Next day, Khun Sak the landlord got back to Dr. Nush by phone about the details regarding the land and scheduling an onsite meeting. It is hard to believe that this approximately one acre land has been listed online only for a day and we happen to leave a message for our interest with the location. It may be a little too small, situated right in front of a boutique hotel. At first the landlord wanted to expand the hotel into its second phase, but due to the lower trends of hotel businesses at that time it had to be on hold. We checked out the location and it was a big yes! We did not have to go through an alley; having been surrounded by shophouses, we have a sense of privacy (just like a resort) despite being in the middle of the city. Behind the boutique hotel is Saen Saeb Canal, this makes it really accessible whether it is by car, boat, or even the trains. We can access this location from various routes: Thonglor, Ekkamai (via expressway), Rama 9, by boat (via Thonglor Pier, Saen Saeb Canal), by skytrain (Thonglor Station) and then take a motorcycle taxi during rush hour; it is also a few bus stops away from the subway station at Asoke junction. We stayed in contact with the landlord for quite a bit before signing a lease with the ‘Land Office’ to ensure longevity of our location and business operations.
There were many astonishing wonderful things that followed, giving us the confidence that we picked the right location. Dr. Nush met up with an account auditor whom she had never met to discuss about audit policy. As he entered the office, the first thing he mentioned was that the previous dweller has been waiting for the return of its previous noble owner, who happens to look just like Dr. Nush. LOL. Similar cases have been mentioned, Dr. Bug even asked his acquaintances to help look, and they said the same thing.
As we waited for the leasing procedures which took about two to three months, we proceeded with our business plans and contacted the bank. Finally, the day where our hearts raced had arrived! The day where we sign the land lease agreement, the first big chunk of our fortune had officially left our pockets; there is no turning back on this project! From the day we agreed to start this project at JW Marriot hotel (December 2016), we signed the leasing contract on 8th of September 2017; it was about nine months in the making. We got the location; our next step is funding. How do we manage this SME which is so fueled by our raw passion?