Business Opportunities for Seafarers

The many years spent by seafarers working on an international cargo or passenger’s ships is an assurance for their family of a regular income—and in dollars at that.  But like every OPFW, seafarers also dream of returning home to be with their family and relatives and stay with them for good. They, too, are thinking of someday retiring from work.

Once this happens, seafarers and their families need to think of ways and means on how to maintain their upkeep. They need to plan their financial posture so that they don’t need to worry about sending their children to school or pay the amortization of their home or car loan, since the steady flow or green bucks has stopped.

Joining local shipping firms or other related fields can be an option, but for some seafarers who feel they’ve had enough of seafaring and want to try other fields of endeavor, they can put to the test their hidden skills in entrepreneurship. They may consider venturing into a business. That way, the money they saved will be channeled to a business undertaking that may anchor the family’s future.

- Video Game Arcade/Computer Shop – Who hasn’t heard of video games and the Internet and the hordes of youngsters addicted to them? With a captive and willing market among school kids, setting up a neighborhood video game arcade cum computer shop can be undertaken even without leaving your own home. Once you find a suitable space for your business, be it your own garage or a rented space, all you need are two to four play station units, TV sets, PCs, and a telephone line to get you going. That will cost you at least P100,000. Of course,  you can acquire more gaming sets once the clientele starts growing.

- Agro-Business – Offering a much wider and bigger opportunities than franchising, venturing into agri-business is often overlooked if not disregarded by many would-be entrepreneurs. Unlike other ventures though, agri business may require more time before your realize profits. But once you get going, there’s no stopping it. For those with idle lands in the provinces, traditional rice and vegetable farming, as well as tilapia and bangus breeding are possible options. But with the stiff competition brought about by imported grains, you may consider into a specialized farming.

Aquaculture experts recommend venturing into niche markets such as raising eel, lobsters, lapu-lapu, and uland or Giant Malaysian Prawns. On the farming side, one option is organic vegetable farming. There is a growing market for organic produce after consumers heard of reports that most vegetable are sprayed, if not drowned, with chemical pesticides and preservatives to maintain their fresh look on the shelves.

- Bubble Gum Machine – If you are not really that interested to get into business and not ready to handle the financial risks that go with it, then experiment with a P2,000 to P5,000 investment by getting one of those bubble gum machines you see in schools, malls movie houses, supermarkets, play areas, and other places frequented by  kids. The minimal investment and the profits you may realize may just inspire you to get into bigger ventures and sail all the way to prosperity.

Related topics:

Making A Dormitory as Home Business
A home business can start with an idle space yearning for occupancy. You can turn it into a dormitory for transient occupants like what Illac Diaz did with Corte Real in Intramuros. Now it’s the country’s first dormitory for seafarers....

Turn Idle Space Into Money
When you are really business-minded, simple ideas can turn into great businesses. This happened when an enterprising business man turned an idle space into a dormitory for seafarers. The home business turned out to be a unique business with great...

How to Enjoy a Store Business More
Starting a store business often means manning it oneself. And manning a store business can be very tiring and discouraging at times. But with the right attitude and mindset a store business may be more a hobby than work. There...

Making the Business a Family Affair
Home business is a family affair and this is particularly evident when all members of the family pitch in to the venture. In this case, the home business is the production of unique decorative items....

Requirements for a School Business
Starting a school business should be easy once government requirements are completed. A school business not only promises lucrative returns, they also offer a vital legacy to the youth....

Making It Big With Soap Business
Soaps make bubbles and money too! Yes, with soap-making you can easily make a good living from sales. All you have to do is listen to your market and know what they want from a herbal bath soap whether it’s...

Start a Bubbling Home Business
Once you get an itch to start a soap-making business, you just have to decide, pool your resources and get into it. There are organizations like the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center that can help you jumpstart your home business....

Necessary Phases in Starting a Business
Starting a business need to go through necessary phases for securing important business documents. It pays to know what these phases and documents are....

The Story of a Candle Business Owner
Candle-making is the home business that Rose decided to go into. She’s glad she did it because now the business is good. But the road to success was not easy, it was full of hardships and challenges along the way....

It All Started With A Hobby
This is a story of a former employee who turned the hobby of brass-making into a home business that sells well. He started during an exhibit and people saw his designs. From then on, he has been in business of...

One Response to “Business Opportunities for Seafarers”

  1. ja said:

    i would like to start a hardware business but im having a hardtime to get a good supplier can you please give me an additional idea on how to make it happen

Leave a Reply












Sister Sites