Well I am back in Bali and loving it.
Workwise and living is always challenging however no more challenging than other places. For example, internet connections and villas... then maintenance and expectations and ways of dealing with people.
However some things don't change. I still believe that although the relationship is the most important aspect of any business in Asia, contracts are also good!!!!
For example, I haven't been able to get into contact with the owner of the villa I have rented which has lead to many miscommunications and expectations both ways very unclear - even though I had thought the expectations were very clear! We live and learn, or at least I do, every day!
Interestingly this time there are also rolling power blackouts. Luckily I had bought a torch and candles (even remembering to buy something to light the candles with after three times to the shop!)
I have also been dealing with tradesmen and have been quite impressed especially after sometimes waiting so long in Australia - although not recently thanks to the boom times being a memory and tradesmen actually working their trades again, which is lovely for the rest of us!
sunrise at Sanur
isn't life good??
Monday, 9 November 2009
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Back in Bali
Well I have been back now for less than two days and already it feels like I never left - in good ways, of course!
Already I have met other Westerners who have business interests here. For those people with an entrepreneurial spirit Bali is no different to any other place - opportunities abound.
Well as am mostly in holiday mode right now - this post is short and sweet. Wonderful to be back with old friends and new.
Already I have met other Westerners who have business interests here. For those people with an entrepreneurial spirit Bali is no different to any other place - opportunities abound.
Well as am mostly in holiday mode right now - this post is short and sweet. Wonderful to be back with old friends and new.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
What do I miss the most about my Bali?
No matter how much we try and move on some things stay with us - the emotions are forever etched into our psyche. I do love Bali.
What do I miss about Bali? Well I have been there many times over many years but I suppose this post will be mostly about my sabatical in Bali in 2008.
I miss the ease of life in the sunshine. I am always happier when the sun is shining. Yes, I hear there are scientific reasons why sunshine is good for us however I am definitely not a scientist. I just am happier in the sun.
I miss the heat. Even the tropical rain is cleansing.
I like the fact that people are accepted warts and all. Some people see the idyllic side of life here and the people living the dream such as ex-pats running businesses either at the beach or in the mountains or from their laptops as they travel around. Others see a group of misfits who choose to enjoy the day. However whatever your perspective is - in Bali you are accepted.
The social life. Not as in nightclubbing or even doing organised activities such as yoga, dancing, or kitesurfing with friends, although they too can be had and enjoyed in Bali. I am referring to the socialising that happens as you walk down the street. The smiling faces of the locals and tourists alike, and of course the ex-pats who call Bali home. The sense of comradery between those ex-pats who choose to live there.
I miss the sense of hope I had last year that I could make it work in Bali with a new fledgeling business. Not that I have given up. I still plan to get back and spend more time in my beloved Bali, however I have just chosen a way to get there by working hard at home (which at the moment is Perth, Western Australia) while still developing the business on a part time basis.
My day job is teaching Bahasa Indonesia to primary school children. So I get to play my favourite music from Bali and around Indonesia while teaching others the language and sharing my experience of living, working and holidaying in Indonesia.
I miss my friends up there, many of whom stay in regular contact while with others, I know we will both be smiling when we meet again.
Sampai jumpa!
Thursday, 16 July 2009
business in Bali - will it suit you?
For many the idyllic life would be running a business in Bali.
There are many positives such as the weather and the welcoming people.
However there are also challenges to be overcome:
i) the language
ii) country specific regulations for foreigners doing business
iii) the culture
iv) standards
v) living the expat lifestyle
Language challenges are obvious. If you do not already know the language and do not intend to learn it - the importance of trusted and competent interpreters and translaters cannot be overstated. However it is not as daunting in Bali as other places as there are a number of reputable legal firms with English speaking ex-patriots or local staff to assist with setting up and registering your business in Bali. The issue usually comes into the smaller day to day running of the business when the staff you have employed do not understand the concepts you are trying to portray as they would not even understand them in Bahasa Indonesia.
Some cultural issues are unique to Bali such as the local government regulating presence at religious festivals. Often if your staff do not attend the local temples on certain days you and your staff will incur fines. Although many expats think paying the fine is easy - it is not that simple - other penalties do apply. For this reason seasoned expat business owners choose to employ staff with a range of religions being Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian so that not all staff will be absent on the same day/s.
