WORLD AQUACULTURE 23 so I found some restaurants and stores to sell to directly. Awareness on business trips helped me to grow my seafood business. I started everything very small but now these businesses are well established. Honesty in Business. As a young businesswoman in a foreign country, with no family or professional contacts and limited financial resources, I find that complete honesty is my best asset. Always paying my suppliers and staff and being honest about product quality gives me opportunities where others failed. Quick and honest answers and communication require that I answer the phone and respond to text messages at all hours in Burmese, Thai and/or English. Effective Cash Flow Management. With only limited funds and no bank line of credit, I balance payments and income on an hourly basis. Frequently, I sell products within hours of receiving them from fishermen so that I can pay them before the end of the day, when they leave the pier. Accurate Recording of Business Dealings. Most of my work is done with a handshake and no written agreements. Keeping track of the money I owe multiple fishermen and suppliers and the income I am owed by multiple customers, is a constant effort. Quick notes in a log book I carry, along with text messages on my phone, are collated into a spreadsheet every night. Personal Integrity in Leading by Example. As an aspiring aquaculture businesswoman in a border town with established prejudices against Burmese migrant workers, I have found that my personal integrity is my most important asset. Many of my Thai suppliers and customers only hire Burmese as day laborers or domestic help. By always being honest and paying bills on time, I demonstrate that Burmese and aquaculture farmers in general, can be good seafood business partners. It is important to me and my staff to demonstrate that immigrant workers can be successful and important contributors to the local community. I have worked hard to improve my Thai language skills and try to always have a positive and cheerful disposition. Sharing. I always believe in sharing. The people who share the most get sharing from others. By sharing what I know about the biology and business of soft-shell crab farming and other aquaculture, other people, including neighboring Thai soft-shell crab farmers, have been kind enough to share their knowledge with me in exchange. As my business has grown, my honest approach and willingness to share ideas and contacts has been rewarded by others sharing with me. Aquaculture professionals have invited me to speak about what I have learned and share my experiences at workshops and conferences, where I have learned even more. In closing, I want to thank so many of you in the aquaculture community who are reading this, who have been so kind to me as I have grown my farms and business interests. Please come visit my farm in Ranong, Thailand. Thank you so much. Notes 1 Noe Noe dedicates this article to the memory of her uncle, U Win Thein, who supported her from the beginning and who recently passed away from cancer. He came to live in Ranong because Noe Noe was there and stayed to help her grow her business. “He was an honest and hard-working man.” 2 CNN Aquaculture, Ranong, Thailand. noenoeinbk@gmail.com 3 Senior Consultant and Founding Partner, The Aquaculture Communications Group, LLC, Carleton Place, ON, K7C 3P2, Canada. dave@ aquacomgroup.com 4 Quinitio, E.T. and Noe Lwin, M.M. 2009. Soft-shell mud crab farming. SEAFDEC/AQD, Iloilo, Philippines. Growing tanks for grouper and lobster. Live grouper for market. Live hauling grouper and lobster.
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