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CurtisD

Travel in the Time of Omicron – A Saga

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Posted
6 hours ago, CurtisD said:

..... fanciful thoughts of acquiring a monopoly on alcohol between 2-5pm, and selling glasses from my stock at outrageous prices to parched Falang. It is an excellent Sancerre and I happily consume my cache, parched Falang be damned.

some of them are far-sighted and acquire their own cache just to avid that parchment

Posted
9 hours ago, CurtisD said:

It does not take much empathy to understand that while Bangkok Guy needs and likes the financial support I provide, he also needs love. He has a romantic heart but beyond that, sane and well-balanced as he is, I sense a need for emotional support. I don’t know his full family background, but there is a deficit there that needs to be filled.

 

Hmmmmm.....Whose needs and deficits are we fulfilling here?  😉

Posted
13 hours ago, bucky13 said:

Hmmmmm.....Whose needs and deficits are we fulfilling here?  😉

Am I projecting my needs onto Bangkok Guy?

I don't think so. I hope not.

Relationships work better the more you understand the other person, so I am interested in understanding him.

Given the language and cultural barriers, there is a large opportunity for mis-interpretation.

Given Bangkok Guy's very factual nature and lack of a poker face, there is some hope I may get enough right.

Posted
1 hour ago, CurtisD said:

 

In the morning we follow Bangkok Guy’s habit of sleeping in if there is no specific reason to get up. I enjoy drifting along next to him. We leave the room in time for lunch and Shopping at IconSiam.

........

We do not go to Bamboo Bar tonight as Bangkok Guy points out that we have an early(ish) start in the morning.

no doubt, no doubt

Posted
17 hours ago, CurtisD said:

The discussion then turns to his business. His experience with the market stalls is a textbook case of the need for differentiation and defensibility in a business model, without which you can’t maintain steady volume and reasonable margins.

WOW, Curtis, I did not realize you are a SHARK!!! HAHAHAHA

Posted
10 hours ago, CurtisD said:
18 hours ago, GWMinUS said:

WOW, Curtis, I did not realize you are a SHARK!!! HAHAHAHA

We prefer Lamniformes enabled. 

Then you must not watch the US TV Show "Sharks"?? Check it out and see if you are a future Shark. Helping a young entrepreneur get a start in business!! ☺️

Posted
4 hours ago, GWMinUS said:

Helping a young entrepreneur get a start in business!!

I actually view the sharks as those waiting to take advantage of those poor young entrepreneur haha. 

Posted

OH not on the popular TV Series SHARKS here in the USA. There is a panel six sucessful business people. Usually 2 women and 3 men plus a guest. Entrepreneurs appear to pitch their business to the Sharks and if there is interest, one or more sharks will invest in the business and offer their advice and support hopping the business will make money!!

But what Curtis says about a sucessful business needing differentiation and defensibility in a business to be successful is often repeated by the Sharks. That is why I made the comment. I have also preached this to my friends in the Philippines. But I feel they do not GET IT!!

SAD!!!

Posted
2 hours ago, GWMinUS said:

 

But what Curtis says about a sucessful business needing differentiation and defensibility in a business to be successful is often repeated by the Sharks. That is why I made the comment. I have also preached this to my friends in the Philippines. But I feel they do not GET IT!!

SAD!!!

Like any third world country, it is indeed difficult to create a d & d business without a large capital outlay in the Philippines. IP is often ignored, so creativity does not mean that you got the edge. 

I would be very much interested in your sage advice on how to create such business. 

Posted
10 hours ago, GWMinUS said:

Then you must not watch the US TV Show "Sharks"?? Check it out and see if you are a future Shark. Helping a young entrepreneur get a start in business!! ☺️

You are right, I did not get the reference. The only other time I have been called a shark it was intended as a complement by a friend who I helped when he had trouble with his bank, "It's great to be friends with a shark", but it was one of those complements that are, well, possibly best left unspoken, such as "I really like the way you use a knife in a fight". 

 

2 hours ago, orson said:

I would be very much interested in your sage advice on how to create such business.

Many ways to do it - IP, a more efficient business model which gives a cost advantage, better product design or quality, better sourcing or logistics, branding, greater scale etc - but it is not simple, easy or static (i.e. what is differentiated or defensible now will cease to be so in the future).

The concepts are also relative to the competition, not an absolute universal standard. In Bangkok Guy's case he needs to find something which is differentiated and defensible relative to other market traders, not relative to Amazon. 

Posted

Loving your report, it is a very nice read.

One question, are you willing to divulge your tailor's shop name? I'm always interested in finding quality tailors.

Posted
1 hour ago, vaughn said:

Loving your report, it is a very nice read.

One question, are you willing to divulge your tailor's shop name? I'm always interested in finding quality tailors.

I sent you a message.  

Posted

Boss car = Honda Accord

Which some of us still think of as a Ford Cortina competitor.

Posted
20 hours ago, CurtisD said:

I like Bangkok Guy. I like him a lot. We will connect again some time after June for the trip around Thailand and that will give us time together to figure this thing out

Lovely report so poetic enjoyed it so much.

If you take my word be very cautious if you decide to move him to your country I heard too many sad stories of couples broke up because the Wester culture is a bit of a shock to Thai's whom could not addopt and returned to their country it's better to take things slowly and if you decide to move him to your home it's better to give him a period of experience before you two make any serious commitment to each other.

May I ask how Iong you know Bangkok Guy  ? How old is he ?

Posted

Thank you, Curtis, for a tender--and at times poignant--account of your trip. You took us many places, including the storied Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental. I first learned about it in John Burdett's first Bangkok novel, "Bangkok Eight," in 2003.

The Bamboo Bar - Bars On The Chao Phraya River | Mandarin ...

Very much looking forward to what plans Bangkok Guy has in store for you going forward!

 

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