20 years old, planning to quit uni and move to Thailand to work on business

[Johnny boy]

I can’t believe the answers here. When did you get your nuts cut off?

“Stay in school!”

“Don’t take the risk!”

Jesus Christ.

Don’t listen to them. Say yes. Screw school. Take a chance and make it happen. You’ll ask “what if I took the risk” when you’re older and you’ll hate yourself for being a wimp.

Just do it.

 

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[Johnny boy]

I dropped out of school with one quarter left before my degree.
I started a business without any idea of what to do.
I climbed a mountain without a guide or any experience in climbing.
I'm going to India for two weeks to drive a rickshaw 3500km in January.

The very things I am 100% the most proud of are all things people told me not to do because it was "reckless".

I can tell you something from those experiences:

Dive headfirst into life. Don't let the masses of scared pussies tell you how to live and project their own sad fear onto you.

After you do it, they'll all forget about what they said and you'll be admired and most importantly, you'll admire yourself.

Pick the options that seem like the brave choice and you will be proud of who you are. Pick options that seem like the cowards way out and you'll live like a normal person.

 

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[daniel_m]

Love this quote. I wonder why the luxurious ideal of a tropical Thailand is so tempting over the stigmatized parent’s basement to cut expenses...

I would make the argument that moving out (anywhere, not just Thailand) is a great investment in and of itself. If it makes you more happy/productive/motivated, then the investment will pay off.

There's also the problem of people getting too comfortable. If you're on your own in Thailand, you know that you need to bust your a$$ to pay the bills or you're on the streets and all of a sudden you're a ladyboy offering "entertainment services". At home, you can just chill pretty much indefinitely because mommy + daddy got you covered.

Didn't MJ turn his whole life around the second he moved out of Chicago and to AZ? sometimes that's all someone needs.

 

[rpeck90]

I've not been to Thailand, although was asked to go some time back and will echo my sentiments here.

Thailand (in my opinion) is not what you think it is. It looks nice on FB pictures, but are you *really* going to improve your business by going there? Likely not. Like almost all 21 year olds, you have wanderlust and are trying to justify it by going to Thailand to "work on business".

Real business is rough. All the idiots showing you Shopify screenshots on YouTube don't run real businesses. They are mostly one-man bands surviving off Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or some other promotional trick. Real businesses have clients, assets, balance sheets, lawsuits and a network. You get none of that by going to Thailand.

Without going around the houses, I'll say this:

If you want to go to Thailand, use your summer break and rough it for 3 months. Backpacking or whatever it's called. Get it out of your system. You may be able to survive doing freelance work, but I'll tell you now that when you get to 27+, you'll look back and think about how much opportunity you missed because you were being naive.

My most ardent recommendation would be to stay and focus on developing yourself (and by virtue, your business), and use the money you earn to go on holidays as a reward. If your business takes you to those destinations, even better. But never - EVER - underestimate the brutality of what's required to create a company of value.

In terms of university, that's a personal choice - but as someone who didn't go, I will tell you now that you'll make it 100x harder for yourself in the real world. University opens doors that you would otherwise have to build from scratch. I've found that out the hard way. If you don't believe me, here's a clip of Felix Dennis iterating the same:

View: https://youtu.be/Mm57XBtPMOo?t=698
11:40 if the time is incorrect

--

Finally -- and this probably the biggest aspect to all of this -- NO ONE cares about you.

At 21, there's likely at least some aspect of "I'm cool because I lived in Thailand" behind your jaunt.

Whilst this may impress your fellow Love-Island-watching student friends, the closer to 30 you get, the less importance it holds. No one gives the slightest shit about your personal life, and if you're going to Thailand for some "fun in the sun", you'll be better just going on an extended holiday. Don't fool yourself into thinking you're going to build a legit business out there.

Business is hard even if you're born into a prosperous country such as the US or UK. Unless you can ardently say that Thailand is definitely going to enhance your chances of success, I'd stay put.

If you want some further reading, I'd peruse Simon Dolan's book:

How To Make Millions Without A Degree: And How to Get by Even If You Have One: Amazon.co.uk: Simon Dolan: 9781848765900: Books

Buy How To Make Millions Without A Degree: And How to Get by Even If You Have One by Simon Dolan (ISBN: 9781848765900) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Alan27]

I can’t believe the answers here. When did you get your nuts cut off?

