one2crowd Blog

So far we’ve only lost one proposal because we “are so far, in thailand…”. And frankly, we’re glad we did not win it, was not worth it at all. Even if we were in Montreal the mandate did not make any sense so their decision only confirmed our first impression.

Where am I getting at? Well, we are halfway around the world for 95% of our clients, and truth is, it doesn’t affect anything really. When we launched the company, one of our main worries was how to manage the distance, the 11-12 hours time difference. It turns out it is actually very easy and simple, and almost becomes something positive. Most importantly, it forces you (and the client) to be better organized.

Here a few things I can think of:

• You can still talk, just have to schedule those calls. ie: We do most of our conf call around 8-9 pm, so it’s 9-10 am on the East Coast. Those calls become very “to the point”, no need for 2-3 hours meetings anymore (plus transport). You prepare the call, you discuss the main points, you make decision. bing bang thank you!
• Instead of sending 5-10 emails per day for one project / one client, you send one, more detailed, and receive one, more detailed
• With tools like Basecamp, tasksfreaks, 16 bugs etc….even if you’re in the same city as your client, you still need to use them right? Communication is actually done through those tools and emails.
• In my previous life, in Montreal or Toronto, I probably used the phone 5% of my time for all communications. Everything is done with email, so distance becomes a non-issue
• We are almost one working day ahead, so we work the equivalent of Sunday evening and night, meaning on Monday morning our clients usually receive (yes, we try…) an email with a to-do list/replies to problems/bills, etc…in other words “action items” so they start their week with a feeling of things are happening
• We work during the night (the equivalent, we actually work like everybody else, during the day), and it can be really useful at time ie: to correct bugs or do last minute things. For example, Client A leaves the office at 7pm in Montreal, sending us a list of tasks. We arrive at work here around 8pm (still Montreal time), so next morning in Montreal client A will have received his tasks completed and everybody is happy. Client A literally saves a day of work
• Finally, face time is very important. But do not over-estimate it. I remember again in Toronto, I probably saw my clients 2-3 times A YEAR. It is no different now. We go back 2-3 a year to Montreal and see everybody.

We are now working more and more with Europe so it changes things a bit, but you simply adapt. It’s a global world, the fact you have clients all over the world no matter where you are should be seen as a positive no? Anybody has similar experiences to share?

Ok, let’s get this out of the way. Launching a start-up takes time, energy, discipline, money and patience. No matter where you are.

Launching in Thailand only adds some spices! I will write about our experience in future posts, I am not trying to summarize everything we’ve learned here, it would be too long

But I’ll start with 5 observations, probably obvious but still important:

• You are a foreigner in a foreign land, you have to adapt, not them. For example, all the legal documents are in Thai. I know, it’s crazy eh….so surround yourself right away with the best local people you can find (employees, lawyer, friends). Without them you are nothing, literally
• Do not assume anything. Read a lot and ask questions constantly because things can change very fast. Example? The rules in Bangkok are not the same as in Chiang Mai.  And by the time we set up the company late 2008, some new rules were introduced for 2009, affecting where we had to incorporate one2crowd thailand.
• Finding good people is hard. It is not a problem specific to Thailand, good web people are hard to find everywhere, but it is especially true here. So take your time and do not think you will build a killer team of 25 in 2 months. Impossible
• The projects you deliver are all that matter. Not the 12 hours time difference, not the heat or the beer promotions….The quality of your work defines you as a company. Not your location, not the people you know, not even your rates
• If your business model sucks, it will suck everywhere (I could not resist saying this, feels good)

There are many more differences, but honestly I have to say that 90% of our challenges would be the same if we were in California or Canada or Europe. I will write later on some specific examples

Chiang Mai Thailand

Of all the places in Asia, why Chiang Mai?

Well, the real story is that Simon was living here for a year when I decided to join him and start one2crowd, but there is more to it, especially when you compare it to Bangkok

• Sabai sabai lifestyle (relax). Life is good. No traffic jams, good food, very nice cost of living and you still live in a city of 1m habitants, the second largest in Thailand
• People. Very friendly and open, makes a big difference on your mental health.
• You can go hiking in the mountains in less than 10 minutes. Actually you can get anywhere within 15 minutes of a motorbike ride
• It has all the infrastructure you need for a start-up: many computer stores, available office space, competent support (lawyers, accountant, etc…)
• You can party 24/7, no problem, without ruining yourself

In other words, it has all the good things you find in Bangkok (thai people, food, beer, shopping) minus the craziness (pollution, noise, traffic jams, insane distance). Trust us, when you work 60 hours a week and more, it makes a huge difference. Of course, it is not a paradise, there are some little things that can be annoying, but for having traveled throughout Asia, it is realy hard to beat if you intend to stay a while and work.

UPDATE: Just found this article on another blog (merci praized). in our case, it is so true, only we pushed the concept a bit further haha (the article talks about small towns in USA)

The Pros of planting a startup in small towns (BusinessWeek)