by Saiyai Sakawee
Looking to create a website? Want a better social presence and SEO but don’t really know what to do? Meet Pronto, a Thailand-based internet presence management service.
“Shine online” is Pronto’s slogan. It provides services such as creating a website, social media, blog, and helps clients maximize their SEO on a subscription base (starting from $247 per month). Overseas rivals include Genacom and Delta Decision.
Pronto co-founder Derek Brown explains how the service works:
Think of Pronto as a website management all-you-can-eat buffet. While working with us, they can update their content, upload photos, change wordings, as many times as they want. We charge our clients monthly, with no contract, meaning they can stop being our clients anytime.
From Microsoft to Pronto
Derek worked for Microsoft in the US for nine years, then he was appointed to a position in Thailand. Working for Microsoft Thailand for three more years, he decided to leave the company and stay in Thailand, using his IT skills to start his own online business.
Thai labor and operating costs are relatively low. That’s a good reason to persuade expats to stay in the country to found a business, but Derek also personally likes the country. Derek added:
Thailand’s Board of Investment has a great program for IT investment. From a government perspective, Thailand helps us and fast-tracked us for BOI approval.
Also, he believes that Thai people have the skill-set for IT businesses. Plus, tools and software nowadays allow companies to operate from anywhere. Pronto operates using WordPress, SaaS, and cloud services.
Thailand-based with international clients
Although Pronto operates from Bangkok, Thailand, there’s only one Thai client out of its 950 business customers. Its clients are from 13 countries, mainly from English-speaking countries such as the US, Canada, and Australia.
Pronto has sales and customer service offices in Hong Kong and the US, but 100 percent of its production happens in Thailand.
Focus on English speaking clients for now
Pronto aims to serve small- and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) clients as the company doesn’t provide project or campaign services. Right now the company only supports English. Derek says he might consider Spanish in the future but he’s not really interested in other markets right now – and particularly not China, as he can’t compete with the cost disadvantage.
In the next five years, he expects the firm to grow to 10,000 clients.
Although there are many rivals in this sector, Derek insists they offer the complete package and can do some more cheaply out of Thailand:
Pronto is not a common service. Our number one competitor is “the old way of doing it”, which means going to a developer, finding a copywriter, calling the person, and paying for each update. We want the clients to only worry about their businesses, and we will take care of the rest.
Pronto is a self-funded company. Although it has been approached by a few VCs, Derek says he values the independence. As of right now, the company is run by the two co-founders, Derek and his son, Cory.
(Editing by Steven Millward and Anh-Minh Do)
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