East has factories in Pranburi and Phuket, with a third expected to open near the Eastern Seaboard by 2013. He is also currently chairman of the International Business Association of Phuket (IBAP).
When did you arrive in Thailand/Phuket?
I have lived in Thailand for almost 13 years now. The first seven years were spent in Bangkok and the past six based in Phuket, though I travel frequently around the country.
What made you think of starting a business in Thailand/Phuket?
I have never really been a good employee. I guess I am just too stubborn and headstrong to take orders.
Add to this my extreme desire for success and a sickening work ethic, and I guess it was always inevitable that I would run my own business.
What was your initial investment?
A certain amount of cash and a lot of blood, sweat and tears!
Landmarks in the development of your business?
From humble beginnings, our major landmarks can only be measured in the quality of the projects we are now being commissioned to work on.
We are now the company of choice for quality interior work, with a list of clients in Phuket alone that includes Trisara, Shang-du and The Village, Coconut Island, among others.
What was easiest to do in developing your business? What was most difficult?
The easiest thing to do in any business is to get carried away in trying to expand too quickly and the hardest is trying to hold back from doing so, especially when times are good. Steady, fortified growth is the mainstay of a solid and structured business that will last for a long time.
If you were to do this all again, what would you do differently?
There are certain times when you must listen to those around you with more experience.
At one point I was given some very good advice by a close friend and business associate but, being the way I am, I thought I knew better.
In hindsight, heeding this advice at a crucial time in the world economy, is probably the only thing I would have done differently, as it almost cost me the business.
But it is these trying times that give us substance and I am all the stronger because of it.
What do you love/hate most about what you do?
I love almost everything about what I do. The people, the clients, the creative work, the results, the list goes on.
Hate? Only two things: the stress levels and missing time with my family.
How is business right now?
Business is as tough as it always is. Anybody who says running a company is easy is either lying or not trying hard enough.
The most important thing for me is to take care of our employees. Without them,
we are nothing.
Where does your business go from here?
I will continue to drive the company and business in a sustainable way, something everybody should focus on.
This is critical to me, being an accredited professional GREENleader from the Sustainable Furnishings Council in America, we promote green practices wherever we can.
At the same time I am looking into other businesses, again all focusing on sustainability issues.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs starting up in Thailand/Phuket?
Join IBAP. You will meet many people who have vast experience of both successful and failed businesses in Thailand.
You will probably learn as much from those who have failed as you will from those who have run successful businesses. Either way, the association holds great monthly networking programs with professional speakers.