“Stay in school!”

“Don’t take the risk!”

Jesus Christ.

Don’t listen to them. Say yes. Screw school. Take a chance and make it happen. You’ll ask “what if I took the risk” when you’re older and you’ll hate yourself for being a wimp.

Just do it.

I couldn't agree more with Johnny boy. While I enjoyed college and could have "done more" with my degree, I now wish I would've skipped college at 18, and instead read everything by MJ DeMarco, Russell Brunson, and a few more, and moved to Thailand, even if only temporarily.

Assuming your business or teaching English online or something can sustain you out there, the worst that can happen is you spend too much and have to head home and work a normal job for a while to regroup. You're young and have plenty of time to recover from any mistakes you make, so this isn't even that big of a deal.

On the other hand, the benefits of going, especially at such a young age, are many. For one, you'll be exposed to entrepreneurs and an entrepreneurial community, which is hard to do in just about anyone's hometown. Second, you'll be able to make entrepreneurial friends and attend workshops, conferences, masterminds, and more where you can learn and be exposed to new business ideas you hadn't considered.

There are many more reasons to go but that should be enough for now.

Even if 75% of the people there don't have businesses yet, you'll at least be surrounded by people who are trying, reading, experimenting, learning, and hungry for success. There's a reason those people are there, because Thailand is a great incubator for budding online entrepreneurs.

You're young. Take a (calculated) chance. Learn marketing and sales, and surround yourself with people on a similar mission however you can.

As a side note, I'll be heading to Thailand in September for 5 months for all the reasons I stated above. See you out there maybe.

 

[happiness2go]

Very difficult to give any advice if we have no clue about the feasibility of your business.

General thoughts:

Don't do it! Finish your degree and then you're free to do whatever you want (for as long as you have cash...).

Get the idea out of your head that working for sb. else is somethong to be avoided at all costs. Reaching the point where you build a business that pays the bills takes a long time for most people.

If you definetely do want to follow this plan of yours:

Get a certification as an English teacher before you move. You can 100% get work there easily and can cover your bills as you are working on your business.

IMO for somebody to move into entrepreneurship full time, they need to have enough cash to cover themelseves for at least 1-2 years. Unless, they have a validated plan to make money quickly.

 

[rpeck90]

Honestly I don't know much about marketing so I'm trying to learn.

Marketing is its own ballgame.

The core of it is the USP - Unique Selling Proposition. This article explains it best.

On top of the USP, you have the "marketing mix". This is a descriptive term used to highlight the several aspects which determine the market share of a product. It's typically presented as the "4 P's", but some people have got up to 7.

Ultimately, like your studies in school, the problem with this is that it's observatory. It's designed to describe products which have already been created, and has relatively little to do with any new products that may be brought to market.

If you are interested in creating a new product, and building new market share, it's not going to be of much help. Fortunately, there's a simple way -- Product + Offer.

The secret to creating a successful new product is the "offer" -- the ONE thing the product does that no one else ever will. You may consider the offer as the "sizzle" to the product's "steak".

The point is, and I've said this several times on the forum before, no one buys the product.

The code, or technicality, of what you've created isn't what sells your offering... but the results that it can derive for the people using it. These results - and specifically how your product creates them - is what determines its value.

Whilst you obviously need a great product (which you have) - the key metric is making it indispensable to a group of people who didn't think they previously needed such a thing. Do that, and you have a flourishing business.

Obviously, this is quite esoteric - and can cause issues. However... if you're able to work with companies or institutions who may benefit from the "model" of what you've created (interactive quizzes), you may find a LOT of budget for enhanced training mechanisms. If you're able to deliver that with a web-based platform, you'll start attracting clients.

I can help brainstorm some more if interested.

Also my manager at work used to live in Thailand and he was saying how good it was, so it really got me thinking about it seriously..

Going for a 3 week (or even several month) break won't do you any harm, but don't expect to come home to a flourishing company, that's all I was saying.

 

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[AFMKelvin]

Don't listen to all this people telling you to stay in school. They are just thinking that if you finished school you'll have that safety net to fall back on when you quit your business. This implies that your business won't be a success. If you think like that you're already starting off on the wrong foot.

