Keeping all of your toes in tact
Krabi, Thailand
The world awaits and I just couldn’t wait any longer, so I booked a trip to Thailand. The funny thing is I really wasn’t sure if it would work out. I always thought you had to book months in advance and that it was a huge, ominous task to get to the other side of the world. And the secret I quickly found out was, that it is not. And just like travel, entrepreneurship can be daunting, but it is really that simple too. The challenge is, you just have to make a conscious decision to go for it.
So, I did just that. After the impossible task of deciding what continent to travel to (and changing almost every hour) and scanning tour websites, I finally decided on Thailand. I called the tour group and in disbelief, I said “I’m going to book!” I made a decision and there was no turning back. Then the flight tickets came next and the vaccinations. Two weeks later, my backpack was all packed and I hopped on the airplane for the 21-hour airplane journey. Just like when starting or making decisions in a start-up, you will likely have some moments when you will just have to take the leap and hope that you made a good, educated decision into the unknown.
Then, we landed!! It was my first time to Asia. I arrived in Thailand and I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I had this image in my mind of this beautiful, tropical land. Some of it lived up to this flawless picture, while other settings provided perspective. During the tour, I traveled through many cities including: Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya, Chang Mai, and Krabi. When I think back, the cities all seemed so similar with their temples and local markets; yet, all of the cities were beautiful in their own unique way.
Walking through the streets, it smelled of something burning. With the road signs mainly written in Thai, the cities were an absolute maze. And if I feared for my life crossing the street on foot, it only took having a quick ride in a Tuk Tuk. But sometimes you have to pretend like you are the locals and confidently cross the street like you know what you are doing (while your mind is racing). In a start-up, you need to do the same thing! Pretend like it is all under control. Of course, you went to school for business and now you need to code a website—no problem!
But as interesting as these cities were, I gained the most perspective in the outback. With the tour, I did a three-day trek through the jungles north of Chang Mai to Laos Tribe Villages. We hiked up and down, slipping and sliding, and sloshing through many rivers—we all gave up on having dry feet by the end of it. The first night we stayed in a small tribe village of 200 people lacking electricity, cooking over a fire, and sleeping on the floor in a leaking bamboo hut—by all means not luxurious, but it was very interesting to see how other people live every day. It also reminded me, if you are ever needing a new idea, or are looking for creativity to help your start-up: go back to the basics. During the trek, we used banana tree leaves as umbrellas, wrapped our lunches in the leaves, and made chopsticks from the stems. I realized how versatile banana trees can be, but more importantly, how creativity can stem from starting small with the resources available around you.
In addition, always be ready for surprises. When travelling, you never know when something out of the ordinary will happen. For me, there were many places on the trip I could’ve had a total wipe-out, but it comes when you least expect it…I hopped off a boat, to this beautiful, small island with palm trees swaying in the wind and cats roaming the island (Koh Lao La Ding Island below). May be I had been distracted by the wonderful wilderness and (what seemed like) misplaced wildlife, but I was walking up the sandy beach and…Bam! I ended up stubbing my toe on a rock. Completely out of the blue. And for the next few days I hobbled around with a purple toe, and a few weeks later, I found out that it was fractured. But the point is, when you are starting a start-up, you need to be ready for anything at any time. Whether that is a last minute competition to join, or a competitor coming out with a similar device, or having to make a quick decision to re-iterate before a pitch. Have a general plan of what you might be able to do in unexpected situations.
You also really don’t know where new inspiration could come from. It could be at home, or while travelling. For me on my trip, it could’ve come from going to sleep on the ground at 7 pm in the hut because there was nothing better to do when there was no electricity and it was is already pitch black outside (and inside), or it could’ve been while snorkeling off one of the islands in Krabi. Or, standing on the street in Bangkok, I remember feeling completely lost with everything so new and foreign. That head space is a an amazing place to be. If you plan to start a start-up, you will likely feel lost many, many times, but don’t get discouraged. You will draw your map and eventually figure out and carve your path. There’s also many people to reach-out to and lots of resources available to help with finding inspiration or to help you climb out of that lost state.
Upon my return home, I had a chance to speak with Leena Chantarattanachoke, who is currently completing her Rotman MBA and moved to Canada from Thailand for school. Growing up in Thailand, her family owned a small business and she was able to provide some insight into running a small business in Bangkok. As a family business, she noted, she grew-up with helping at the store and talking about the pricing strategy over the dinner table. She noted the business there is very hierarchical, they grow very slowly and the people on the front lines know a lot of what the company needs to do, but the management don’t ask for their advice because of their status as workers. Because of this top heavy structure, she found it hard to make changes. She was trying to change the culture to a more inclusive environment where employees felt okay to speak up, and she said she did not get positive feedback from her parents while doing this. Learning how other businesses and start-ups around the world run may be helpful to move your start-up or idea forward.
Ultimately, travel and entrepreneurship have many things in common. You need to pack your suitcase with all the essentials before venturing on either of these journeys. There are so many places you can find inspiration. Be ready for the unknown. Be ready to feel completely lost. Know that there are resources out there. And plan for the unexpected, so you can keep all of your toes intact!!
Thank you for reading this post! If you have any questions or comments related to entrepreneurship, or travelling through Thailand, please feel free to reach-out.
Koh Lao La Ding Island, Thailand
