Fashion Galleria deliver again and a deal has been done!

I am really super excited and pumped up today because I’ve just had contact from one of the business contacts I have made out here in Bangkok and they want to do a deal with my company. Not a huge deal, but it gives me hope, it puts some money in the bank and has already paid for this entire trip if it comes off, and it gives me some leverage locally.

It means that I can talk to other business people pointing out I’m already doing business with a local company, which will encourage them to look more seriously at me and to look at the trustworthiness of my business.

I know it sounds silly but I felt more confident because of the custom made suit I bought. It was a great talking point to tell them where I got it from. They were amazed that Fashion Galleria is widely recognised as a premier Tailor in Bangkok, but they haven’t heard of them. I even took one of the local businessmen there to introduce them to the company and he has made an appointment to get a suit there as well.

So it’s been great to get a tailored suit from a local Bangkok company, because it’s given me a foot in the door and allow me to make some connections, which has really helped I believe.

So I am really buzzing today because it means that I’m going to have a couple of days off now to chill out and get some much-needed rest in before I have the next round of meetings. The company I’m going to do the deal with are still talking to me and I’ve now put them in contact with my partner who is back home running the business, so they can iron out some of the details and then he can get contracts sorted out on our side, and get the whole deal looks over by our lawyer.

So it’s good times and it’s a great start to this business trip, I’m probably going to stay out it another two weeks to seal another deal and then that should be enough for now. I’m starting to feel a bit homesick and no amount of tailoring experience in Bangkok, fine living, or relaxation can make up for that. So I’m looking forward to getting back on the plane getting home to see my friends.

What a wonderfully lazy day it’s been

I took a complete day off today. I didn’t even contact the office back home. I was a bit exhausted I think the first week or so here has taken a bit out of me, it’s been quite stressful being on my own, getting to find my way around, getting used to the heat, having some stressful meetings and trying to make connections.

I have to also admit that last night I went out with a couple of guys that I met at the hotel and we got a bit drunk and so I was a bit hung over. So basically I just went to the park near the hotel and lay there and chilled out. It was lovely I just put my music on with headphones and had a lovely time.

It’s great to people watch, especially in a foreign country because you get to spot all the little differences in culture, the little differences in mannerisms and attitudes. It’s really fascinating.

I also popped into see the people at Fashion Galleria, the tailored suit maker just round the corner from the hotel I’m staying at in River city complex. They are really cool people as well, really professional, and I can see why they are widely recognised as premier Tailor in Bangkok, exceptional service and that’s why I’ve ordered a second suit. I had to go in just have the rough cut tightened up a bit, and they now say they be able to send that to me in a few days, and I’ll even bring over to the hotel again.

It’s great service on a personal level from a tailor like I haven’t experienced at home, so I’m recommending Fashion Galleria to anybody I’m talking to here in Bangkok!

But tomorrow it’s back to business, I have two meetings lined up, both in the afternoon so I will have to rush between them both. These connections are made from the lunch I had a few days ago. Two local businessmen in my industry who are not only interest themselves, have also passed on to a couple of other connections, so I’ve already made potentially four connections and it could be one solid deal on the table ready. I’m really excited about that, and I will update my business partner on that tonight once as I’m a bit clearer about everything.

Business meeting today, custom-made suit delivered

Well it was touch and go but the custom-made tailored suit I ordered from Fashion Galleria here in Bangkok arrived on the morning of my first big meeting today.

It really was touch and go and I was quite concerned because the suit I brought with me was quite standard and I really wanted to look professional for this meeting and also to have a talking point. Even before I arrived I knew that Fashion Galleria offers the ultimate tailoring experience in Bangkok, and I wasn’t disappointed, they even brought the suit to the hotel for me this morning.

It was a good talking point with the local businessmen that I met today because you have to have a connection and to show that you are interested in the local economy and connecting with them.

That’s really good and I’m really pleased the suit has arrived, it’s nice to find a premier tailor and to get great service and quality in the city like Bangkok.

Anyway, the business meeting went really well and I’m going out for lunch with a couple of them tomorrow to talk things over in more detail. So it looks like we might have a starter on getting a connection between them and my company in the UK. We do need to secure some cheaper materials and to have some marketing options as well. That’s really good and really pleased.

In fact I’m so happy with how things are going that I’m going out with a couple of guys from the hotel who I’ve met, local businessmen from the same country as me, who are doing roughly the same thing as me as well. So we are all going out for some food and also I’m going to order a second custom-made suit from Fashion Galleria! I’m going with one of the guys I met the hotel tomorrow, because when I told him about what a great tailoring experience they offer, he’s decided to order a couple of suits himself.

So things are going well at the moment, and I know that my business partner who is running the company my absence was really pleased with the emails I sent him earlier detailing how things are going already. Anyway, that’s enough for night I need to get some sleep because I got couple of things on tomorrow I need to sort out.

Had an amazing day looking round the best of Bangkok

This I’ve had a couple of free days while I’m here in Thailand, because I’m waiting for a couple of meetings are been organised in the week.

So I’ve been passing the time by having a look around some of the best areas of Bangkok. It’s a beautiful city and I’ve been all around. As I said before, my base is the Royal Orchid hotel which is in the River city complex.

