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What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

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Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#71

Post by eCa »

klausjensen wrote: post #63
dxbydt wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Props to the OP for being open to exploring a whole different continent. But frankly, there are plenty of university towns right here in the USA that'll fit the OP's 1000 USD budget very well. As a TA in a CS grad program, I made $800 per month. With that money, I lived in a comfortable studio & had everything the OP describes & when I graduated in 2 years, in addition to my Masters degree, I had managed to save $500…

And that is great if you are a US-citizen, but otherwise not so much. Even coming from rich Scandinavia and the EU, we are not welcome.

I think it's possible to live quite cheaply in most of the eastern members of the EU.

Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#72

Post by peterjancelis »

jamornh wrote: post #53
peterjancelis wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. You are allowed to do business meetings on a business/tourist visa. 2. You can do business meetings from a co-work office. Now please tell me how being in a co-work office, working for a company incorporated abroad and not accepting local payments, can get one arrested.

Are you sure you can do business meetings on a tourist visa? On a business visa is fine of course as you've declared that your intention is to be there for business, but having a business visa also require you to have a company that is sending you there on business before hand. Plus, I'm not sure how long of a stay you'd normally get with a business visa. With a tourist visa, I think you're strictly not supposed to p…

In the countries I've been to the business travel visas are the same as the tourist ones, you just have to declare you are there for business purposes also. So the length is the same, 3 months.

Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#73

Post by scheff »

Radim wrote: post #52
scheff wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

care to elaborate?

Why not. There's plenty of more detailed info out there, and I don't claim to be any sort of expert after mere two years, but here's two stereotypical extremes: Tourist-eyes : beautiful beaches; nice weather; safe; cheap food; laid back, friendly smiling people -- PARADISE! Live-and-work-there-eyes : rampant bigotry and racism (common to most SE Asia); dishonesty ("losing face" and all, again shared across SEA and no…

I've spoken with a few of westerner businessmen in Thailand now, and they re-iterate much the same sentiments.

My view has become "go there as a tourist who happens to spend several months on business" as opposed to "go there with a view to doing business with the locals".

Likewise I have met some lovely Thai people. They are very caring and welcoming.

Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#74

Post by dxbydt »

crucialfelix wrote: post #49
dxbydt wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Props to the OP for being open to exploring a whole different continent. But frankly, there are plenty of university towns right here in the USA that'll fit the OP's 1000 USD budget very well. As a TA in a CS grad program, I made $800 per month. With that money, I lived in a comfortable studio & had everything the OP describes & when I graduated in 2 years, in addition to my Masters degree, I had managed to save $500…

$1000/mo in thailand is living WELL. truly paradise, gorgeous weather, go to nice clubs, best beaches in the world. no comparison with just passing time in a university town in the US. you could merely survive for much less in thailand

Am just pointing out that bootstrapping a startup in a university town on 1k USD is definitely doable. You don't have to go all the way to Thailand and flout visa rules(yeah most of those rules are not exactly enforced but they are still on the books)

Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#75

Post by a8da6b0c91d »

javert wrote: post #28
stratosvoukel wrote: post #19

1000$ is supposed to be enough to live in lots of european countries as well. Eg. Estonia, Greece, Austria

I found that number to be pretty depressing. I think I could get somewhere pretty close to that, here in North Carolina, USA.

In the original post the point was raised that at that cost of living you don't have to lift a finger. All your cleaning, laundry, and cooking are done by others.

It's trivially easy to find a really nice space to rent in the USA for $500 or so. The catch is you'll still be doing all your own cooking and cleaning. And you'll be surrounded by hicks.

Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#76

Post by crazygringo »

hackerboos wrote: post #38
jamornh wrote: post #17

Thai national here, and as a fellow bootstrapper I would have to agree with most of the points of the OP. The reason why I left my well-paid job in Singapore and come back to Thailand to bootstrap my startup is due to the much lower cost of living and un-tapped talent pool. I'd like to add that the quoted figure of $1,000 USD a month is rather high. Most Thais can get by with $500 USD. That is the current starting sa…

>EDIT: Of course, I'm not exactly familiar with the visa situation since I don't actually need it. Based on the OP, it seems pretty complicated, but still worth the hassle. I lived in Thailand for several years and 'bootstrapping' your business there as a foreigner without a work permit is breaking the law. You need a work permit to do ANY type of work in Thailand and although working out of sight is unlikely to get…

Honestly, who cares?

