A few business related Questions

I don't know for a fact, but I think any beach within the national park would be off limits without some kind of license or permission from the NPS. Beaches are all public, but the access is either public or private property, so again, you would need someone's permission. And you will need a business license for whatever kind of business you are starting.

To live the way you describe, I would plan on at least $3,000 - $4,000 per month living expenses, maybe more on STT and less on STX. You will need $8,000 to $10,000 start-up.

I know nothing about commuting between the USVI and the BVI except you would have to clear customs every time you made the trip.

I'm sure others will chime in.

A 2 bedroom apartment will run from $1500 on up. After your first WAPA bill you might not ever turn on your A/C again if you have it. 😉 Too many variables to say how much money you'll need since it depends on your lifestyle.

Besides a business license, you'd have to work out a deal with any resort. You can't just get a business license & set up shop on a resort's beach.

Here are some costs on various things (some looked a bit low to me but will give you an idea.) Bought gas yesterday at $4.379/gallon.

https://www.vimovingcenter.com/cost_of_living/

Magens is owned by the territorial government and Trunk is in the National Park. Neither is amenable to new concessionaires. Many hotels have a concession for the kind of business you are talking about. For watersports, you have to go through Department of Planning and Natural Resources as well as Licensing. You probably won't find anything on line. Most sales are by word-of-mouth.

Unless you are a belonger, you cannot just start a business on Tortola. I think that rules for living there are pretty onerous, too. Also, while it is nice that you have a seaplane, you would probably have difficulty getting approval to use it to the BVI. Seaborne Airlines has been trying to set up seaplane service to Virgin Gorda for a long time.

Depending on how much you used your air conditioning, your WAPA bill (current) could be $600+ a month for a two bedroom.

Regular gas just hit $5.05 on St John. I bought gas on St Thomas or $4.86. Diesel is around $5. Marine prices are higher.

I remember a bunch of years ago a guy had a charter boat that ran aground during Hugo. He never was able to salvage it. He did however get a small seaplane and did charters out of St John and aerial tours. Now there is a niche that could be filled. But, I must caution you that someone later came along and wanted to do the same thing out of Coral Bay and the residents made a big stink about it and it never happened.
You can get a concession in the National Park which you have to submit your proposal to them and it is a yearly renewal, so you could possibly have it for one year and then you're gone!

East Ender said gas just hit $5.05/gallon on St. John?? WOW.... I was there just a month ago and it was $4.69... I probably should reconsider shipping my Jeep over and just buy a few donkeys for me and my family to ride... Hee-Haw.....Heee-Haaaaw:D

Darn those greedy oil companies!! 🙁

Perhaps someone should start a "Rent-A-Donkey" business to help offset these gas prices???:P

Have you seen the price of hay? $35.00 a bale.

Plus you leave a big carbon footprint with the gas emission let loose from those donkeys after devouring that said hay, hey!!!

Promo: I wished you happy flag day birthday, but you were not around. Welcome back and hope your vacation was good...

you guys are hysterical... i don't know about donkeys, but i'll be shipping two scooters down with me in September when I arrive...

Dang it didn't see that wish and now that I think of it I didn't wish RL a happy BD. We took a side trip to Ireland instead of STJ.

RL didn't have a birthday this year. He is hoping if he skips about 20 he can be younger than me! LOL!!!

EE:

So you're saying if RL skips 20 birthdays he'll be 28?...

28 or so...

Hello all,

New at posting. Been interesting reading here and on other topics. You guys mentioned scooters. We are planning on a move to USVI in the next 6-9 months and will be shipping our car, but also plan to purchase a couple of scooters to run around on. We are experienced motorcycle riders, but have heard that there might be some problems with riding "scooters" on the roads. What problems? Thx.

If you've ridden a scooter in Manila or Mumbai in the rain and had no problems, and can imagine doing the same thing where the traffic is the same but you can't see the vehicles that are heading toward you because of the hills you have to climb, you shouldn't worry about it.

My wry sense of humor gets me in trouble more times than it gets me smiles. The straight answer is narrow and very hilly roads that can be very slippery or slick when wet, combined with some very 'creative' drivers, all of which are in much bigger vehicles than you. On top of that are the occasional goat, chicken or pothole in your way right at the top of the rise.

By the way, Sandollar8: I'm hardly qualified to be saying this given how long it's been since I've been on island and my truancy record on this site, but welcome. Hope you find all the answers you are looking for and make the right moving choice. It does well to remember that this site was created specifically for people like you. For the person who understands fully what they're getting into and still feels a deep sense of belonging, the VI's can indeed be Heaven on Earth... (such as it is)... 🙂

Hi Sandollar8, I can tell from your registration date that you're just joining this forum. I'm not sure that you've discovered all of the features of this forum website, yet. There is a "search" link at the top of the message list. If you click on that and enter the word "scooter", and search over the last 90 days you'll see at least 5 other threads talking about scooters, licenses, roads, maintenance, etc... hope that helps...

if you do start a business and need an employee, i will be on island in a 3 weeks and looking for a job.