my fiancé wants me to come to the Philippines, marry her then we start a business there. How practical is this? How hard would this be ? I have a great job here in the US. Would our future be better if she comes here to the US?
Welcome to the forum, farm kid.
Some sensible advice has already been offered. However, without wishing to appear uncharitable, especially to a newbie, it is difficult to take your post too seriously. It is so utterly devoid of detail as to render it impossible to address in any meaningful fashion.
You tell us nothing of how long you have known your gf, if you have visited the Phils, how many times, for how long, how much of it you have seen, how well you know your gf's family and home location, etc. You have said nothing of your age or hers. You have said nothing about the type of business being suggested or its potential location. Is your gf or her family experienced in this type of business? Wile she/they be making any financial contribution? You say you have a "great job" in the U.S. What kind of job? Has it endowed you with skills and experience that will be of value in the proposed business?
How practical is this? How hard would this be ?
What the sparse information provided, no one can venture a guess apart from offering the general observation that starting a business in the Phils can be fraught with peril and difficulty.
Would our future be better if she comes here to the US?
Perhaps we have some fortune tellers here who can provide some insight. My crystal ball is out for scheduled maintenance at present.
It is often the case that foreigners come to the RP with grandiose ideas of starting a business. Yet these are people who have never operated a business in their home countries. If one does not have business startup and operation experience at home, why would one think one could do so successfully in a foreign land?
On the sketchy information you have provided, I am left with the impression that your gf has no successful business experience, but has a dream that an injection of foreign capital will open the door to success. I might see it differently if you said she has long been operating a profitable business, but capital is needed for expansion, new plant and equipment, to reach new markets etc. But it sounds like she wants to have a go at something untried on your dime. I am not going to tell you not to do it, but in that case, do not put up one peso more than you are prepared to lose.
Related to the notion of regarding any investment entirely as risk capital, let me say that if you are contemplating pulling up stakes and moving to the RP to start a business, only do so if its ultimate failure is something you can take in stride. I say it's too much of a gamble if you need it to work out in order to support yourself. It's of much less concern if you still have a significant income from the U.S. and/or a strong asset base back home. It is always wise to have an exit plan. You can take some chances if you are established in such a way that you can always take your lumps and go back home and pick up more or less where you left off. I personally have seen a few move to the Phils, putting all of their eggs in one basket, and later (and I kid you not) be left in the humiliating position of having to call on friends to borrow airfare back to the U.S. A couple of these folks ended up back in the U.S. with their assets depleted and never again able to recover the income earning capacity they had when they left. So, if you are leaving a "great job", be sure that it - or its equivalent - will still be there if you need it 5 years hence.
Topic: Starting a business in the Philippines (Read 14368 times)