Post: #26

(06-24-2013 02:55 PM)RichieP Wrote:  

(06-24-2013 02:47 PM)FitAsFuck Wrote:  No one here mentions Santiago - is the only reason this could be attractive, the government founded Start-up Chile program?

Yeah heard about this here and there - can you break it down briefly?

Interested in this too.

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.

Napoleon Hill

Post: #27

Quote:1. Avoid Married Partners

I agree. I had nothing but conflicts of interest with an ex partner when I went against my gut instinct and allowed his wife to rent an office in my studio. From there it all went downhill. You will always be made out to be the bad guy when going against a "family".

Quote:3. Get a CTO or Technical Partner

A good way to test out if you can work well together is to launch a small project together to see if you guys can work together. This is arguably better than bullshitting over skype or picking up chicks. Deliver an actual small tangible project together to understand how you work. The way a guy acts when he's at the club and the way a guy acts when he's in work mode can be totally different. Test this out in real time with a small low-risk project.

Excellent idea. I was lucky enough to get into business with some partners recently that came out of some small projects. It was a happy accident.

In contrast to a new web based business that I am partnering on, I cant seem to get any solid dates for deliverables. Its frustrating, but knowing what their priorities are before the project starts helps. The nature of the startup is that the excitement causes all sorts of promises to be made.

Post: #28

Was it the fact that they were married or was it because they allowed the wife to MEDDLE in business matters?

Post: #29

Quote:I agree. I had nothing but conflicts of interest with an ex partner when I went against my gut instinct and allowed his wife to rent an office in my studio. From there it all went downhill. You will always be made out to be the bad guy when going against a "family".

Yes, this. And wow if she was there all the time that could not have been good. This reminds me of that documentary where Ewan McGregor is going to go on his childhood dream of motorbiking down through Africa. Then his wife gets all jealous and wants to join what is essentially a lifelong dream for two dudes who have been buddies since childhood.

Quote:In contrast to a new web based business that I am partnering on, I cant seem to get any solid dates for deliverables. Its frustrating, but knowing what their priorities are before the project starts helps. The nature of the startup is that the excitement causes all sorts of promises to be made.

Yup, that. Gotta take promises with a grain of salt until the contract is hammered out and actual work is being done.

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Post: #30

(06-24-2013 07:13 PM)xmlenigma Wrote:  Was it the fact that they were married or was it because they allowed the wife to MEDDLE in business matters?

Both of these things. She was actually on board with it originally but then we pivoted and she started freaking out about it.

Post: #31

(06-24-2013 03:36 PM)Staros Wrote:  

(06-24-2013 02:55 PM)RichieP Wrote:  

(06-24-2013 02:47 PM)FitAsFuck Wrote:  No one here mentions Santiago - is the only reason this could be attractive, the government founded Start-up Chile program?

Yeah heard about this here and there - can you break it down briefly?

Interested in this too.

I know a guy who raised capital with Startup Chile

http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News...d=17446227

It's interesting. I don't know if I'd choose Chile as a startup hub, per se. It seems expensive, boring, and far away from everything. However, for Latin America, they REALLY have their shit together. They are shooting up the rankings for starting a business. Sovereignman and DollarVigilante won't stop talking about Chile.

http://www.sovereignman.com/expat/so-why-chile-5342/

http://www.sovereignman.com/corresponden...rld-12064/

http://dollarvigilante.com/blog/2013/6/6...ries.html/

The low taxes, property prices and agricultural land, civilized culture - these are all things that are attractive to me about Chile. I feel similarly about New Zealand actually.


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Post: #32

Cracking run down of pointers for those of us just starting up YMG, lots of food for thought.

Post: #33

(06-24-2013 11:27 PM)chinadawg Wrote:  Cracking run down of pointers for those of us just starting up YMG, lots of food for thought.

Please take everything I say with a grain of salt.

Everyone's experience will be dramatically different.

I am definitely no business guru.

"Walk with those seeking truth... RUN FROM THOSE WHO THINK THEY'VE FOUND IT. "

If you want a real hard-hitting introduction to launching a highly scale-able company, read these:

Millionaire Fastlane

Work the System

How to Win at the Sport of Business

Lean Startup

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Post: #34

Quote: Was it the fact that they were married or was it because they allowed the wife to MEDDLE in business matters?