Work permits are to make sure you don't steal jobs from the locals. Working on your own project has nothing to do with that. So while it may be breaking the letter of the law, it's certainly not breaking the spirit of it. My point being, you shouldn't have ethical issues with it -- it's like driving 57 in a 55 zone.

I know people who have been deported for not having the right visa -- a phone call by an angry ex or housemate in every case. Nobody's going to report you to immigration unless you've seriously pissed someone off. So just don't piss people off. And worst-case scenario, you leave early.

Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#77

Post by sirn »

hackerboos wrote: post #38
jamornh wrote: post #17

Thai national here, and as a fellow bootstrapper I would have to agree with most of the points of the OP. The reason why I left my well-paid job in Singapore and come back to Thailand to bootstrap my startup is due to the much lower cost of living and un-tapped talent pool. I'd like to add that the quoted figure of $1,000 USD a month is rather high. Most Thais can get by with $500 USD. That is the current starting sa…

>EDIT: Of course, I'm not exactly familiar with the visa situation since I don't actually need it. Based on the OP, it seems pretty complicated, but still worth the hassle. I lived in Thailand for several years and 'bootstrapping' your business there as a foreigner without a work permit is breaking the law. You need a work permit to do ANY type of work in Thailand and although working out of sight is unlikely to get…

>Getting a work permit in Thailand is very very difficult. Foreign owned businesses have to employ Thai citizens and require silly amounts of registered capital deposited in Thai banks. It's marginally easier if you are an American.

It may sounds silly, but Thais are very scared of seeing foreigners taking over the country. This thinking is the most noticeable in lower-class Thais. I believe the result of this thinking is the ridiculous requirements for business visa. It's not only a bureaucrat problem, but also a social one.

Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#78

Post by dxbydt »

nielmalhotra wrote: post #51
dxbydt wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Props to the OP for being open to exploring a whole different continent. But frankly, there are plenty of university towns right here in the USA that'll fit the OP's 1000 USD budget very well. As a TA in a CS grad program, I made $800 per month. With that money, I lived in a comfortable studio & had everything the OP describes & when I graduated in 2 years, in addition to my Masters degree, I had managed to save $500…

Out of curiosity, where did you do your CS grad program, so that you could live on less than 1k a month?

Morgantown, WV. But nothing special about that... you could do the same in Pittsburgh, Albuquerque, Carolinas, most places in south/sw...

Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#79

Post by sasas »

peterjancelis wrote: post #72
jamornh wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you sure you can do business meetings on a tourist visa? On a business visa is fine of course as you've declared that your intention is to be there for business, but having a business visa also require you to have a company that is sending you there on business before hand. Plus, I'm not sure how long of a stay you'd normally get with a business visa. With a tourist visa, I think you're strictly not supposed to p…

In the countries I've been to the business travel visas are the same as the tourist ones, you just have to declare you are there for business purposes also. So the length is the same, 3 months.

I know colleagues (engineers) who were detained and kept under "hotel arrest" in Indonesia for being on the customer site without the correct working Visa (our guess - a tip off)

I worked in Thailand on assignment for a large company there and we got a wind that the authorities where going to come in on a certain day and check every single foreigners passports. We were told even that we had the correct Visa, work from home that day.

In Japan you can get a 3 month tourist visa on entry. I know many who have worked on the customer site with this. Once again - illegal, all it takes is a tip off from a local employee and your in big, big trouble.. don't expect to ever visit that country again.

I know someone who was working in Sweden without the correct Visa - a local employee (part of a work union) reported him.

Not worth the risk IMHO.

Re: What I learnt bootstrapping my startup from Thailand for six months

#80

Post by tomca32 »

throwawayQWERTY wrote: post #18

Note: Using throwaway so my employer doesn't find out about my plan to eventually leave. Are there any places similar to this in USA? Cost of living around $1000 (give or take), good internet access, no car needed, decently cheap food and rent, and possibly an affordable coworking space? I'm looking to bootstrap an internet company and while I don't mind living abroad, I'd be much more comfortable here in the US, see…

It's possible even in NYC.

Around Jamaica you can get a room for $400-$500. Although it's not an apartment, just a room in a big house, so you can't make parties and stuff but is otherwise quite comfortable.

Going to Manhattan also doesn't take too much time. E train goes directly and is express so it's a 45-60 min commute.

As for food, cook at home. If in Manhattan, there's a great $1 pizza on Bleecker St. Lots of free coworking spaces in Manhattan - Wix for example.

I wouldn't call it a luxurious life by any stretch of imagination, but it's doable to live in NY for $1000 a month and not really feel poor (or it could be just a story I tell to myself to feel better).

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