Karsten Aichholz is the perfect person to author the Thailand Starter Kit!, a website full of advice for ex-pats moving to Thailand. After nearly a decade of living in Bangkok, Karsten offers advice on everything from housing to fitness to grocery delivery in the Land of Smiles.
In our entertaining and fascinating discussion, Karsten explains how he went from corporate climber in Germany to one of the first nomadic entrepreneurs in Thailand’s video game sector.
Along with Thailand Starter Kit!, we also talk about Karsten’s Brewed in Bangkok podcast, an excellent dive into the hidden world of the most extraordinary people you meet in Bangkok.
“I took out a quarter of the money we had… It was a leap of faith, but I thought we got to do something.” – Karsten Aichholz
Travel Topics:
- Moving to Bangkok 10 years ago before ‘it was a thing’ [2:20]
- How to create a business from near scratch in Thailand [9:45]
- How 3,700 hours of EverQuest in high school paid off [11:02]
- Advice for freelancers: Creating a start-up? Find a platform to do your marketing [16:05]
- Another tip: A platform bans your product? Make a new platform! [16:30]
- Why Karsten actually loved working for a corporation [20:15]
- What can happen in German bureaucratic unemployment offices [26:40]
- When you almost run out of cash, you become less risk-adverse [35:20]
- How Karsten’s partner left the gaming world because he was ready for more intellectual pursuits [43:40]
- New dreams: Turning altruistic hobbies into a business [47:20]
- Wild stories accrued while living in Bangkok for a decade [52:07]
Karsten Aichholz’ Talking Points:
- Get a copy of:
- The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
- So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
- Highly recommended by Karsten, my Udemy Podcast Production Online Course
- Connect with Karsten:
- Connect with Thailand Starter Kit:
Music Credit:
Take Action:
When Karsten and his business partner almost ran out of money, he decided to take a risk that changed the fate of his company. SO go ahead and take a risk!