Looking at start business in Jakarta

please excuse my text, i never went to school
and i am not the greatest of writers, English isn't my strong point

i am looking at living full time in Jakarta, was there last year for 6 months, and loved it
i am looking at starting a business  doing smoothies, fruit and vegetables

at the moment in Jakarta everyone seems to be into Fitness, i myself use to be  a personal fitness trainer
and i am looking at adding this to my drink programs ( weight loss Detox and protein shakes) as well as massage, which i have also worked
i have looked at how much it would cost me to rent my own store, but i would love to employ a few local peoples, to do contract for for me and to also work in the store, only employing  a few people

would this come under a PMA?
its really not that easy to live indo, with Visa being hard to get im hoping i could get advise
once again sorry if my spelling isn't great
ps on my profile says im looking for a wife it was a joke but i cant edit my profile so please ignore
cheers

About looking for a wife, just go edit your profile.

thanks mate i did
i tired to do it 4 times
dont know what is happening

A single shop selling smoothies isn't going to work as you'll be unable to earn enough to live on, the veggie idea even less so.
Fitness is even less likely to work as the market is already cornered by the big chains as far as the rich are concerned, and a million smaller centres for the rest of us.
That's always assuming you can get a visa, something that's highly unlikely unless you have a lot of money to invest in this country.

Hi Mick,

The amount of investment required to start up a company in Indonesia as well as the cost of renting a shop and employing several staff is considerable and if I were in your shoes, I'd probably employ a company to make a feasibility study.

I know there are chains in Malaysia doing detox and protein drinks, but haven't paid attention to see if they also exist in Indonesia.

Franchises are also an option.

Hansson

Mick, you could set up inline and deliver your product and grow your range of products through word of mouth, local gyms and fitness Centers and try to start there.
You need a partner here as well to help guide you through the amount of red tape and things. But if you have energy and resources I wish you the best of luck.

Thanks guys
yes they make it hard for westerns to work and live here
thanks Hansson for your idea employing a company to make a feasibility study, is out of the question for me, for i can do that my self
i have seen the trend in south east asian, and heath and fitness
is becoming more popular, looking sexy and looking young are very important to the women, as well as the men
there is a market for this line, Franchises, is the go,  something i will be looking for investment groups, i have someone to back me already
i have over 40 million worth in blenders
if i can show there is money to be made, under a name, logo and idea
then people will invest,
Fred, big chains are the norm, and smaller operators, should bow down
to them besides, i am doing something different  , i have only mentioned 20% of my idea
fruit and veggies are cheap if a local buys in bulk, the drinks are 40% ice
around 20% water
a bulb of broccoli , half a zucchini ice and a cup of milk made 3 good size cups of drink
Lukereg, cheers mate, online and delivery, service have already looked at and its a goer, have a lady helping me market, so just start off printing flyers, putting under peoples doors, word of mouth
so look at demand, the more interest i have the more chance i have
at setting up a shop in the mall
which have over 3,000 people living above
thanks for your help guys

No problem Mick. Glad you are well prepared. Sounds exciting...!

cheers mate
i am looking forward to it will be challenging, not something  thats going to happen over night and will take time thanks for your advise

As far as i know that you have to register PMA with a certain funding and find a local partner but for this one its not much of a problem because a consultant can fix this us for you but the most important thing is you have to know about the tax regulations. I've work in one company that we set up from zero (as agent) and now still up and running and now im also working in one company that we set up also from zero :)

Hi...
This is ray..
R u still looking for a place to rent for a fitness center n drink program?
I could help u search a strategic place if u like..., and wish to be ur employee too:)
My name is ray, i am an artist.
This is my phone number *
Looking forward your reply...:)

Moderated by Christine 7 years ago
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Moderated by Bhavna 7 years ago
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Dear friend,
In case you didn't know: from the 173.212 expats here in 2015, 97.223 have left, within the last 10 months due to the current mess in this country . Chevron is leaving next year, so did many other foreign investors. Reason? Indonesia change rules almost every 6 months, even after agreements that where made for 10 years. (Better get use to it) Something that most western companies despise.  65% of all expat teachers have left last year. Employers (mostly Chinese-Indonesians as usual) are scared to hire foreigners as the government has decided to change their recently invented rule of 1 expat to 10 Indonesians per company to 1 to 50. And of course the pressure of giving an extra envelope just before the holy months...My friend who is from Australia, married his Indonesian wife 3 months ago in Jkt, and YES: they changed it again: he is not entitled to work without a company sponsored KITAS, and has to leave Indonesia every 6 months. So they silently changed that wife KITAS thing from before. Talking about changing policies without warning...