Another aspect with cultural issues is acceptable behaviour. Even if you can speak the language your behaviour does matter. The Balinese are famous for their welcoming attitude and friendly smiles however they are not so docile as some Westerners like to think. A friendly smile can just as easily mean 'no thanks, I don't like you and don't want to do business with you'. Or they may do business with you but if you do not fit their unspoken rules of behaviour such as business revolving around drinking too much you won't have their respect and they may also discuss how unporfessional you are to others, therefore harming what you think is your good reputation.
Standards - this could relate to everything from freshness and availability of food if you are running a restaurant, to telecommunications where your wi-fi service to guests in your restaurant affects business, to the building standard of your business premises, to international standards in hospitality. The list could go on and on. Many Westerners running businesses in Bali learn to 'chill' and work with the system rather than against it. This is definitely a better way to go to avoid chronic stress from day one particularly if you apply your perfectionist expectations.
Living the expat lifestyle for many is the goal in itself - servants at home, driving you around, doing your shopping and anything else you want them to do. However this is not something that comes easily to many. Running a household with staff could mean managing a driver, cook, a couple of maids, nanny, security guards. Some see this as an invasion of privacy or an offence to one's independence. Others who enjoy it often find the lines grey in other ways such as becoming too familiar or that family members continually ask for money.
Another aspect of the expat lifestyle is that you are treated in many ways like royalty and no-one will say anything against you or even admonish your children when they are being naughty. Often the children can become so spoilt and even bratish that they are uncontrollable with no boundaries set. The domestic staff may be in fear of losing their jobs and not being able to feed their family. Expat children have also been known to play up to this and whether conscious or unconsciously learn to 'bully' the staff. Blackmail to obtain alcohol or other items that the parents may not want available. Or alternatively, the parents are living such a fun life including much socialising involving drinking that the parental example is skewed. Feedback from expats bringing up children have mentioned that the dangers are greater overseas.
The above challenges can be overcome with a conscious effort and commitment - which are staples of any sound busienss practice.
There are many positives such as the weather and the welcoming people.
However there are also challenges to be overcome:
i) the language
ii) country specific regulations for foreigners doing business
iii) the culture
iv) standards
v) living the expat lifestyle
Language challenges are obvious. If you do not already know the language and do not intend to learn it - the importance of trusted and competent interpreters and translaters cannot be overstated. However it is not as daunting in Bali as other places as there are a number of reputable legal firms with English speaking ex-patriots or local staff to assist with setting up and registering your business in Bali. The issue usually comes into the smaller day to day running of the business when the staff you have employed do not understand the concepts you are trying to portray as they would not even understand them in Bahasa Indonesia.
Some cultural issues are unique to Bali such as the local government regulating presence at religious festivals. Often if your staff do not attend the local temples on certain days you and your staff will incur fines. Although many expats think paying the fine is easy - it is not that simple - other penalties do apply. For this reason seasoned expat business owners choose to employ staff with a range of religions being Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian so that not all staff will be absent on the same day/s.
Another aspect with cultural issues is acceptable behaviour. Even if you can speak the language your behaviour does matter. The Balinese are famous for their welcoming attitude and friendly smiles however they are not so docile as some Westerners like to think. A friendly smile can just as easily mean 'no thanks, I don't like you and don't want to do business with you'. Or they may do business with you but if you do not fit their unspoken rules of behaviour such as business revolving around drinking too much you won't have their respect and they may also discuss how unporfessional you are to others, therefore harming what you think is your good reputation.
Standards - this could relate to everything from freshness and availability of food if you are running a restaurant, to telecommunications where your wi-fi service to guests in your restaurant affects business, to the building standard of your business premises, to international standards in hospitality. The list could go on and on. Many Westerners running businesses in Bali learn to 'chill' and work with the system rather than against it. This is definitely a better way to go to avoid chronic stress from day one particularly if you apply your perfectionist expectations.
Living the expat lifestyle for many is the goal in itself - servants at home, driving you around, doing your shopping and anything else you want them to do. However this is not something that comes easily to many. Running a household with staff could mean managing a driver, cook, a couple of maids, nanny, security guards. Some see this as an invasion of privacy or an offence to one's independence. Others who enjoy it often find the lines grey in other ways such as becoming too familiar or that family members continually ask for money.
