It is not true that it takes money to make money

Gil shares his impressive achievements with PCEC members and guests; he is the founder and owner of Premier Property Management Co., home of The Pool Doctors, Mister Cool, and a variety of other branded home services. He is also the owner of Sunrise Tacos Pattaya.

It is not true that it takes money to make money, said presenter, Gilbreth (Gil) Brown, at the Pattaya City Expats Club meeting on Sunday, January 13. He was speaking on the topic “How to Be an Entrepreneur in Pattaya.” Nor, he said, is it true that money is the root of all evil, noting that this concept dates from the middle of the last century.
Gil, who describes himself as a “serial entrepreneur,” runs a number of business and income ventures in Pattaya. He has been in Asia for a quarter of a century and is fluent in Japanese and Thai. Gil is the founder and owner of Premier Property Management Co., which itself is the home of The Pool Doctors, Mister Cool, and a variety of other branded home services. He is also the owner of Sunrise Tacos Pattaya, and the author of several well-known self-help books.

MC for the day, Roy Albiston, invites new visitors to introduce themselves, before calling on Gilbreth (Gil) Brown to speak on the topic “How to Be an Entrepreneur in Pattaya.”

He continued by noting that not having enough money creates stress, including with one’s life partner; prevents independence; stifles curiosity; is emotionally unhealthy; and creates resentment. Further, in defining wealth, he said this is basically income minus expenses. If people feel squeezed, they tend to try to reduce expenses instead of boosting income. He believes that increasing income is the better choice.

Member Sermsakdi updates members on forthcoming events in Pattaya and Chonburi; former chair Richard Smith looks on.

In Gil’s view, many foreigners who come to Thailand to live have the impression that making money in Thailand is difficult; that it would mean getting involved with the police; and that not speaking Thai would be a liability. In fact, Gil said, none of these are barriers. Gil acknowledged there may be issues concerning work permits, but he said that this too was more perception than reality.
He said that there are many ways to increase one’s personal wealth, and that not all of them involve starting a business. Gil talked about two kinds of income: passive and active. Examples of passive income are royalty from books, rental income and investments in the stock market. Examples of active income are teaching, tutoring, translating, editing and starting a business.
As one gets older, he said, it is only natural to want to transition from active sources of income to more passive ones. Further, one doesn’t need a fancy business plan to start a business venture. He said that some of his business plans were written on the back of a napkin; others were designed on the fly.
Gil recommends that those who want to start a business seek advice from people with experience. However, he advised, don’t listen to sceptics and naysayers among your friends and acquaintances. You need to embrace risk, not avoid it, he stated.
In conclusion, Gil pointed out that freelance work is very popular in the farang community. In addition, there is a severe labour shortage in Thailand. Consequently, Gil said, he has created two online marketplaces, eWork and eWorker. He said that these sites should be of strong interest to members of the PCEC. On eWork, at www.eworkthailand.com, people can find services or offer to provide services. On eWorker, at www.eworker thailand.com, those seeking employment can list their skills and employers can search for employees that have the skills they need for their business.
After Gil answered several questions, Master of Ceremonies Roy Albiston provided an update on upcoming events and called on Jerry Dean to conduct the Open Forum where questions are asked and answered about Expat living in Thailand; Pattaya in particular.
For more information about the many activities of the Pattaya City Expats Club, visit their website at www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com. 

Bangkok Hospital Pattaya launches fifth joint blood drive

Doctors, nurses, officers and citizens donate blood at this year’s first blood drive at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya.

Phasakorn Channgam
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya kicked off its fifth year of blood drives benefitting the Chonburi Red Cross.
Hospital Deputy Director Dr. Supakorn Winwan joined staff and officials from Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital Jan. 17 for the start of the “New Blood for This World” campaign.
Supakorn said previous blood drives have collected as much as 450,000cc to serve patients immediately and hold for emergencies. He noted that donating blood is considered a good merit-making activity.
Currently, the National Blood Center and Thai Red Cross are still facing shortages. People can donate at Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital or at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. At least three other drives are planned for the balance of the year.

Local politicians help raise funds for Banglamung Red Cross

Beautiful models treading the catwalk in the latest fashions are always a big hit at events like this.

Warunya Thongrod
Politicians sporting high fashion and musical performances highlighted a Children’s Day fundraiser for the Banglamung Red Cross.
Red Cross President Nuanjan Saeng-Uthai, in her last official role before moving to Chonburi, hosted the Jan. 15 affair at The Zign hotel. Nuanjan’s husband, Chawalit, took over the Chonburi Permanent Secretary post earlier this month.
Culture Minister Sonthaya Kunplome, MPs Santsak and Poramet Ngampichet, and Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome were among the community leaders attending the charity singing and fashion show. Everyone attending donated 5,000-10,000 baht each.
Proceeds from the event were added to the Red Cross unit’s reserve fund to aid the needy during disasters, as well as fund social missions.

Chonburi MP Poramet Ngampichet, wearing a handsome Thai outfit that he modeled in the fashion show, dances with guests.

Sonthaya & Sukumol Kunplome perform a duet during the charity fund raiser.

Sonthaya & Sukumol Kunplome perform a duet during the charity fund raiser.

During her last night as Red Cross president, Nuanjan Saeng-Uthai (center) dances with husband Chaowalit, who took over the Chonburi Permanent Secretary post earlier this month.

Chanyuth Hengtrakul woos the ladies and receives flowers during his performance.

Professional dancers perform the “Kapok”, a northern Thai traditional dance.

Guests take to the dance floor during the Red Cross fundraiser at the Zign Hotel, Pattaya.