business in bali

Learn from Mistakes If You Want to Start a Successful Business in Bali

  • InCorp Editorial Team
  • 8 January 2024
  • 3 reading time

There have been thousands of clever and enthusiastic entrepreneurs who tried to succeed on the Island of Gods’, yet just a few made their dream come true. It is not a rocket science to set up a business in Bali. But, you need to avoid the most common mistakes many newcomers to Bali repeat all over again and again.

Understand the local environment

To live or work in Bali is indubitably appealing for some. But, to run one’s own business here is simply irresistible for others. Meanwhile moving to the island and trying to find a job without previous awareness of the cultural distinctions can be a challenge, to set up a new company with the same lack of knowledge can lead to a huge disappointment at best.

Allow yourself some time to get familiar with potential obstacles, opportunities, the strength of competition and current supply and demand in your field. Let the specialists provide you with the in-depth market analysis in order to be able to take a qualified decision.

Get some support at the beginning

Bali is nowadays a thriving incubator of new ideas and fast-paced business environment but also part of Indonesia with all it brings along. Company registration or product registrationcould take a while, recruiting in Indonesiais not an easy task, due to the shortage of skilled domestic workers in some areas on one side and restrictive policy on employing foreigners on the other, and land or property ownership is highly regulated.

Adding up confusing income tax system and unclear tax reporting, doing business in Bali could be short lasting. It always pays off to rely on an experienced local partner with proven record. It will makes you sure that you invest your time and money wisely.

Every successful business must have had a challenging time during the process, learn through the following article Learn from TOP 10 Indonesian Companies in 2018

Look for credible information

Common difficulty companies often face is lack of legal information or its poor quality. It is more likely to get misleading about anything regarding law and regulations if depending on public sources only. By collaboration with professionals, any business can avoid the risk of not complying with local regulations. Not only that, you can also avoid potential sanctions resulting from such misconduct.

Entering market in Bali means to meet a wide range of requirements; those you might not have met before or do not make any sense to a western entrepreneur. It is a huge advantage to be able to consult issues that might appear at any stage of the company establishing process and build it on a solid base.

Allow yourself plenty of time

One of the most important ingredients while doing business in Bali is patience; it goes the same with setting up a company. Business registration takes weeks or months to complete and is never hassle-free. It is wise to allow enough time to make sure you are not under pressure and your business plan is well behind the original schedule.

Time could be, however, a significant player when entering some of the fast-changing markets, and dealing with local bureaucracy for too long could result in losing a good starting position.


In order to avoid these and many other mistakes when starting a business in Bali, send your questions through the form below. Our consultants will help you.

David Susandi

Branch Manager – Bali Office at InCorp Indonesia

Holding 11 years of experience in various roles, including project manager, operational manager, and corporate strategist, David Susandi is a prominent figure for many entrepreneurial organizations expanding in Indonesia.

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