Think of it like this. If you're paying for college you're most likely getting a loan. That loan is you investing in a small business which is you. You're telling the bank. "Hey give me a small business loan and I'll pay it back once I start getting payed by my customer whose my employer.

Just Do It

You'll learn more in 6 months in Thailand than 4 years in college. College is a bubble and most people never leave that bubble. By going to Thailand you'll learn about people and how the world actually works. It'll be brave of you to throw yourself into the world like that.

When I was your age I went and stayed in a third world country for six months. When I came back to the US my mind and outlook in life had changed. The things that I took for granted in the USA I was thankful for. Also you'll see how people don't change across cultures. You'll find the same characters and politics wherever you go.

From what you wrote you already have a product that sells. Imagine working in marketing the product 12 hours a day 7 days a week because you have so much free time. I bet you will increase your sells from $100 to $1000 a month in no time.

Good luck and keep us updated on what you end up doing. And one last thing F*ck COLLEGE.

 

[Singularity73]

Is the guy in the video someone you want to take life advice from?

Actually yes, I've been watching him for about a year and he generally gives pretty solid advice. He is super successful as well. Actually got TMF recommended by him, so that's how I discovered this whole world.

If you want to cut living expenses, nothing wrong with living with your parents.

I'm not sure they'll want me to move in. My parents don't understand entrepreneurship, no doubt if I move in they'll be harassing me to get a job so not sure this is the best environment.

In terms of what you're doing, what is your business? Are you a freelance coder or have a product? If the latter, what costs are required to keep investing into it?

I have a product, it's called Quiznetic. The current version isn't scalable, but I've been working on v2 for a year and soon will be releasing it. You can check it out at Quiznetic 2.0. On version 1 I have over 9000 registered users, making around £100/pm and have done practically 0 marketing which is why I feel like I may have an opportunity with this. Version 2 has a new pricing structure in hopes of growing the revenue a bit. Costs are currently only £6/pm but the new version they'll be higher, not sure by how much as it's based on usage with cloud hosting.

Whilst you don't want to get a job, you do want to cultivate a network.

This is true, and as Thailand is full of entrepreneurs (especially Chiang Mai like @MattR82 said ), I would have thought this would be a great place to network. In the UK there aren't that many entrepreneur groups except for in London but so expensive down there :\

I'm involved with software - perhaps you could give us some specifics on the focus of your studies?

AI, Distributed Systems, Software Engineering, Languages and Computation, Image Processing, Operating Systems & Concurrency, etc.. Some of these sound interesting, but the way uni teaches things through lecture slides makes everything dull imo. I much prefer learning on my own by playing around with things. I've barely learnt anything useful, especially since I'm self taught programmer so I'm already familiar with most of the programming-related things they teach.

 

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[AFMKelvin]

In terms of university, that's a personal choice - but as someone who didn't go, I will tell you now that you'll make it 100x harder for yourself in the real world. University opens doors that you would otherwise have to build from scratch. I've found that out the hard way. If you don't believe me, here's a clip of Felix Dennis iterating the same:

Care to elaborate on this? What doors did you have to build from scratch that the university would had opened for you? And how do you know that if you never went to college?

I've been hearing this a lot lately. People claiming that it's not about the degree or knowledge but the connections you make in college that make it worth it. It's like that's their new marketing campaign after the "college students earn more in their lifetime" campaign failed.

I even heard this from Mark Cuban telling kids to stay in college even though he dropped out. What he doesn't mention is that those "connections" come with a price tag. Usually around the six figure mark. You'll pay for those connections now and in the future through your loans.

Secondly, wouldn't someone who starts a business and gets out there naturally come across this "connections?" Surely he would meet other business owners and network.

 

[SeanC]

All kinds of perspectives here... well, here's mine.

I'm basically doing what you want to do - expat, digital nomad, whatever the hip term is today.

I did finish my degree first (then worked for almost a decade). Was it worth it?

Well, it'll help you save some money while you rot in a slowlane job. That saved money comes in handy when you get hit with random unexpected bills overseas, or need some time to figure things out.

That said, if you're the type that has the ambition and discipline, two years + uni money reinvested into yourself can get you hella far.