Indonesian Government policies for hiring expats 2016

Be informed that employment in Indonesia is not truly open to expatriates. Early 2016 statistics show that nearly 5.5% of the population is unemployed and a significant percentage of those are professionals. Indonesian government policy is very clear that it does not want a company in Indonesia, domestic or foreign, to hire an expatriate for a job that can be done by an Indonesian. There are too many unemployed Indonesians looking for work!

This policy pretty much precludes the young, adventuring expat with little work experience from getting a job in Indonesia, except as an English teacher or volunteer with an international organization.

Indonesia is one of the few countries in the word that has a Negative Investment List. This is a list issued by the government that prohibits or restricts foreign investment in particular sectors. Obviously if investment is restricted, employment in those sectors is also affected.

Work Permits

In order for a company in Indonesia to hire an expatriate, they must have permission from the government. Obtaining this permission can be time consuming, costly for the company, and extremely bureaucratic. Hiring an expatriate is not a decision taken lightly by local or multinational companies.

The only exception we've seen to this is for native speakers (from the US, UK, Canada Australia or New Zealand, only) teaching English. If you have official teaching qualifications from an accredited institution and are a native speaker - you are already considered an expert in the field of teaching English - even if you are a fresh graduate. Though, of course, most employers prefer someone with experience.

If I cannot make it more clearer, please check what I have found today 6-10-2016 that was posted:

21 hours ago
So a foreigner with spouse sponsored KITAS or KITAP can legally do freelance teaching without the need for a work permit from manpower right?
IMTA work permit from Depnaker/manpower is only required and issued for companies employing foreigners receiving a salary, mainly PT or PMA, is this correct? They don't issue IMTA for CV companies, right?

I've read on this forum and others regarding spouse sponsored KITAS/KITAP, that the foreigner can work solo doing small things such as warung and not on a big budget. Where in the regulations does it stipulate what income or type of work the foreign spouse can do? It's all speculation if you ask me. The law says the spouse sponsored kitas/kitap holder can work to support the family. If manpower are suggesting that the spouse sponsored kitas holder still requires a work permit then that's crap. They are just scare mongering. Please can someone give some clarification on the regulations so that us foreigners with these spouse sponsored KITAS/KITAP can go about our business and support our families without the stress of being hassled by these corrupt departments.
Also if the foreign spouse wants to make a more profitable larger business to support the family, this can be done by setting up a CV in the sponsoring Indonesian spouses name and still being able to operate the company under the KITAS sponsored by the spouse, would this be correct? I don't see why we couldn't and why should we be limited to a stupid rule like having a small warung or some other low key income. It doesn't make sense. If a local can set up a CV and run a successful business to support their family, then why can't the foreigner together with their local spouse do the same for their family? Why should there be limits to what income we can earn to support our family and even for the children to take over the business some day in the future, or again if the foreign spouse has an accident or passes away. Would he nice that the remaining family can continue the business that has been built. There's not much opportunity for the KITAS sponsored spouse to earn a good living just doing small odd jobs here and there or opening a bakso warung, is there?

Hi Mick

I too am considering in starting a retail business there. I will visit Jakarta early next month for a short 3 days.

How is your fitness business doing?

Most retail businesses aren't doing that well at the moment but it's probably a moot point anyway as work permits would be difficult unless you have the cash to invest in a PT.

@Fedal- I was issued with a family KITAS in May as my spouse is my sponsor.  It specifically (and clearly) prohibits work (Tidak Berkerja is the exact wording on the ITAS). I recommend you check with Immigrasi prior to obtaining any employment as a number of bad things could happen including arrest, detention and deportation if you found out or reported .  You may also be excluded from the country in the future. The issue of spousal sponsorship kitas and employment are two seperate issues dealt with by different govt departments. I'm employed as a technical expert at Freeport and the work permit is managed by my employer. I understand your frustration however as expats we need to follow the letter of the law.  I understand the emotional argument of "I'll never get caught" but many an expat has made the same assumption and lost.

Moderated by Bhavna 6 years ago
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