You could say it was both. Keeping a wife happy is paramount for any married entrepreneur. And a wife with her own business interests sees any threat to her and her husbands business as a direct attack on her children. Not pretty, and some pretty evil and vindictive things can come to rise.

Not to mention a complete lack of humour in times of stress and uncertainty. Men dont dwell on the negatives during these unavoidable times, instead we go for some beers and have a laugh over some stories on how it has been worse, could be worse, etc. This also does not go over well with the wife, as they seem to think that fretting away is accomplishing something.

It was not all bad though, women do bring certain things to the table. They can be really sweet and thoughtful at times, and can be good for diffusing heated bouts of testosterone fueled arguments.

But I would not be quick to partner with a man who had a wife that kept strict tabs on him. If I can trust that he has his woman and business separate, than I might. This would also give me an insight into his overall character.

Post: #35

(06-24-2013 04:04 PM)Laner Wrote:  

Quote:1. Avoid Married Partners

I agree. I had nothing but conflicts of interest with an ex partner when I went against my gut instinct and allowed his wife to rent an office in my studio. From there it all went downhill. You will always be made out to be the bad guy when going against a "family".

It's bad enough if a partner is domesticated by a woman who will st his priorities.

I went one level stupider and had a BF/GF pair working on a project with me, which I realize now is a colossal blunder.

When one of the pair gets pissed off at you, you lose BOTH collaborators as they have to show their loyalty to each other over you.

Post: #36

(06-25-2013 01:50 AM)iknowexactly Wrote:  

(06-24-2013 04:04 PM)Laner Wrote:  

Quote:1. Avoid Married Partners

I agree. I had nothing but conflicts of interest with an ex partner when I went against my gut instinct and allowed his wife to rent an office in my studio. From there it all went downhill. You will always be made out to be the bad guy when going against a "family".

It's bad enough if a partner is domesticated by a woman who will st his priorities.

I went one level stupider and had a BF/GF pair working on a project with me, which I realize now is a colossal blunder.

When one of the pair gets pissed off at you, you lose BOTH collaborators as they have to show their loyalty to each other over you.

Yeah and if they get pissed off at each other it's also really bad. They will waste time and fight and brood. It can get ugly. It turns from startup into middle school drama crap.

Post: #37

YMG, good thread.


I want to note that if you are starting a web based business that is mostly virtual, then you can live in most places in the third world, or even the second world for under 1k a month, depending on how you budget.

The key: lease agreement on a rental. At 6 months to one year in MOST places in the 2nd/3rd world (latin america, southeast asia, east asia, eastern europe) you can get an apartment for 400 USD a month or below. sometimes at 2-3 hundred dollars.

If you scope a place for a week or two while living in hostels, then choosing a longer lease while you build your biz would be smart.

With that said, the MIDDLE of america, is damn cheap. houses can be rented for 400 a month.

The other big thing is price of nightlife, since a little recreation can refuel the entrepreneurial engines.

Post: #38

YMG - I am wondering about such locations in South America. Thoughts? Why is Ecuador more expensive than Bangalore India?

(06-24-2013 08:25 PM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  

(06-24-2013 03:36 PM)Staros Wrote:  

(06-24-2013 02:55 PM)RichieP Wrote:  

(06-24-2013 02:47 PM)FitAsFuck Wrote:  No one here mentions Santiago - is the only reason this could be attractive, the government founded Start-up Chile program?

Yeah heard about this here and there - can you break it down briefly?

Interested in this too.

I know a guy who raised capital with Startup Chile

http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News...d=17446227

It's interesting. I don't know if I'd choose Chile as a startup hub, per se. It seems expensive, boring, and far away from everything. However, for Latin America, they REALLY have their shit together. They are shooting up the rankings for starting a business. Sovereignman and DollarVigilante won't stop talking about Chile.

http://www.sovereignman.com/expat/so-why-chile-5342/

http://www.sovereignman.com/corresponden...rld-12064/

http://dollarvigilante.com/blog/2013/6/6...ries.html/

The low taxes, property prices and agricultural land, civilized culture - these are all things that are attractive to me about Chile. I feel similarly about New Zealand actually.


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(06-25-2013 04:21 AM)Tenerife Wrote:  YMG, good thread.