In my case, living in South America for $12 a day was the only way I could pivot my career to the starting steps of finally doing what I want to do. It's cheap living, and you can get by on entry-level online jobs for quite a while. Frees up time to study or work on your business or skillset.

Anyway, here's what I'd say if you want to do the same thing:

1. Try to save some money first. At least a few thousand (USD). The more you have, the longer you have to try things out - there will be failures.

2. Setup some kind of backup plan, in case it doesn't work. Do you have a friend's couch you can crash on for a month or two if you come home and it all blows up - worst case scenario?

3. Many will disagree - but I see most degrees as bullshit.

The top winners aren't using a degree (or its knowledge). They learned sales, people skills, and invested a ton of time.

On the other hand, I know plenty of people with degrees who aren't using them (because they couldn't find a job - now they're screwed with student loans).

I'm not using my degree at all for my current line of work. It was a complete waste, unless you count the money it let me save (which was far, far, less than the degree cost).

4. Being around other people in Thailand doing the same thing lets you network, but many of them are struggling.

Networking with other people struggling won't get you too far.

The good people probably won't want to network unless you can prove value. Not saying it's impossible, but great networking connections aren't guaranteed - the more you can offer, the better opportunities you'll have.

5. Get yourself in the freelancer marketplace ASAP. I get most of my leads from Facebook digital nomad groups, but Upwork/etc. also works for some.

In many parts of the world, you can get by with 20 or so hours of freelance work per week. $1000-1500 a month gives you a decent quality of life.

That leaves you with extra time to work on the longer-term business, grow your skills, keeps your costs covered, and gives you some cushion when things fail.

Obviously working for others isn't the end goal, but it keeps the ship sailing until you sight land. It might connect you with people who will be critical for your business later.

In any case, it helps you develop skills you'll need. Don't turn your nose up at a short stint working for others.

6. Churn credit cards for the points. I haven't paid for a flight yet.

7. Do it sooner than later. If you try it, hate it, or miserably fail - you're still young. You can get by with less. It's more socially acceptable at 20 than 30 to live at your parents or with a friend if things don't work out.

There's no questionable resume gap, if you go back to the slow lane.

It'll be more (or a different kind of) fun now than it will be in ten years.

8. It's fun. Why not have some fun while you work on your goals.

It can also be really, REALLY hard. That's good. It gives you a ton of life experience, hardens you, develops you.

Living in Mom's basement to save costs is also hard, but doesn't have the same benefits.

Anyway, that's my two cents. I say do it. Get out there and try it. Fail maybe. See what works for you. You have all the time in the world to recover if it doesn't work out. That's a luxury you might not have in five or ten years.

 

[Digamma]

Why would you drop out and move halfway around the world when your business is not even a business yet?
How is that remotely a smart move?

Currently I'm making about £100/pm and I'm well aware this isn't much, but it only proves that my product is viable and people are willing to pay for it.

Is it? Then why don't you scale it instead of thinking about Thailand?

 

[rpeck90]

Actually yes, I've been watching him for about a year and he generally gives pretty solid advice. He is super successful as well. Actually got TMF recommended by him, so that's how I discovered this whole world.


I'm not sure they'll want me to move in. My parents don't understand entrepreneurship, no doubt if I move in they'll be harassing me to get a job so not sure this is the best environment.


I have a product, it's called Quiznetic. The current version isn't scalable, but I've been working on v2 for a year and soon will be releasing it. You can check it out at Quiznetic 2.0. On version 1 I have over 9000 registered users, making around £100/pm and have done practically 0 marketing which is why I feel like I may have an opportunity with this. Version 2 has a new pricing structure in hopes of growing the revenue a bit. Costs are currently only £6/pm but the new version they'll be higher, not sure by how much as it's based on usage with cloud hosting.


This is true, and as Thailand is full of entrepreneurs (especially Chiang Mai like @MattR82 said ), I would have thought this would be a great place to network. In the UK there aren't that many entrepreneur groups except for in London but so expensive down there :\


AI, Distributed Systems, Software Engineering, Languages and Computation, Image Processing, Operating Systems & Concurrency, etc.. Some of these sound interesting, but the way uni teaches things through lecture slides makes everything dull imo. I much prefer learning on my own by playing around with things. I've barely learnt anything useful, especially since I'm self taught programmer so I'm already familiar with most of the programming-related things they teach.

