire to a dragon and go on a rampage. It would also be great if I could figure a way to make a few 100,000 clones of myself both male and female and program to have a more hive mentality. Then I would have them work in each major business with the purpose of becoming CEO. We would all pool our money together and work as a collective. The last stage would be to create a droid army and use it to take over the Galaxy and make myself Emperor.

Hope that doesn't happen

hi are you still looking for a business partner

Putin forever , you need some help , great hospitals in Thailand great group of physicians, I would  talk to one , just for all our safety , or you have a quirky since of humor

I want to open new business. Which business good for cambodia. Please sagest me.
XXX my mobile
I need also cambodian muslim girl for work.
Contact me

I read your post and it seems you have good knowledge about fertilizer and recycling plastic material to make construction stuff.
Love to hear from you and know more to get something help in such activities.
Kindly email me I have some questions to ask if you don't mind answering me.

Thanks

Do you have any job contacts for teaching English (TEFL) ?

hi joolsd ,{hope got that right} have run guest house before,i see many of them on sale now.am looking for one to take over maybe by november before the season picks up and maybe cv19 ended.can u be my ears and eyes maybe we can do something together.
thanks

My brother stay in phnompenh.  Doing business..if u want u can contact with him.

well, one way i have been doing it is simply with my computer and internet connection.
This is something you can have.

however, i am into trading crptocurrencies on binance. It is technical but you can get started by watching some videos on you.

Equally, there are some apps that allow you to earn some free crypto for free like the ones on this list
freecryptoreward.wordpress.com/2021/04/01/example-post-3/

definitely with your computer and internet, you can do a lot of things. From blogging, to trading to starting your own ecommence website

there isǹt a lack of opportunities.

I have spent the last 5 years moving a prescription drug pharmaceutical company into Cambodia. It takes time and a lot of money, and I designed it to export to other countries so it benefits Cambodia. The reason for that is not financial, it's because my mates and I love the country and the people. We are retiring there so it is the correct thing to do. I find the auditing and attorney companies are excellent and the bank system although it needs getting used to, is of a world class.
The many times and months spent in Cambodia by myself and my friends we have literally seen 100s of business opportunities for all who are willing to take the chance.
As regards bars there are at least 2 in Pub Street in Siem Reap, I won't mention names unless Joe allows it, that are probably in the top 50 in the world, and that would be the level to aspire to if wanting to go the bar route.
It's such a pity about this Covid virus because it has slowed the final move now, as warehousing needs to be in PP near my offices and the airport but this will hopefully pass.
Anything as long as it's 100% legal, and I have found the Cambodian rules are similar to the majority of countries worldwide, and one of the countries, we will be exporting to will be China, so it's not only one way traffic. We are also employing only Cambodia people.
I suggest listening to Joe, his advise is always spot on.

@Tamari dear brother, I'm from Cambodia. I would like to recommend you to consider to invest in Agriculture.

@JoeKhmer You live at place and you CAN tell.
For people who blame about all, mostly Western who still considers Cambodia as a holidays-poor-bagalows village for neo-colonial tourists, that time is OUT !
After civil war disasters, our country needs development to enter to the 21st century.
When these people say Chineses are taking over, they still make confusion with Asian people ..... do they know there are Singaporean, Malaysian, Thai, Viet, Korean, Japanese ... etc, who also participate to the re-construction of this country.
If Western blame so much, why don't they do better than others to invest in mass here ?    LOL !