I want to note that if you are starting a web based business that is mostly virtual, then you can live in most places in the third world, or even the second world for under 1k a month, depending on how you budget.

The key: lease agreement on a rental. At 6 months to one year in MOST places in the 2nd/3rd world (latin america, southeast asia, east asia, eastern europe) you can get an apartment for 400 USD a month or below. sometimes at 2-3 hundred dollars.

If you scope a place for a week or two while living in hostels, then choosing a longer lease while you build your biz would be smart.

With that said, the MIDDLE of america, is damn cheap. houses can be rented for 400 a month.

The other big thing is price of nightlife, since a little recreation can refuel the entrepreneurial engines.

I think, rather than COUNTRIES, let's outline what would be good BOOTSTRAP locations?
Some parameters:
- Low Rental Cost
- Good / Decent Infrastructure (Reliable High Speed Internet etc)
- Inexpensive Food Options (Farmers Market/ Organic Grocer, Healthy Restaurants)
- Surroundings having decent number of Hot Young Chicas

I am wondering which Cities in the US and Latin America would qualify?

I was looking at Rooms for Rent in and near Downtown Austin. Doesnt seem that bad. Great having UT Campus and 4th & 6th street as huge night & street venues.

Post: #39

(06-22-2013 05:24 AM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  Thailand (Chiang Mai) – a known heaven for e-entrepreneurs. Affordable, cultural, and exotic.

Chiang Mai highly recommended. Yes, it's a popular remote working destination, but it's not hard to avoid the foreigners there at all - just stay away from foreigner-dominated neighborhood. Simple. As always, most foreigners tend to congregate together and lose a lot of their sense of adventure abroad. I went out every night with my Thai buddies to nice places and rarely bumped into a foreigner unless I hopped on my bike and headed to the center. And there were none living in my neighborhood.

All that said, I present Chiang Rai as a great alternative to Chiang Mai. It's got a lot of the same feel, but it's more like Chiang Mai 10 - 15 years ago. Smaller and quieter, but good infrastructure, cheap, prices, cool weather, and a lot of the same overall vibe as Chiang Mai. Less air-pollution, I believe (double-check this as I'm not updated on the smoke problems in the north).

A very comfortable place to get some work done with less distraction.

On top of that, if you discuss it a little further, many Thais say the most beautiful women in Thailand come actually not from Chiang Mai but from Chiang Rai (or nearby Phayao if you want to go deeper into the jungle, but that city is a bit too small for most forum members).

If you like white-skinned Thai girls, this is the region to be in.

(06-23-2013 02:07 PM)InternetMarketer Wrote:  VP, one of my close friends visited India and took a bunch of photos on his trip. He showed me them...I was in shock. The dead bodies in their water + their disgusting hygiene. He even told me that one of his friends passed out drunk on a beach and woke up with a bunch of dudes doing a jerk circle around him. I thought he was bullshitting, but he isn't the type of person that makes up things like this. Im sure the country is beautiful in some places, but I don't plan on visiting India either.

India is a huge and extremely diverse country. While I haven't been there, I'd say doing a little research ahead of time could help you avoid places and situations like this.

(06-23-2013 07:18 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:  2) Consider Sacramento. Very nice city with good culture, girls are less snobby than SF, and nice, pre-war studios can be had for 800-900 on Craigslist and there aren't armies of yuppies fighting for them.

Also, it's a very comfortable 90 minute Amtrak ride to SF downtown, one timed change to an Amtrak bus ( one ticket purchase does it, no second ticket purchase) There's outlets on the train, and slow internet.

Also nearby Davis. University town with fresh air and plenty of young chicks. Don't have to go far to Sac-town. Boggled my mind how many Asians go to school there.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #40

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Beware "Burning Season" in Chiang Mai.

It's horrible and I literally was having chest pains while I was there. It's worse than Beijing and that's saying something.

Fortunately this only occurs during about 2 months of the year. I think it's March/April or April/May but you definitely should do your due diligence about this.

--

I've heard good things about Chiang Rai. Probably easier to get the rockstar effect there.

-

Post: #41

I'm going to play the Devil's Advocate here and say no to Bangalore for a startup.

Disclaimer: I live in Bangalore and know a few start-up people. Hence, my views are biased by their experiences.