Thank you for the detailed response - you must appreciate most people asking about "moving to Thailand" don't have much going for them.

If you have 9,000+ users on a product that you didn't even market, I would call that a success.

Having looked over what you've got, it's got massive potential (especially for the "course" market such as Lynda.com and Udemy) -- I believe the term for these tools is LMS. It's got a great name, is relatively innovative, and seems to have a good reputation in the market. I made something similar when my mother worked with a special needs child (it was in VB6 but I lost the code now).

I would still avoid going to Thailand. You'd be better putting your time/money into getting a barebones version of V2 sorted, and then talking to distribution partners for it. The scope for the product is substantive, particularly for the likes of health and education.

What are your plans on marketing it moving forward?

 

[Singularity73]

So I just finished second year of uni. Didn't do great, as I really haven't been interested in the stuff I'm learning and spent way more time working on my business than revising lol. I'm now on a placement, working for 1 year before I'm expected to go back for final year.

But I don't think I'm going to go back to uni as I don't see the investment (in both time & money) worth it, given how much I dislike uni and it won't take me to where I want to be. Instead I'm thinking about saving as much as I can from my placement and moving to Thailand to focus on my business. As the living costs there are super low, it means I don't need to make that much from the business to sustain me and I can reach freedom a lot sooner. Also Thailand is full of entrepreneurs so the environment sounds great! Currently I'm making about £100/pm and I'm well aware this isn't much, but it only proves that my product is viable and people are willing to pay for it. If I don't manage to make much from the business for a while, I already have £6K in savings plus the salary for the placement is £15K, should be able to save at least £8K from that.

So I'm just wondering if anyone here has moved to Thailand to work on their business and has any advice? What do you think of my plan? I know quitting uni is controversial, but I honestly don't see many advantages to continuing.. My placement finishes next year and I'll be 21. The 9-5 is just not for me and I want to get out of it asap. I feel like a minion helping someone else become rich..

To anyone who has done this before: got any visa advice? Also I haven't registered my business yet (so it's basically a side project right now), but I'd prefer to do that in the UK then operate from Thailand. Is that possible or a good idea?

Would really appreciate any kind of advice!

 

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[Singularity73]

Thanks for the replies. Why Thailand? Because the living costs are so low, which means it shouldn't take too long focusing on the business full time before I make enough income to be equal or more than my living costs (so it becomes sustainable). Right now I only have time in the mornings and evenings to work on it because of placement and now I see the business is starting to gain traction and income has been increasing.

I got the idea of moving to Thailand from this video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaaQltNTn6Q

And when I hear about all the entrepreneurs there it made it sound even better, as I could finally be in an environment where entrepreneurship is encouraged.

I've been pretty miserable at uni the past two years, just learning all this theoretical nonsense I don't care about, so I thought it would be a waste of time to complete the degree, given that I don't enjoy it and want to be an entrepreneur anyway. I'm studying computer science, I love programming but hate lectures and theory. But now these replies are starting to make me think I should just stick it out My results aren't great though, I may end up with a 2.2 as I always end up working on my business more than the course material.. so I don't know how useful the degree will be in the end

 

[rpeck90]

Is the guy in the video someone you want to take life advice from?

If you want to cut living expenses, nothing wrong with living with your parents.

In terms of what you're doing, what is your business? Are you a freelance coder or have a product? If the latter, what costs are required to keep investing into it?

As regards the university situation, my brother was in a similar position. He studied Mechanical Engineering and ended up doing spreadsheets at Rolls Royce, hated it. However, he was smart in that he saved his money, went travelling around Asia (Thailand, Japan etc) on a shoestring for 6 months, moved back with my parents for a time and then used the money he'd saved to buy a house and get a more tolerable job.

Whilst you don't want to get a job, you do want to cultivate a network.

I'm involved with software - perhaps you could give us some specifics on the focus of your studies?

 

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[ManlyMansNegator]

Just don't come back in a few years huffing and puffing about why you didn't become a millionaire from dropping out of university , moving to a third world country and using a youtube video to gauge your life choices.

My advice is to not drop out before you have a successful business.Backpacking is not as great as its made out to be and in Thailand you have no fall back method (welfare/social services / family) if your buisness fails(which it will at some point).