Another aspect of the expat lifestyle is that you are treated in many ways like royalty and no-one will say anything against you or even admonish your children when they are being naughty. Often the children can become so spoilt and even bratish that they are uncontrollable with no boundaries set. The domestic staff may be in fear of losing their jobs and not being able to feed their family. Expat children have also been known to play up to this and whether conscious or unconsciously learn to 'bully' the staff. Blackmail to obtain alcohol or other items that the parents may not want available. Or alternatively, the parents are living such a fun life including much socialising involving drinking that the parental example is skewed. Feedback from expats bringing up children have mentioned that the dangers are greater overseas.
The above challenges can be overcome with a conscious effort and commitment - which are staples of any sound busienss practice.
Research and plan your business
For any type of business it is vital to research and plan first!
This is not always fun however doing a fun business, unless it is based on sound business principles, is destined to mediocrity at best and often a financial loss - which is not so much fun.
Considering a business in Bali is no different.
As with any other business there are basic steps to research:
1 is there a commercial market for what you are selling (product or service)?
2 how is the competition? Is the market already saturated or almost impossible to break into?
3 do you have the skills to enter this type of business, or at least the back up funds to employ others who do?
4 do you possess the qualities for running a small business - organisation, perseverance, long suffering (most don't want to know about this one), flexible, sense of humour, great communication skills, management skills, bookkeeping background
5 do you have the resources to undertake the project? Many small businesses do not break even until the 12 month mark and even a decent salary may not be forthcoming until nearer the two year mark - do you have the stamina to hang in there and continue the initial learn not earn stage
6 what licenses are required to run the business?
7 then there are the national and cultural differences - to be covered in another post
This is not always fun however doing a fun business, unless it is based on sound business principles, is destined to mediocrity at best and often a financial loss - which is not so much fun.
Considering a business in Bali is no different.
As with any other business there are basic steps to research:
1 is there a commercial market for what you are selling (product or service)?
2 how is the competition? Is the market already saturated or almost impossible to break into?
3 do you have the skills to enter this type of business, or at least the back up funds to employ others who do?
4 do you possess the qualities for running a small business - organisation, perseverance, long suffering (most don't want to know about this one), flexible, sense of humour, great communication skills, management skills, bookkeeping background
5 do you have the resources to undertake the project? Many small businesses do not break even until the 12 month mark and even a decent salary may not be forthcoming until nearer the two year mark - do you have the stamina to hang in there and continue the initial learn not earn stage
6 what licenses are required to run the business?
7 then there are the national and cultural differences - to be covered in another post
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Our Bali
In Sanur in 2008, I met someone who had the same dream as me - to live a truly rich life being able to have the time and money to live a life of abundance. The vehicle we chose to do this was via the internet.
I had gone up with the idea of not only having a break but also writing and getting to know more about the island and the people - not just the locals but others from elsewhere in Indonesia and around the world who have chosen to call Bali home.
Part of my research was traveling around and meeting people and reading many books, especially of ex-pats in Bali and those foreigners who had married locals and now are living the enriched cultural experience that is Bali.
I interviewed business people and made many new friends. Much of this research and photos was stolen when I was mugged while riding on my pretty pink bicycle one beautiful September day however perhaps this was also a blessing as my thoughts are now much clearer and and the book will appear at least in e-book format sometime later this year.
The whole move into the internet has also proved such a steep learning curve, even with two people, so please be patient with this site and us as it is all a work in progress.
Meanwhile - please check out our recommendations - the people who own and/or run these places are as fantastic as the places themselves - which is how it should be - your businesses reflecting yourselves.
I had gone up with the idea of not only having a break but also writing and getting to know more about the island and the people - not just the locals but others from elsewhere in Indonesia and around the world who have chosen to call Bali home.
Part of my research was traveling around and meeting people and reading many books, especially of ex-pats in Bali and those foreigners who had married locals and now are living the enriched cultural experience that is Bali.
I interviewed business people and made many new friends. Much of this research and photos was stolen when I was mugged while riding on my pretty pink bicycle one beautiful September day however perhaps this was also a blessing as my thoughts are now much clearer and and the book will appear at least in e-book format sometime later this year.
The whole move into the internet has also proved such a steep learning curve, even with two people, so please be patient with this site and us as it is all a work in progress.