In order for tech startups to bloom, it requires two things – a base of universities/organizations that train and provide talent on the skillset of technology and the ecosystem that makes people willing to stay in that area and build a career.

Bangalore has both of them to a very limited extent. I believe this is due to the lack of proper monetization ideas, the extreme focus on VC funding, the lack of an incubator/accelerator like Y-Combinator in the US and the lack of knowledge among general public/family members to pursue entrepreneurship. The last 2 are very crucial for startups to succeed here.
Most parents want their kids to be engineers/ lawyers/doctors here. Startup is at the bottom list of choices to pursue. And why would they pursue it given no ecosystem for support?

And if you created something unique, the IP laws are not stringent and helpful enough for startups to seek remedy.

Yes, you have funding from VC. Yes, you have MSM talking about startups. But there is no push towards creating an ecosystem.

Almost all the startups in a vertical are copycats with no proper idea of monetization. There are exceptions like Flipkart, Meru Cabs to name a few, which have succeeded while their copycats failed.

Having said that, there are still successful startups in Bangalore but the failures are many. I am not saying this to discourage you to come here but be realistic on your chances of success. Language is a barrier whether you admit it or not. Getting reliable people to work for (and with you) is a bigger challenge.

Its precisely for these reasons I say dont come to Bangalore and set up shop.

Post: #42

Nice thread.

I wouldn't really recommend Bangkok as a startup destination and not Thailand in general. Too few people speak English and Thais are just vastly different in their approach to working and hustling. That has been my experience at least. Bangkok is also quite expensive if you want any kind of comfort. The city itself is draining, hot and constantly noisy. That means you will spend more on nightlife and luxuries to compensate. Chiang Mai is probably the better choice, allthough I feel like there aren't that many truly motivated people, it is really more people looking for that chilled, stress free lifetyle - which is perfectly fine and my vice as well - but there really isn't that feeling of constructive chaos which you get from a high money growing city. In that respect Bangkok is better and they have Hubba startup coworking space(http://hubbathailand.com/), which I plan on checking out.

If I wanted to start some serious tech biz, I'd consider Estonia first and other eastern europe/baltic second. First of all, Estonia has tons of talented developers which is why Microsoft and Skype are heavily there. Second, it is easy to setup a biz and cheap. Third, there is no corporate tax rate only tax on dividends. Fourth, Estonians have a similar culture to mine, quite scandinavian without the feminism and socialism. Fifth, it only a couple of hours away from the rest of Europe unlike the far east.

Otherwise, I'd head for China from the get go, but that really only makes sense if you want to do something in China and why shouldn't you? It is a billion people who are getting richer by the minute.

The Phillipines is poverty style, but they speak English and their culture is much more western because they've been colonized. You can staff an office of english speaking designers, programmers and assistants on the cheap.

I've also heard good things about Bali.

In the end, it comes down to being able to find talented partners and freelancers as well as having that mix of freedom, crazyness and money. It is a rather rare combination for sure.

Post: #43

Interesting thread.

resourceful, as always.

i will need to read and do more research to see where i can apply it to my own particular situation. It will be excellent if i can blend these together synergistically.

YMG always bring the solid stuff.

Post: #44

(09-23-2013 06:34 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  Chiang Mai highly recommended. Yes, it's a popular remote working destination, but it's not hard to avoid the foreigners there at all - just stay away from foreigner-dominated neighborhood. Simple. As always, most foreigners tend to congregate together and lose a lot of their sense of adventure abroad. I went out every night with my Thai buddies to nice places and rarely bumped into a foreigner unless I hopped on my bike and headed to the center. And there were none living in my neighborhood.

All that said, I present Chiang Rai as a great alternative to Chiang Mai. It's got a lot of the same feel, but it's more like Chiang Mai 10 - 15 years ago. Smaller and quieter, but good infrastructure, cheap, prices, cool weather, and a lot of the same overall vibe as Chiang Mai. Less air-pollution, I believe (double-check this as I'm not updated on the smoke problems in the north).

Yeah, I will agree with you that girls from the north are very pretty to me at least.

But what about the language barrier? Do you speak thai?

Post: #45

(06-23-2013 09:19 PM)puckman Wrote:  I can attest first hand, that the only place to be if you are an engineer or on the business side in the internet business, right now is NYC.

What makes you say that? I'm in NYC.