Need Advice About Office Space/business Broadband(internet) -- About To Open Business In Chiang Mai

[Sean606]

Hello to everyone,

I currently live in USA. My wife is Thai. I am going to open a Stock Day trading firm in Chiang Mai or Bangkok. I have a couple questions regarding Chiang Mai.

My budget for broadband/office space is 1000 USD or LESS(Hopefully less). The following are the requirements for the broadband and office space.

1) My "broadband/internet" connection must be reliable. I would need 4mb line or better. Must have reliable international broadband. With this amount of money can I get a reliable internet connection? I am under the impression that if I am willing to pay I could get a good connection. It would have to be reliable from 6pm - 3am because I would be working USA hours.

2) I am looking to rent a shell office space that is approximately 200-400 square feet. The space would need the following.

a)office space that can be occupied from 6pm - 4am Chiang Mai time

b)in area that has good internet access

c)secure area that I do not have to worry about computer equipment being stolen

d)area where power does not go out that often

e)power supply is grounded(3 prong)

f)does not have to be a pretty office

g)that is cheap :)

All opinions and advice are welcomed

If I am being unrealistic I would like to know before I pick Chiang Mai over Bangkok. Chiang Mai would be a better place for my daughter.

Thank you,

Sean Coakley

[email protected]

I would like to thank everyone who is kind enough to give me their honest opinion/advise

[Greenside]

If you're planning to day trade on your own account then a decent size house with office space plus an internet connection as reliable as any can easily be found inside your budget. If, on the other hand you want to rent facilities and sell know how to other hopefuls then I'd say Bangkok is probably a better bet since you'll have access to far more customers.

[Sean606]

If you're planning to day trade on your own account then a decent size house with office space plus an internet connection as reliable as any can easily be found inside your budget. If, on the other hand you want to rent facilities and sell know how to other hopefuls then I'd say Bangkok is probably a better bet since you'll have access to far more customers.

Thank you,

I am actually going to hire young Thai kids/students to trade the companies money. The trader would receive a small salary and then % of profits. I think there are enough college students in CM area to accommodate the business. The most important thing is having a reliable international internet connection.

Office space must be separate from housing because in the proprietary trading environment a lot of employees come and go. I could not have that many strangers around my daughter.

Thank you for your advise,

Sean Coakley

[email protected]

[chiangmaibruce]

1. Internet connection. There was a thread going in the last month or so by a guy who wanted to move to Thailand and be a day trader. It was a detailed discussion about the why and wherefores of FAST reliable connectivity. I think it was in the computers sub-forum of the business section. Scroll back and/or search for it, it will be useful to you.

2. Office space. Also one or two prior threads in chiang mai forum on this issue, one of which I posted in.

I looked at all the options and ended up renting a small apartment in a new building (for use as an office only), this was far and away the cheapest option for me and worked well. Don't worry too much about people coming and going and a little bit of noise - it's Thailand

[Sean606]

2. Office space. Also one or two prior threads in chiang mai forum on this issue, one of which I posted in.

I looked at all the options and ended up renting a small apartment in a new building (for use as an office only), this was far and away the cheapest option for me and worked well. Don't worry too much about people coming and going and a little bit of noise - it's Thailand

Do you have employees? Your neighbors do not mind the traffic?

[getgoin]

Good internet connections all around. Let me get this right. You are going to have Thai kids trade other people's money on the internet? Sorry, but it sounds like a flawed business plan.

[Paagai]

I am actually going to hire young Thai kids/students to trade the companies money. The trader would receive a small salary and then % of profits. I think there are enough college students in CM area to accommodate the business. The most important thing is having a reliable international internet connection.

Ummm, I know plenty of "young Thai kids/students" in CM, most of whom I wouldn't trust with a 100 Bt note to run an errand to the local convenience store! You want them to "trade the companies money"? My advice would be to rethink that one very carefully.

I'm not saying the right people don't exist, but finding the good one's from the thousands of students here in CM will be extremely difficult. Finding those with really good English skills will be your first problem.

A reliable international internet connection will be a problem anywhere in Thailand. All the local ISPs have their problems but generally the issues are with the international connections, and the ISPs routing to them, rather than the in country network; it's hard to get around this. You probably want connections from a couple of different providers to ensure reasonable up time.

For offices you might want to consider renting a shop house as the easy option. You have security concerns and a requirement to work irregular hours - that would rule out most multiple occupation premises. Also consider adding a security guard to your busdget, they are cheap enough here.

[butterisbetter]

I would second what Paagai wrote about international connections. Lots of times I have problems with very slow international connections even though my line itself is working perfectly. I know this because I test the line at various sites that offer upload and download meters. The problem is that Thailand doesn't have enough international portals. The Thai government has been very reluctant to allow more companies to create such portals. If I had a business that depended on instantaneous and super reliable internet service, i would have to give thailand a reluctant miss.

My experience is that Malaysia offers much butter internet service at a lot lower cost. For what it's worth, the level of english proficiency in Malaysia is, on average, a lot higher than it is in Thailand. Which is not surprising, since Malaysia was a British colony.

[jil]

I am actually going to hire young Thai kids/students to trade the companies money. The trader would receive a small salary and then % of profits. I think there are enough college students in CM area to accommodate the business. The most important thing is having a reliable international internet connection.

This has got to be a joke. Anyone who knows anything about day trading knows that this is impossible.

[Sean606]

I am actually going to hire young Thai kids/students to trade the companies money. The trader would receive a small salary and then % of profits. I think there are enough college students in CM area to accommodate the business. The most important thing is having a reliable international internet connection.

This has got to be a joke. Anyone who knows anything about day trading knows that this is impossible.

