I can't speak from personal experience but I have many friends that own businesses in Negril.

First and foremost I have to ask you - how many times have you been to Jamaica and for how long each time? Do you plan on living in Negril or running a business in absentia? What type of business do you plan on starting?

The reason I ask these questions is that while Negril is a great place to visit, one must really know the "runnings" to live there happily. Living there, staying there for extended periods of time present different challenges than say a two week vacation would. My suggestion, if you have not spent more than a month there is to gradually do that - start with a month, move on to two, three, four months - and if you can try to include time during slow/hurricane season.

When my friends started their business they found something that was lacking and filled that void. I guess that would apply to anywhere you'd start a business but in a town like Negril that is so tourist oriented you really need to think outside the box. For example, there are tons of catamaran cruise companies at this point, tons of jet ski operators, tons of boutiques/shops...you need to spend time there to suss out the business scene. If you are going to re-invent the wheel make sure that wheel is 150% better and brighter than the other wheels.

Time spent in town, time spent in developing community, getting involved in community activities and organizations create important contacts. My friends had a few contacts in well placed positions for their business which started their client base and created buzz within town.

As far as the nuts and bolts - the basic budgeting rule of thumb when doing anything in Jamaica is figure out what you'll need money-wise, then triple that amount. That'll bring you closer to what your actual investment might be.

Take into consideration too, if your business is tourist oriented, you really only have a four month high season in which to make the bulk of your money. Negril is not the bargain it used to be, far from it. You have to be very realistic about how you want to live there and how much its really going to cost.

If you are British you are subject to different immigration rules than non-Commonwealth country citizens are. If you are planning on living in Negril you'll need to learn what those rules are. In the case of a US citizen, we are not allowed to be on-island over 6 months - and we have to renew our tourist visa after 3 months. But in all cases you will need to apply and pay for a work permit that is renewable every year (you pay more and renew every 3 or 5). That's a huge process. I spent an entire day in Sav la Mar with my friend collecting tax compliance certifications alone - and then there's finger printing and a bunch of other financial reporting that needs to be compiled for the application package. In addition to the fee for the permit the "extras" such as finger printing cost as well...as will trips into Kingston and MoBay for different aspects of this process. I've always told my friend she should write a handbook on this process, she's got it pretty wired at this point. Jamaican bureaucracy can be difficult to navigate.

Like I said, I do not own nor do I plan to own and operate a business there. But some of the info I've given you is based on my experiences running a successful business here in the US for the past 22 years. Good luck!