BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN RUSSIA
Several recent e-mails exchanged with a fellow from the States formed the core of this document. Proposals on how you can gainfully apply yourself in this land of zero cycle economy will be listed here. You are welcomed to contribute by writing me at inbox@unclepasha.com, paul_voytinsky@yahoo.com. Also. you can post your comments on my BBS. Consideration presented here are valid as of the middle of 2002 and mostly apply to Moscow. - Pasha
Shortcuts:
Electric fences | Litigation lawyer | Student exchange | Laundromat | Landscaping | Agriculture | Farmstays, riding ranches etc. | Christmas trees | Health food | Bicycles | "Autonomy" | Domestics | Family medicine | English | Fountain pens | RadioElectric fences for horse control
Believe it or not, but you can't buy an electric fence here. And horses are growing in popularity. I will be your first client too, and will compile a list of suppliers whom you could approach, or translate your materials into Russian.
Metal objects stick from out from the pavement in the most unexpeted of places. Low dorways invite head injuries. Steps are absurdly hight and slippery. Gross neglet is everywhere. Legislation that would allow one to demand compensation is more-or-less in place. Litigation lawyer is a tough but potentially very lucrative job. Anyone who wants to sue shit out of careless and irresponsible Russkies will have my whole-hearted support.
From Robert K.: "I had another thought regarding your business: have you tried establishing a relationship with Russian academic institutions to set up travel arrangements for foreign students? I don’t know to what extent this is exploited by Russian universities, but offering specialized courses, particularly in the arts, could be an absolute gold mine. In fact, a close friend of mine is a dancer studying at the University of Washington and very much want to study at a circus school; but very few good circuses will take adult (in this case 21 years old) students. Cirque du Soleil in Montreal takes older students but charges in excess of $20.000 U.S. per year. Given that Russian circuses are famous for the quality of their performers, I can only assume that young university students would be anxious to study with them. And if you facilitated travel arrangements or orchestrated these kinds of classes for foreign students, I imagine that it could be quite lucrative for you."
My comment: My impression is that (a) a lot is already offered on the market and (b) the amount of foot and paperwork involved is staggering. May be a niche for an enthusiast, but not a money maker. Working holidays would work but the situation is about the same. We offer short working holidays in Dubrovki but our motivation is to bring life and variety to the boonies rather than direct profit. Mind you, life and variety may very well get transformed into $$...
There is only one such facility in Moscow. Laundromat-related materials are on this page. I am profoundly skeptical about any street-level business though..
This fits well with the general plan pursued - successfully - by Moscow authorities to make the city a world-class capital and tourist destination. Judging from the amount of activity, a lot of money is being poured into landscaping. On the other hand, most of it is done with unbelievable incompetence, both technically (eg. using edge trimmers as lawnmowers) and organizationally (2-3 times more people than needed to do the job - photos coming up under Russishch Stuken in Virtual Tours). This is easy to do, requires very little initial investment, and of course a trained and experienced person at the head. The glory factor, if you do is right, can be there. You can play the nostalgie motive, work in collaboration with good architects, do writing and consulting. My own level of interest in this type of activity is high.
PS. Found a couple of BBS dedicated to landscaping. I've never seen a BBS with so many vacancies posted!
PPS. The more I think of it, the more I scann the press, the more convinced I am this is THE ONE. TV programs are dedicated to landscaping that is presented as something appropriate to to movie start of wordwide calibre...
The amount of idiocy I see in the countryside combined with the fact that people somehow survive and don't seem that malnourished make me think that anyone with basic farming skills and a few working brain cells would make a killing. Actually, this may be our long-term goal. Those with practical interest in Russian agriculture, rural development, small town and village life and related subjects in invited to www.rural-russia.narod.ru and www.unclepasha.com/horses_e.htm
The market is there, but prices are below cost. May work well in combination with tourist or landscaping business. More on that later. The glory factor is definitely there. Newspaper and TV people are very happy to write of such projects. Could work as a testing range for communication equipment. Last Sunday I had a great chance to promote a few toys that makes life liveable in a remote village.
