British expats wanting to open a new business in Kerala.

My wife and I are very interested in opening a Horse Riding School in Kerala. We have worked for charity for a number of years and would like to make this a joint venture where we support a local community through employment and also donate to a charitable agency or organisation.

Is it possible for British expats to own a business in Kerala and if so, how easy/complicated is it?

We have already been chatting to a Community based charity and they may be able to donate some land we can use in order to get this venture up and running.

Many thanks

Gary and Abigail.

Waoooooo, horse riding school, i will love to be a part of it, i always wanted to spend my life up in the mountains on the meadows with horses in the ranch.

Do let me knw if i can be of any help. mail me at rohan[dot]iiitc[@]gmail[dot]com

Thanks for your post Rohan, I have emaioed you already.

Is there anyone else out there in the India Mike forum who know's about setting up a business in India if you are foreign British)?

Many thanks

Gary

hello gary,
My name is Jose and I have a good amount of experience in business matters.Opening a business in Kerala is a very tedious affair.It will literally suck the life force out of you.Trust me on this one.If you are really interested in charity, go to india ,visit the various orphanages and old age homes run by priests and fathers.

Pretty sure you need a Local as a Business Partner for a start.

Maybe IM member Pundabee may offer some advice on this one.


vandy

Hey you guys should talk to mira4bai4 about having a business in India. It is a real challenge

Hi you guys might want to get in touch with the owner of Friday's place in Kerala who is a Brit. He might have some words of advice, he's a nice guy called mark

If starting a Business in India is difficult, starting it in Kerala is maybe many magnitudes more difficult. Lived there for a while starting up a branch and saw hell for even small things. It was just the greenery and climate that kept me there.

in kerala its more difficult compared to other parts of country

HELL is preferable to Kerala. Contacts & connections are important.

@JOHNLORD: Very true.

Yes its tough to start a business in Kerala coz of its comunist idealogy, but trying is always good, coz you never know whats next your line an dthis might be a start of new era in kerala business.

Hi everyone and thanks for taking the time to post replies. It does seem like a minefield out there setting up a business in Kerala. We're back in India in October for 6 months research so if anyone has any further information or contacts, we would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks again. Gary and Abigail.

Hi Tuvat,

Many thanks for your advice. The reason we want to set up the riding school is that it will benefit the community much more than 2 people having "hands on". The jobs we can create and the funds that we generate far outweigh what we could do in pure voluntary work alone. As I mentioned, I have done charity work for a number of years and the main thing I have experienced is that you are always restricted on what you can do due to finances, limited numbers and resources.

I appreciate and wholeheartedly understand that setting up a business in Kerala is probably easier than getting to the moon due to everyone's comments, however others have been sucessful so I believe it's worth the perseverance. I have lived in Vietnam for the past few years and can relate to the difficulties everyone has mentioned. Only time will tell I suppose.

Hi Johnlord,

I'll definately take your words of advice on board. A friend of mine is the President of one of the the Rotary Club Branches back in the UK. He is in the process of making some inquiries for me as the Rotary Club is a hugh organisation in India.

If all else fails, we are flexible enough to relocate to another State, however would prefer the south. Is it similar in Goa, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka by the way?

Many thanks. Gary and Abigail.

Sorry not sure about the other states. Best of luck anyhow.

One final bit of advice, in India most people keep 2 sets of accounts, one for the taxman and the other set the actual accounts. Are you really sure you want to get into all this.