Furthermore , it seems that the reason you are leaving uni is because you aren't getting great marks.

Giving up is not a trait you want to have as an entrepreneur.

A better method is to finish university(you only have 2 years left) while building some sort of buisness on the side.Once you finish you can try this starry eyed dream these youtubers are selling you.

good luck!

 

[Devilery]

As someone who recently graduated: "Don't quit!"
It's not that hard to finish it, it doesn't take that much of your time to maintain decent results and you never know how useful it might be some day. I look at it as short-term safety net.
Let's be honest - entrepreneurship is really hard. Therefore, if some major shit goes down, I can atleast get myself back up by working in a comfortable job and saving up, not washing dishes for pennies.
My degree is usually in my opinion, but I'm glad I got it. I wanted to quit badly, but you know why I didn't?
Because I had no plan B. "My idea is validated because I make 100 per month!" That's bullshit.
I made 100$ in few days (easy af) copywriting on the side, but I didn't quit school. You know why? Because I'm still not on a level where I can comfortably and safely be a full-time copywriter.
Finish it, get that degree and use every single minute of your free time to build a machine that will free you from job forever.

 

[Rabby]

I lived in Thailand for about a year. While I was there I learned/improved my coding and vector drawing and published 3 iphone apps. This was a while back (9-10 years), when iPhone was pretty young.

I didn't make much money, but I also didn't have as clear of an idea about what to do in business at that time, as I do now. This forum would have helped me a lot. That said, we didn't go broke or anything (my wife and 1 year old at the time were with me, and neither starved). Living is pretty cheap in Thailand as long as you don't have to live in a mansion and dine on imported food.

 

[Singularity73]

Just don't come back in a few years huffing and puffing about why you didn't become a millionaire from dropping out of university , moving to a third world country and using a youtube video to gauge your life choices.

lol why so negative? I don't see anything wrong with following successful people on YouTube and taking action on some of their advice..

My advice is to not drop out before you have a successful business.Backpacking is not as great as its made out to be and in Thailand you have no fall back method (welfare/social services / family) if your buisness fails(which it will at some point).

To be clear, I'm not talking about moving to Thailand permanently. Just for a period of about 6 months will do, so I can focus on getting the business off the ground and surround myself with people who are doing similar things.

Furthermore , it seems that the reason you are leaving uni is because you aren't getting great marks.

Giving up is not a trait you want to have as an entrepreneur.

Not so, I haven't done that badly - still passed second year. Averaged just over 80% in my first year, this year I averaged 52%. And even after first year I wanted to quit, but being with friends in a joint tenancy agreement made me continue (ugh).
You know how time is your most valuable asset? That's what makes me think I shouldn't waste my time with something that isn't going to serve me. But there are pros and cons I guess.

A better method is to finish university(you only have 2 years left) while building some sort of buisness on the side.Once you finish you can try this starry eyed dream these youtubers are selling you.

This would definitely be a safer method. I've been doing this already the past two years at uni, I just really want to go full time and not have to worry about pointless exams and stuff :\

 

[Singularity73]

I can’t believe the answers here. When did you get your nuts cut off?

“Stay in school!”

“Don’t take the risk!”

Jesus Christ.

Don’t listen to them. Say yes. Screw school. Take a chance and make it happen. You’ll ask “what if I took the risk” when you’re older and you’ll hate yourself for being a wimp.

Just do it.

Lol I was wondering if there would be a post like this. Honestly I didn't expect so many people on the fastlane forum to be saying to stay in school!

 

[Jack Hammer]

I guess I'm about the only one one of the few who thinks you should just go for it. Not that I have a great track record of success in life, but then, I never did anything quite like that. It seems like it could be a great experience, one way or another. You never know what kind of experiences you might have or who you might meet. Even if it turns into a painful experience, like you have to spend your days stooped over in a rice field just to keep from starving too much, it'll certainly be character-building.

I understand the feeling of alienation from your CS studies. I used to be a CS major and had to switch because the classes and textbooks put me to sleep. Most of my coding skills now are self-taught, but when I look back at my code from my CS days, it was atrocious. It sounds like going solo, you've done way better than I had by depending on my classes. Still, all else held equal, it is true that a degree is better than no degree, but you can always finish it later.