Check our project www.rural-russia.narod.ru (a bit neglected corner of the site) or
www.unclepasha.com/horses_e.htm
Now trees from Scandinavian countries dominate the market. At the same time there is an outcry over this fact. Anybody able to deliver good domestically-grown trees would do well. That could be part of the farming, landscaping and rural tourism operation.
Half a dozen of poorly supplied health food stores are very busy, and the only full-scale one is crowded. The provincial market is largely untapped, but then it doesn't have much of a middle class either at the moment. I emphasize "at the moment" because lots of money and knowledge are now flowing from Moscow to the outlying regions, so the situation will change. Vegetarians, who make the bulk of health store clients, are growing in numbers. Very soon Russia will be getting out of the stage when most people are concerned about putting food on the table, and then traditional Russian concerns with food abundance and variety and quality will kick in.
That hurts me even to think of it. I knew a boom was coming, and here we have it. Same applies to motorcycles. Too late to start now.
Radio phones, generators, inverters, gas-powered lights, anything to make life comfortable. Russia has a strong dacha and tourism culture. That is, swarms of people leave the city, especially in the summer. Up to now they did that in a pretty Spartan way because they neither knew better nor had the money. The beautiful thing is that all the components are available, and it is only a matter of bringing it all together under one roof. Of the subjects proposed here, "autonomy" group is my favourite. Something like the set of goods offered by www.jademountain.com would be a hit here, and from what I understand in business, no major cash outlay would be required. It is logistics, and someone who knows how to run a store, real or virtual, could do it.
See Radio phones below
Domestic services: cleaning, babysitting, cooking etc.
Housekeeping. People are just starting to realize that it makes sense to hire someone else to do the housekeeping chores. And there are lots of unemployed or underemployed people who could work given some guidance. The key is providing training. Recently we called carpet cleaners. They did a great job technically, but from the marketing perspective their performance was below zero. No information, we had to ask for their co-ordinates that they wrote on a slip of paper etc. If they can stay afloat, big bucks are waiting for someone who knows the value of not just doing things, but telling people what he can do..
Babysitting. Same as above. There are people who need the services, there are those who can do the work, but Russia lacks service culture, so the key to success will be training.
Go to www.babysitting.narod.ru to see how we solve this set of problems. The story of our attempt (successful, contrary to Moscow's reputation) to find a good and affordable housekeeper is also there.
PS. We seem to be in the process of establishing a good working relationship with an employment agency that supplies domestics. A link to them may appear here pretty soon. From what I see they are swamped with work, which confirms my earlier suspition that this corner of the market still has plenty of rooms..
No such institute as family doctors. I would love to have a doctor whose job is to review my file once a year and give me sound advice. Several times I've seen that what I want becomes wildly popular with several years' lag.
Length to which retail establishments here go to chaise customers away is staggering. Objectively, they are in a desperate need to be told how to behave. The problem is that they don't realize what they need. More on that later...
Despite intense competition, there is still some room for good English courses. On several occasions when I had to help others to find good courses, I was shocked at how alike and uninspiring they all sounded.
The more I'm looking for a decent fountain pen, the more I realize just how abysmal is the situation in this corner of the market. Stationery all offer the same parker pens, and tired clerks demonstratively emit a sigh if you as to be shown one closely. Proper fountain pens (open bronze bit, transparent ink reservoir, screw pump, overall good quality) are just not available here.
While selling and repairing fountain pens may not be the most lucrative job, there is something profoundly dignified in keeping a writing implements shop.
I predict a major resurgence of interest in proper writing implements when people finally understand what a drain on time and energy computers are and go back to the basics.
Many or even most rural Russia lacks telephones. No easy or affordable way for a remote farm to get a phone. Radio telephony is a solution. Only illegal or very expensive phones are being offered. Yet there are ways to obtain licenses and see powerful radio phones as a plug-and-play solution.
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