During this time, I read the Cluetrain Manifesto , by R. Levine, C. Locke, D. Searls, and D. Weinberger, a book that galvanized me on many fronts. For someone with a rude sense of humor and tattoos carefully hidden under a smart suit, I certainly sympathized with the managed self in a corporate environment. On another level, the book gave me many important ideas on how the future of business can look and what alternative routes my professional life can take. A key Cluetrain idea that captured my imagination is how the Internet can be used to champion smaller players in the market. Of course, all the passion in the world can't help a bad business idea.
Text messaging is cheap, convenient, and red hot in much of Asia.
It's also fast gaining ground in Europe. I'm a SMS freak myself and can type faster with one thumb on my handphone than with two hands on the keyboard. And I'm definitely not alone. On a recent trip to Manila, I walked into a busy bar and saw many heads bowed down as if in prayer. Most people in Singapore speak English, so not having to create a multilingual site is a big saving for a startup.