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I think I see a big false assumption in a lot of comments on this thread. That being, that good wifi only exists in cities. That's probably true in the US, an
by jasonkester 16y ago
I think I see a big false assumption in a lot of comments on this thread. That being, that good wifi only exists in cities.
That's probably true in the US, and to a lesser extent Europe, but in places like Southeast Asia, Central & South America, etc., the internet is everywhere. As in, pick the most remote beach you can find, and so long as there is a little grass hut to sell you beer, there will also be an internet cafe.
The cool part is that the more off the beaten track you go, the cheaper things get. Look in the jungle behind that beer-selling, wifi-having, hammock-laden beach bar and you'l find rows of little bungalows that you can rent for $200 per month.
Bootstrap your startup on a beach like that and suddenly "ramen profitable" becomes "paradise profitable", and you'll discover that you can live there indefinitely on just a few dozen new paid accounts per month. Or, if you prefer, do one day's worth of billable work per month to keep you living like a king.
Don't forget to send us a postcard.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- mdp 16y agoI'm typing this from my iPhone in a bar in Siem Reap, Cambodia, so forgive my brevity and spelling. Wifi might be prevalent in most places but quality and reliability will always be am issue. I've found it to be ubiquitous is SE Asia, however I've had days where slowness could cause even SSH to bog down to a few characters a minute. Bigger issue, do you mean travel or live in a foreign country? Because yes, you can very easily find a cheap country with good internet, but traveling itself can be a full time job when you're only spending a week at a time in one place. If it were me, I'd just travel, and do the startup later.
- rdl 16y agoThe biggest cost I see in doing a startup from rural SEA is that there's no one doing the same thing to meet up with in person periodically. That's the main advantage of the bay area (and of course access to customers, investors, and partners).
- toumhi 16y agoHey, I'm thinking about stopping by in Siem Reap when I set off to southeast asia (and start working on my project) in a few months. Do you have some tips about good places to stop by in southeast asia?(by that i mean, interesting places that are also work-friendly) Can I reach you somewhere (no contact on your HN profile)?
- byoung2 16y agoI travel with a Sprint Touch Pro 2 (GSM/CDMA hybrid) and with Sprint's international unlimited data plan for $40/mo I have 3G in over 100 countries. Perfect when there is no wifi around!