Running a Bar in Patong is something different allright -1-

When I arrived in Patong on the 10th of October I quickly got involved in J&B Bar, which lies outside the main gay soi (=street) in Paradise Complex, the gay quarter of Phuket's Patong Beach. The be more exact, J&B lies on the other end of what, all in all is a very small area and it takes not more then 20/30 seconds to get from one end to the other..... but being lasy tourist (not to mention the Thai themselves, its rather out of the mainstream.
Due to circumstances, which have to do with trying to rescue as much as we could from a loan given by Kik to the (previous)owner, that I decided to take over the bar by the 1st of November. All ofcourse in close contact and cooperation with Kik.
For me it was a low investment and a big learning opportunity about what it is to do business here in Thailand and in a gay setting at that!
People who I know in Bangkok adviced me last year to start small before going for bigger fish, just to learn with minimum risk involved. Well, this take over was the ideal opportunity for just that!
Location not ideal, neighbouring bars and restaurants not ideal... all in all one would not so easily step in a place like that BUT there's also the challenge.. and more then plenty for that there!

The Location.
As I said before, not ideal, out of the mainstream.... so why considering it at all? Because it gives the opportunity to try out things/formula's etc without too big a chance on loosing (too much) face by accepting the challenge at all and easier to put it down as a learning opportunity and experience.
The Neighbours.
The neighbours are all Thai owned bars and as such same kind of management. Meaning, not very consequential, changing minds an attitudes by the day, very hard to get to work together and what they do not understand they fight.. let alone the language problems.... hardly any of them speak decent english. Surprising yes because of the industry they work in, which is entertaining mainly foreigners who speak english, german, french or whatever but in general all understand and speak english.... except then most of their hosts ;-) Ergo communication without misunderstandings is rather a big challenge1 Maybe also because sometimes they simply don't like to understand you! And they do not easily admit when they do not understand you, so when one hears "yes, I understand" its allmost becomming an artform for a farang (= caucasian foreigner, like me) to determine if they do or don't... and then still you can be very wrong, haha
The busines itself.
J&B Bar, at the time I took over was a moneyboy bar, as they call it here. In other words, the staf was for rent/hire to go with the customer for his pleasure and entertainment. Next to that ofcourse they work in the bar and make it all functioning. I will not go into details but I suddenly found myself heading a 'rent-a-friend' busines, for a couple of hours, a day, week or longer!
NOw that was not what I would call an original bar for Paradise Complex, practically all the bars and restaurants within that complex are such locations where one can take off bar members of staff!
As I told Kik, I didn't mind all these challenges but I wouldn't like to run boys as a kind of pimp or madam. That simply isn't me and I don't like it though I respect all who do, as long as its done with honesty!

I decided that the first 5 weeks I would only observe and see what happened in and around the bar before choosing with Kik the way to turn the place in something we could relate to.

The bar at the time of take over was not running wel anymore due to tirednes of the owner, who also was a dear friend of Kik.

When I took over he stayed on, as all the the rest off the staff........ so for a while at least I had to be also, as they call it here, a kind of Mamma San.......... O, and before you think or ask it: No, I did not testdrive my workers in that specific area of their work, haha