Why would you say this? Please explain? This business model is working all over the world. Do you think it is impossible in CM or in Thailand in general?

Others comments about internet is something I was worried about. I know for sure that there are reliable international internet connections in Bangkok. Obviously a reliable connection does cost more money.

Does anyone have any experience in CM with a business international connection that is working well?

[mrsouza]

Hello to everyone,

...

I would like to thank everyone who is kind enough to give me their honest opinion/advise

There is a new serviced office complex on Hang Dong Road, not too far from Central Airport Plaza (on your right hand side going to Hang Dong). I have no idea about their prices, but it looks very modern and professional.

In terms of internet connection, the only way to go is with CAT Hinet. Between 2,000 - 6,000 baht depending on speed. Compared to the other providers, they are very reliable and their speed is very good at the hours you mentioned. You might want to get a CDMA-solution as a backup, just in case. It's about 790 baht a month from CAT as well.

[Paagai]

I am actually going to hire young Thai kids/students to trade the companies money. The trader would receive a small salary and then % of profits. I think there are enough college students in CM area to accommodate the business. The most important thing is having a reliable international internet connection.

This has got to be a joke. Anyone who knows anything about day trading knows that this is impossible.

Why would you say this? Please explain? This business model is working all over the world. Do you think it is impossible in CM or in Thailand in general?

Go to Hong Kong, Singapore or KL and I'm sure you'd find plenty of bright student types with good english skills and sharp enough thpught processes to do what you want. Unfortunately the Thai education system is not renowned for producing prolific quantities of this type of person. The few that have had a top level education (one which challenged them and taught them to think and ask questions) have enough of daddy's money not to need to be sitting in front of a computer at 4 a.m. for a "small Salary".

The above is a generalization but you should get the idea its not going to be easy. Bangkok would probably be easier than Chiang Mai.

Does anyone have any experience in CM with a business international connection that is working well?

Nope, but plenty of experience of the not so good ones! We are currently considering CAT as mentioned by mrsouza. CAT have the advantage of providing the international connections for thailand so in theory you get more direct access without going through another ISPs infrastructure first.

BTW, I believe these are the offices mrsouza refers to: www.theofficeplus.com Nice but expensive as I recall.

[mrsouza]

We are currently considering CAT as mentioned by mrsouza. CAT have the advantage of providing the international connections for thailand so in theory you get more direct access without going through another ISPs infrastructure first.

BTW, I believe these are the offices mrsouza refers to: www.theofficeplus.com Nice but expensive as I recall.

CAT also has the advantage that they do not use phone lines, but pull their own cable to your house/office. That makes a real difference. I've been using them for almost 5 years both in Phuket and CM, and compared to the others they are a lot better. Not perfect, but good enough for a business that relies on internet.

Yes, that's the office place I thought of. I am sure they are willing to negotiate lower rates considering the market situation.

[chiangmaibruce]

Do you have employees? Your neighbors do not mind the traffic?

No employees, but well-used including by Mrs CB for providing tutoring for local students. The apartment was ground floor and adjacent to the car park so coming/going did not disturb anyone.

[Sean606]

Go to Hong Kong, Singapore or KL and I'm sure you'd find plenty of bright student types with good english skills and sharp enough thpught processes to do what you want. Unfortunately the Thai education system is not renowned for producing prolific quantities of this type of person. The few that have had a top level education (one which challenged them and taught them to think and ask questions) have enough of daddy's money not to need to be sitting in front of a computer at 4 a.m. for a "small Salary".

The above is a generalization but you should get the idea its not going to be easy. Bangkok would probably be easier than Chiang Mai.

Singapore and Hong Kong are out of the question because expenses are higher than Chicago(USA). "Small Salary" with the ability to make 1,000 plus USD a month? Frankly, I would not want any young kids who did not want to be rich from commission check!

Day trading is not rocket science! It is closer to a video game! I do not need highly educated kids. I need kids who want to be rich!

I do agree that my best option is Bangkok. Hopefully in Bangkok I can steal some traders from some existing trading shops.

Thank you everyone for your replies!

Sean

[elektrified]

Go to Hong Kong, Singapore or KL and I'm sure you'd find plenty of bright student types with good english skills and sharp enough thpught processes to do what you want. Unfortunately the Thai education system is not renowned for producing prolific quantities of this type of person. The few that have had a top level education (one which challenged them and taught them to think and ask questions) have enough of daddy's money not to need to be sitting in front of a computer at 4 a.m. for a "small Salary".

The above is a generalization but you should get the idea its not going to be easy. Bangkok would probably be easier than Chiang Mai.

Singapore and Hong Kong are out of the question because expenses are higher than Chicago(USA). "Small Salary" with the ability to make 1,000 plus USD a month? Frankly, I would not want any young kids who did not want to be rich from commission check!

Day trading is not rocket science! It is closer to a video game! I do not need highly educated kids. I need kids who want to be rich!

I do agree that my best option is Bangkok. Hopefully in Bangkok I can steal some traders from some existing trading shops.

Thank you everyone for your replies!

Sean

I wouldn't invest 50 Satang with a joker like you!

[clonetom]

Kids playing "video games" with other people's money

That's exactly what the world needs right now...

[Sean606]

Kids playing "video games" with other people's money

That's exactly what the world needs right now...

Just an analogy

With the internet more and more businesses are going to relocate to cheap labor countries. In the trading industry why pay a good trader 50-80% of profits when in Asia can pay 15-40%? In my opinion the Asian kid is going to work much harder to be successful.

Thanks again to everyone who provided productive advise. I believe the best place to open the business is in BKK. CM internet stability is not stable enough yet.

Thank you,

Sean