BULGARIA has not been open to foreigners very long. That's one of the main reasons expat goods and services are still a growth market here. With EU accession around the corner, entrepreneurs should be thinking about the future. The number of expats is only going to increase and business visionaries worth their salt should be thinking about long-term sustainable ideas to tap this developing market.

As a writer of this column, I hear a constant stream of suggestions for business start-ups. Below are the top ideas ready for implementation:

Orientation/destination services. All newcomers need a tour of the city to figure out where to live, where to send their kids to school and how to get to work. But unless you've met another expat or your sponsoring office is helpful, there is no access to an overview tour or orientation. I'm not talking about booking a Lyuba tour or hitching a ride with the IWC/Anglo-American School bus trip because both of those require you to FIND those organizations first. I'm talking about what the relocation industry calls "destination services." With this type of service, the newcomer and family are met at the airport and assisted with settling in to Sofia over a period of approximately six months. The destination service company would provide answers to all newcomer questions about housing, schools, medical services and general orientation. Multinational companies transplanting executives around the world depend on these services.

Central Information Exchange. The Sofia Echo newspaper and the new Sofia Inside Out magazine are valuable resources but there is still no central exchange of newcomer information available. My friends at Sofia Inside Out will soon publish an orientation book which will be quite useful, but that still requires newcomers to FIND that book.

The idea I'm proposing is a centrally-located office where newcomers can come in on a walk-in basis to pick up information about living, working or studying in Sofia. Besides stocking information about how to get a lichna carta and the legalities of living here, the office would also manage several databases. For example one database would include available language teachers, drivers, personal assistants, caterers and support staffers who want to work for expats. Another database would manage employment info for expats and their family members who want to work. There is a large untapped community of highly educated, experienced international workers available for consulting and volunteering. This idea worked well in The Hague. Several multinationals funded the office and hired two workers to run it. Newcomers went to this "one-stop shop" to solve all their problems and it took the burden off the employers.

Perhaps the central information exchange could also stock copies of the mysterious English language "Yellow Pages" reference book. I've heard it exists but have never seen one nor know where to find one.

Four Wheel Drive Taxi Service. I'm surprised no one has attempted this business before. Anyone who has spent at least one winter here knows there is big money to be made in transportation after the snow begins to fall. Buses and taxis just can't make it up into the expat neighborhoods of Boyana, Dragelevtsi, Simeonovo and Bistrista from December to April. Even if an operator purchased his own four-wheel drive vehicle, he would make his money back by the end of the first winter! Get a cell phone and put a sign on your driver door, it's that easy.

Imported Food Store. Why in the world would people take a four hour bus ride to shop in Thessaloniki, Greece? Because there is a huge demand for highly processed food items, and Metro and Billa just don't understand the expat market or inventory control. I'm not talking about crazy Americans and their never-ending need for peanut butter, I'm talking about the need for simple items like cake and brownie mixes that the rest of the Western world relies on for convenience. Hard working Bulgarian women have no time to spend on baking from scratch any more. Add to this category "refined" goods too. Products like unscented facial tissues, low salt/no salt items and sugarless low-fat anything would sell here.

Mini Movers and Storage. Currently the only choices available for a "small move" are two extremes.

You can hire a mega-company like Allied Pickfords who will show up at your door with an 18 wheel vehicle or you can hire your friends and relatives who have begged around to find small trucks. Both options seem difficult when you are just trying to move a few items. There is a great demand for "mini movers," those companies that offer the same inclusive services for very small relocations.

Another problem is storage. Small temporary rental storage space is very much needed. There is a demand for office as well as residential storage.

Kennel and Pet Sitting Service. I am told there is only one kennel in town and no one in the expat community is willing to send their animal there because it is not clean or well run. There is a large highly mobile expat community living here and they need kennel and pet sitting services immediately.

Expat Travel Service. There are lots of businesses willing to pay someone else to stand in line at embassies and consulates for visa applications and information. Why tie up your best worker when you can pay someone to handle all aspects of your upcoming travel?

Personal Shopper. Until the retail market is a little more organized in Sofia, there will be a huge demand for personal shopping services. An example of this is when some enterprising expats in Bistritsa organized a weekly home delivery of vegetables from the market. They now pay someone to find parking, haggle in the local language, buy the best produce and then deliver it to their door. Other personal shopper opportunities are needed for household items, automotive repair (pick-up and delivery) and obscure items such as art supplies and swing sets and play equipment.

"Second Hand" Shops. Take a look at any of the newsletters from the embassies and international schools. They are all selling cars, furniture and household items. This city really needs a "second-hand" or "swap shop" where anyone can buy, sell and trade unwanted or unused items for cash or credit toward purchase of a needed item. Open a shop somewhere around the Ring Road with ample parking and delivery service and watch your Leva grow.

High Quality Toy Store. The high cost of toys in Bulgaria is not reflected in quality. Most products are cheaply made, imported from Asia and quickly fall apart after purchase. The cheap nature of the products creates serious safety hazards (swallowing broken parts, exposing sharp jagged edges and endangering projectile items). Yes, there are the import stores featuring toys made by Chicco (French) and Quercetti (Italian) but they seem to cater to baby products mostly. A real toy store offering safety-tested products for ages 1 to 18 would double profits before you can say "Vacil Koleda" (Merry Christmas).

English Book Store. Before I get lots of nasty letters about expat extravagances, I tell you now Bulgarians would embrace many of these business enterprises. Even the intellectuals would champion my constant mantra for an English-language bookstore. I know they are equally interested in learning the latest business management techniques as expat executives are! (Hello W.H. Smith? Borders? Barnes and Noble? Where are you?)