Archives for October 2019

You Can Still Make Money From Your Job After You Retire.

(Updated 27 October 2019)

If you’re like most readers who drop by here, you are interested in two primary questions:

How can I earn money to live in the Philippines?

And how can I find something to do in retirement which will be satisfying, rewarding and (maybe) even profitable?

Easy, I’ll Get A Job

If you’ve visited this blog before,  you already know I STRONGLY recommend that foreigners do NOT try to find a job in the Philippines.  In many cases, it may be illegal.  It will also involve very low wages and long tiring hours, and (at least in my personal opinion) it’s morally wrong for a foreigner with a pension income to try to take a job from a Filipino with a family to support.

Read more about why you don’t want a job here: 10 Reasons You Don’t Want A Job In The Philippines

Or, I’ll Start a Philippine Business

Well, in many cases you will run into the same sort of problems you’ll face with a Philippine job.

Many businesses are not legal for a foreigner to own or operate.

Most businesses foreigners think of in the Philippines have low margins/low-profit potential.

And a great many foreigners I have dealt with have a rather arrogant opinion regarding how things are “better” back in their own country and everything with a Filipino business will be alright and things will run smoothly once a foreigner “shows them how”.

I have news for you on that.  Philippine businesses have been running, in some cases for hundreds of years, and a foreigner is often not going to “out-Filipino a Filipino” on his home turf.  It’s better not to try.

OK, So That’s All Pretty Negative … What’s Your Suggestion?

Clearly, if you need to make some money and a local job or business is not a good choice, you need a specific slot or niche where you have experience and where you are expert enough to have earned a living for some years.

Your best niche opportunity may be already staring you in the face.

[Read more…]

Whatever You’re Thinking, Think Bigger.

(Updated 25 October 2019)

I’m currently working with a couple of Americans who plan to move to the Philippines “someday”, and try to earn a living with their own business.

They have a depressingly mundane small set of ideas that come up constantly … over and over again.

• An Internet café  with expensive equipment, extremely low profit margins and constantly being made antique by ever-cheaper tablets and iPhones.
• Or sari-sari stores, where you can compete with the other 25 sari sari stores on the same block to see who will sell a cigarette (yes they are typically sold by just one “stick” at a time) for less.  Maybe you can cut the stick in half and sell it even cheaper for people who want a “quick smoke”.  *sigh*.
• And of course whatever you sell you’ll be stuck selling on credit and no one will pay their bill voluntarily and you’ll wind up having to pay “5-6” rates (20% weekly interest) just to be able to put stock back in the store, or pay your electric bill.

Life can be very hard here for small businessmen and women, trust me on that … or find it out for yourself, your choice.

[Read more…]