There are many people in Bali who are not locals, but are there to run some kind of business. They’ve put in the hard work of getting all the legal stuff done and may have even consulted a professional digital marketing agency to get advice on web design and SEO so their web designer has made an amazing website from which to advertising their product or services.
While there are many different kinds of businesses you can choose from in Bali, a sightseeing guide would be one of the easiest. Here are some tips to starting one up.
- Get all the legal stuff out of the way before you even think of opening for business.
- Choose one or several destinations that are a bit difficult to get to. Since there is no public transport in Bali, it should not be difficult to find places to take tourists.
- Purchase air conditioned vehicle/s.
- Take out insurance.
- Set up bank accounts for your business.
- Plan your routes and work out how much time it will take.
- Decide if you are going to offer meals, snacks or detours along the way, or at least detour to a place where food can be purchased, especially if it’s a long trip.
- Advertise on a website and have links to and from other tourist websites, such as those for accommodation or places to see.
- Make sure you have good drivers. You may want to hire local drivers that are used to the driving conditions in Bali. If you don’t, make sure you practice driving in the area before getting customers.
- Decide what you will say to your customers as you drive them. This is especially important if the drive is a long one. You’ll need to have comments ready about the scenery or other places of interest as you pass them.
- Plan on a way to accept the fee, whether it is a prepaid booking or a pay on arrival type of payment. The prepaid one is better as you’ll have fewer cancellations.
- Decide on the details of your cancellation and fee refund policy.
- Make sure you advise clients both on your website and by email what they will need to take on the trip and what you will provide.
- Be very clear on whether you provide free drinks and what kind, and whether meals or snacks are included in the price. All this should be on your website and brochures.
- Make sure you purchase sturdy vehicles that are new, or of good quality.
- Tee up a reliable mechanic to do your vehicle maintenance and repair work.
- Make sure you don’t overbook and leave plenty of time for passengers to embark and disembark, as well as admire the destination sights.