Meanwhile - please check out our recommendations - the people who own and/or run these places are as fantastic as the places themselves - which is how it should be - your businesses reflecting yourselves.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
How to Avoid Business Blunders Abroad - Cultural Diversity
One important point that is obvious .. is that we all have different personalities. Numerous problems result from the failure to adapt packaging for other cultures. Sometimes only the color of the package needs to be altered to enhance a product's sales. For Ex. white symbolizes death in Japan and much of Asia; green represents danger or disease in Malaysia. Again, using the wrong color in these countries might produce negative reactions. Talking from experience...when funding is involved ... you want to cover all corners.
Some product names travel poorly. For instance, the gasoline company ESSO found out that its name means" stalled car" in Japan. However, some company names have traveled well. Kodak may be the most famous example. A research team deliberately developed this name after searching for a word that was pronounceable everywhere but had no specific meaning anywhere.
Social norms vary greatly from country to country and it is difficult for any outsider to be knowledgeable about all of them, so local input is very vital. Ex. one firm promoted eyeglasses in Thailand with commercials featuring animals wearing glasses. However, in Thailand animals are considered a low form of life; humans would never wear anything worn by an animal.
Last example: The translations of an advertising message convey the concept of the original but do not precisely duplicate the original. PepsiCo. learned this lesson when it reportedly discovered that its slogan "Come alive with Pepsi" was translated into German as "Come alive out of the grave with Pepsi." In Asia, the slogan was once translated as "Bring your ancestors back from the dead."
Remember "Success comes when we work together" http://www.obriangroup.org
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlos_Hill
Doing Business & Living in Asia
Have you ever thought about it? Well, consider these facts. Asia has a large piece of land on earth. Even with larger number of population compared to that in other continents, Asia still has wide areas of land which are inhibited. In some big cities of Asia, the surrounding suburbs are yet to develop. Of course, countries in Far East Asia are already quite packed. Then consider other countries, you will discover that these countries, especially those in South and South East, that have areas to explore, for business purposes and for living purposes.
Another fact to look at is that Asia provides the total largest population in the world. What that means? In business sense, this means target market and work force. In the past decade, many investors from other continents are looking into Asia. Investors import goods, manufacture and assembly products for sale in Asian market.
With abundant natural resources, Asia also provides wide range of ingredients and materials to many manufacturing processes. Plenty of varieties in natural resources make Asia the best place for material procurement for further process or immediate manufacturing into finished products.
You can consider these to decide starting your business in Asia, living in Asia and, at later stage, retiring in Asia. Retiring? Yes. In fact, there are a number of people who settle their business and then retire in Asia. In places like Bali (Indonesia), Phuket (Thailand) and Shanghai (China), you can find many foreigners. Some of them decided to convert their citizenship in order to live and retire there. Interested?
To discover more about Asia please go to living in Asia Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Tan |
Monday, 6 July 2009
Who loves Bali?
Well the shorter list of respondents could be "Who doesn't love Bali?"
Interestingly I had many chances to go to Bali since my late teens and as I was not interested in going overseas to get drunk and behave badly I chose not to. [Could this have had something to do with my peers at that time?!?!?]
I did finally go to Bali in my twenties, in advance reconnaisance trip traveling throughout Indonesia to see if I wanted to live and go to university there. Even then it was not a love at first site experience. I was with a girlfriend from uni and we had landed there as the typical backpackers - wearing all of our heavy clothing items being jeans and long sleeved tops and sneakers (to avoid excess baggage fees) then crossed the road from the international airport terminal to where in those days hawkers were allowed. So can you imagine arriving in the Bali heat fully clothed and more - carrying a full backpacket then having crowds of women and children around you grabbing your arms and putting on bracelets and trying to plat your hair, sell their wares....?? Not pretty!!!! AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!! was my first impression!
Interestingly I had many chances to go to Bali since my late teens and as I was not interested in going overseas to get drunk and behave badly I chose not to. [Could this have had something to do with my peers at that time?!?!?]
I did finally go to Bali in my twenties, in advance reconnaisance trip traveling throughout Indonesia to see if I wanted to live and go to university there. Even then it was not a love at first site experience. I was with a girlfriend from uni and we had landed there as the typical backpackers - wearing all of our heavy clothing items being jeans and long sleeved tops and sneakers (to avoid excess baggage fees) then crossed the road from the international airport terminal to where in those days hawkers were allowed. So can you imagine arriving in the Bali heat fully clothed and more - carrying a full backpacket then having crowds of women and children around you grabbing your arms and putting on bracelets and trying to plat your hair, sell their wares....?? Not pretty!!!! AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!! was my first impression!
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