A Foolproof Business in Montenegro
In Montenegro, as in any other country, the success of a business depends primarily on how it’s run—that is, on the director’s work ethic. Generally, if a person doesn’t just lie around but actually works, things tend to go well. But I won’t give a lecture now on doing business in Montenegro. Instead, I’ll talk about a few types of businesses that have huge potential here and, in principle, can’t really fail.
Let’s start with car rental. Yes, I know there are many rental companies in the country. Yes, new ones open every year. But there are very few large-scale rental businesses—most are small and don’t offer serious competition. Also, the number of tourists is steadily growing, which means the demand is increasing every year. Since Montenegro’s tourism potential is far from fully tapped, we can clearly expect continued growth in tourist numbers for at least the next 20–30 years. That means demand for cars will remain steady. By the way, the belief that this business only works in the high season is not entirely true. During the season, your cars will be nearly 100% booked. Off-season, rentals drop, but there’s still demand. In our experience, economy cars rent fairly well in the off-season, while SUVs and luxury cars are less in demand.
That’s all I wanted to say about car rentals. Let’s move on.
Apartment rentals. Of course, setting up this kind of business isn’t cheap—real estate in Montenegro is expensive, as it is at any resort. You can check apartment and house prices on our website. Also, real estate doesn’t give the highest possible return. If you invest the same money into a different business, you could potentially earn more. This is a general rule and not just for Montenegro. However, real estate provides stable income. This type of business can’t really fail (unless there’s war or a natural disaster), and that’s a key advantage. So this business can be confidently recommended to people who have enough capital and are looking for a low-risk, stable business.
Finally, let’s talk about excursions. Some immigrants offer private tours using their own car. Basically, all you need to start is to buy a car. Startup costs are low, and you can begin working immediately. According to reviews, the first year is when you build your client base, gather feedback and recommendations. By the second year, many have so many clients they don’t even know where they came from. So the key point: efforts to find clients are usually only needed in the first year. In addition to private tours, you can also earn from transfers and a few other related services.
How much can you earn? It’s hard to say for sure. In theory, you could have clients year-round and earn €20,000–€25,000 annually. But realistically, expect to work mainly during the tourist season and earn around €10,000–€15,000 net, which isn’t much—but if you live alone, it’s enough to get by. If you have a family, this income can be combined with another job your spouse or partner does.