Is really convenient to get to a lot of places, and it’s just around the corner from Fashion Galleria, which is widely recognised as the premier Taylor in Bangkok. And that’s brilliant because I wanted a tailor-made suit, but the prices back home are crazy, you can get one for a third of the price here, is just around the corner from the hotel and they are really high quality suits and high quality tailors.

I guess I have to recommend it, if you were coming to Thailand, then from what I have seen so far, they do offer the ultimate tailoring experience in Bangkok, and there’s nothing better than having some properly tailored suits in your wardrobe for making feel confident.

Anyway, I am waiting for my suit to be finished, I’m hoping it will be finished by the end of the week when I have these two meetings. They are high profile initial meetings, which if they go well should lead to more meetings and more connections being made over the next couple of weeks. I really need to hit the ground running because I’ve basically committed to spending a few weeks out here and I don’t want to be just sitting around. It’s great have some time off and look at the tourist attractions and get to experience a bit of the culture here in Bangkok, but also I do need to make some money for my company.

My partner back home will be getting a bit edgy if I spend a month out here burning money and having fun, but don’t seal any new business deals. So I really have got to be on my game and make sure that I don’t drift into apathy. It’s quite tough when you are alone in a strange country with mostly a strange language and strange culture, but I am already talking to a couple of English-speaking guys in the bar and so that’s making me feel less isolated.

Arrived in Bangkok getting fitted for a Fashion Galleria suit!

I thought I’d do a blog post now I have actually arrived in Bangkok after a long flight. This is my first time in the city of Bangkok, in fact it’s my first time in Thailand so I’m really excited about the fact I will be spending about a month here.

I’ve checked in to the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel. It’s a lovely hotel in a great part of Bangkok and the staff are really warm and inviting and although it’s quite expensive I’m sure I will enjoy my time here, and if I seal the business deals I’m hoping to then it will be money well spent.

I didn’t want to travel heavy so I only brought one suit with me. So what I’m doing is having a custom suit made for me while I’m here. Thankfully there was a company just up the road who do tailored suits. Fashion Galleria offers the ultimate tailoring experience in Bangkok, and I read about them before I arrived and booked an appointment for arrived as well.

I’ve been measured up for a suit and they were absolutely fantastic. Really professional, and I can see why they are widely recognised as the premier Tailor in Bangkok.

There was a level of professionalism I haven’t experienced even back home, and for the price they are charging for the quality of material and workmanship that I saw in the examples they showed me, I don’t think I can go wrong. Is going to take about a week to be made, so that’s okay because I’ve got a suit with me, and some of the meetings are going to be casual so I can just wear casual trousers and a shirt.

My first meeting is tomorrow, I’m meeting with the owner of a small marketing company here in Bangkok, close to the hotel in the River city complex, so that’s really cool because it means I don’t have to travel far. I’m a bit disorientated and suffering from jetlag and so it’s good that my initial meetings are going to be casual and close the hotel.

But after that I’m going to have a formal meeting in about a week’s time, so I’m hoping that my Fashion Galleria tailor-made suit will be finished and looking awesome so I can feel confident about the meeting.

There’s also a bit of a sly marketing idea in me getting a premier suit from Fashion Galleria, and that’s because it will be a talking point. I can say I’ve had this suit made locally by somebody who was recommended to me, and that will be a talking point and will show I’m interested in the local area and in the country, so will be great to be able to show off my new tailor-made suit and have it as a statement of my serious intent in forming relationships in Thailand.

Welcome to the blog of a nomad businessman

I did do an about me page but I thought I would make my first blog post a bit more about me and what I do. I think that will explain why this blog exists.

Basically I run a small business and I travel around the world a lot meeting clients and trying to build overseas trade. We employ 28 people and I’m hoping to double that workforce within the next two years, so the more deals I do abroad, the better it is for everyone.

I’m currently about to travel out to Thailand and spend a month there talking to a few local companies and building friendships to try and do a couple of deals. This is what I do three or four times a year.

The problem with it is, is that it can be very boring and lonely at times. Although I am driven and a business person, obviously everybody needs friends and family. So being away from home for about a month away from my friends and family can be horrible.

On top of that, it’s sometimes tough to communicate in different parts of the world and also when you are living out of a hotel, and every bit of social interaction is about business and you have to watch what you say and do and build relationships, it can be quite exhausting and lonely.

So what I’m hoping is that this blog can be just little bridge between me and home. I do keep in contact my friends, but I’m hoping to make this into a little bit of an online diary and then they can see how I’m doing and what I’m up to. And even if they don’t, I’m hoping that it will also be a time filler for me.

If I am sitting in my hotel room, or at the hotel bar on my own one night it will be nice to just spend an hour putting together a blog post about who I am, what I think, what I’m doing and where I’m going, just to get things out of my head and lay them out properly.

Anyway, that’s for enough for this first blog post. I’ve got to get ready to travel soon and there is a lot to do. I also have to hand over the company to my partner and there was a lot to deal with before I go. It’s a very strange time because money is tight and we are going through a transition, trying to build at a difficult time, so fingers crossed everything goes right.