 

[happiness2go]

I'm sure someone has already asked, but will your business, as it exists today, pay for you to live in Thailand?

If yes, who gives a shit; go for it. If not, get the adventure out of your system by reading some Kerouac.

This.

Teach your brain that you first need to work to get what you want.

Once you have DONE it, then you have the freedom to move wherever you want.

 

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[Singularity73]

This.

Teach your brain that you first need to work to get what you want.

Once you have DONE it, then you have the freedom to move wherever you want.

No but the reason I'm saying about moving to Thailand (temporarily btw, like 6 months) is so I can work *full time* on business with low living expenses and be around people who are doing similar things. The low living expenses is key because it can become sustainable pretty quickly. I'm not going for sandy beaches and nice weather, because it looks nice, I don't care about that
There's nowhere in the UK which offers super low living expenses and is an entrepreneurial hub

 

[Matt Sun]

This is what i was thinking. You sound like you know what you are doing. 9k users with no marketing ? That's productrocracy. Well done.

If you move:

You will pay less rent,
enjoy more the place you live,
have more time for your business,
and be surrounded by a better, entrepreneur enviroment ...

Just do it.

 

[Jonathan S.Diaz]

If you want to cut living expenses, nothing wrong with living with your parents.

Love this quote. I wonder why the luxurious ideal of a tropical Thailand is so tempting over the stigmatized parent’s basement to cut expenses...

 

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[MattR82]

I think places like Thailand and bali are a great idea, there's some great coworking spaces and communities to hang out with like minded people. But when you are already making at least 1k per month. Otherwise it can suck haha.

 

[Singularity73]

I would make the argument that moving out (anywhere, not just Thailand) is a great investment in and of itself. If it makes you more happy/productive/motivated, then the investment will pay off.

There's also the problem of people getting too comfortable. If you're on your own in Thailand, you know that you need to bust your a$$ to pay the bills or you're on the streets and all of a sudden you're a ladyboy offering "entertainment services". At home, you can just chill pretty much indefinitely because mommy + daddy got you covered.

Didn't MJ turn his whole life around the second he moved out of Chicago and to AZ? sometimes that's all someone needs.

Yeah exactly and no doubt my parents would be harassing me to get a job so I don't think it would be a great environment

 

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[happiness2go]

From what you wrote you already have a product that sells. Imagine working in marketing the product 12 hours a day 7 days a week because you have so much free time. I bet you will increase your sells from $100 to $1000 a month in no time.

If you your business can easily be brought to $1000 a month, then you can just do that in your current situation with no drastic changes needed in your environment.

Once you have made it to $1000 / month (which is enough to cover your costs in Thailand), then you can move freely.

Nobody here says that it's a bad idea to move to Thailand. Just dont pretend that moving to Thailand will solve your CURRENT problem - which is that your business doesn't pay for your bills.

 

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[Devilery]

Wait I was going to ask, how is that bullshit? If there's one there's more! What would you consider a validated idea?

Of course there's more. Somewhere, at unknown distance away. I'm all for taking risks and sacrificing things to succeed with entrepreneurial endeavors, but quitting school to pursue something that made you 100$? Okay, that might cover minimum food supply in Thailand. But. Is it reccurring 100$? Do you have more prospects that are very likely to join?
Don't get me wrong. I want you to be happy and succeed, but if:
"Honestly I don't know much about marketing so I'm trying to learn. " And the already mentioned revenue.
What "full-time" are you talking about? I don't know what kind of business you're starting, therefore I can't really see the whole "full-time", "potential" aspect.
Of course, I might be not as much of a risk taker as others here on the forum, but I would much rather put the minimum effort to finish the studies and use every minute of my free time to build the business.

The point about low living expenses - you're absolutely right! That's why I moved back with parents (not proud, but works for now). Of course, Thailand would be the same costs, but I feel like many people go there and years later they travel around the world making 800$ a month. Real entrepreneur doesn't need a "better" environment. You just have to work - hard.

Thailand is overrated by all the "How I afford to travel the world while working 2 hours a day!" There's too much fun and distractions. For travel loving freelancers? Great. For building a massive business? Unneccessary.

What I'm trying to say is: "Get the business to a level, that you can atleast cover your living costs and expect that it will progress."

P.S. And I will add to what others said: Go there for a few week trip!