Phuvadol Thongthavorn was born and raised in California. After working as a programmer for companies like Yahoo!, Sony and NFL.com for 15 years, he came to Thailand for a few months’ break, fell in love with the Kingdom and has been here for more than three years. He founded www.blisby.com as an online platform for makers and buyers of hand-made products. Crafters can open an online shop via the website for free until the end of August while shoppers can browse through numerous unique products such as accessories, home decor items and hand-painted mugs. Check out the website and fb.com/Blisby for more information. HOW DID THE IDEA TO CREATE BLISBY COME ABOUT? I started Blisby because I saw the need for a place for Thai artists and craft-makers to sell their artwork online. I have met many people with nine-to-five jobs whose dream is to do something with more meaning to them. I want to encourage them to follow their dreams. That’s why we showcase not only well-known artists but also craft-makers next door on the website. HOW DOES BLISBY WORK? It is a self-service platform. People can sign up and open their own online shop within minutes. We spent many weeks designing the user interface to be a simple and quick way for a person to open a shop. On the flip side, Blisby is an online marketplace where buyers can not only discover new products but also hear the stories of the people who made them. We screen products as they are uploaded into our system to ensure they stay true to our criteria. Mass-manufactured products are not allowed unless they fit into the vintage or supplies category. We really want to offer the most unique hand-made products by local artists and crafters. I think it’s important to support the local economy and small businesses. PEOPLE CAN SELL THEIR PRODUCTS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS THEMSELVES. WHY DO THEY NEED TO SIGN UP WITH BLISBY? This is a very good question and Blisby believes you don’t have to choose one or the other. Artists and makers can use their existing social media channels to promote and sell. In fact, we encourage them to do so. What we offer is one central website where customers can come to browse, buy and learn about the makers. As for the sellers, imagine opening a Facebook page or website as being on a raft in a sea of websites waiting to be found, whereas Blisby is a large island with many shops and products. With Blisby, it’s easier for up-and-coming artists to get online and get discovered. We also offer back office services with tools to manage customers and orders. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED CREATING BLISBY? The biggest challenge is spreading the word that we are now open for business. It’s not very hard to convince handcraft- makers to sign up as the concept is very simple. In fact, before we officially launched the site, we had well over a thousand people subscribed on our waiting list with hundreds of

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Lifestyle > Interview
PROFILE
Phuvadol Thongthavorn was born and raised in California. After working as a programmer for
companies like Yahoo!, Sony and NFL.com for 15 years, he came to Thailand for a few months’ break,
fell in love with the Kingdom and has been here for more than three years. He founded www.blisby.com
as an online platform for makers and buyers of hand-made products. Crafters can open an online shop via the website for
free until the end of August while shoppers can browse through numerous unique products such as accessories, home
decor items and hand-painted mugs. Check out the website and fb.com/Blisby for more information.
HOW DID THE IDEA TO CREATE BLISBY COME ABOUT?
I started Blisby because I saw the need for a place for Thai artists and craft-makers to sell their artwork online. I have met
many people with nine-to-five jobs whose dream is to do something with more meaning to them. I want to encourage
them to follow their dreams. That’s why we showcase not only well-known artists but also craft-makers next door on the
website.
HOW DOES BLISBY WORK?
It is a self-service platform. People can sign up and open their own online shop within minutes. We spent many weeks
designing the user interface to be a simple and quick way for a person to open a shop. On the flip side, Blisby is an online
marketplace where buyers can not only discover new products but also hear the stories of the people who made them.
We screen products as they are uploaded into our system to ensure they stay true to our criteria. Mass-manufactured
products are not allowed unless they fit into the vintage or supplies category. We really want to offer the most unique
hand-made products by local artists and crafters. I think it’s important to support the local economy and small businesses.
PEOPLE CAN SELL THEIR PRODUCTS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS THEMSELVES. WHY DO THEY NEED TO
SIGN UP WITH BLISBY?
This is a very good question and Blisby believes you don’t have to choose one or the other. Artists and makers can use
their existing social media channels to promote and sell. In fact, we encourage them to do so. What we offer is one
central website where customers can come to browse, buy and learn about the makers. As for the sellers, imagine
opening a Facebook page or website as being on a raft in a sea of websites waiting to be found, whereas Blisby is a
large island with many shops and products. With Blisby, it’s easier for up-and-coming artists to get online and get
discovered. We also offer back office services with tools to manage customers and orders.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED CREATING BLISBY?
The biggest challenge is spreading the word that we are now open for business. It’s not very hard to convince handcraft-
makers to sign up as the concept is very simple. In fact, before we officially launched the site, we had well over a
thousand people subscribed on our waiting list with hundreds of messages thanking us for creating such a website. It’s
such a great feeling to know that we have this opportunity to serve the community of handicraft-makers. Within a year, we
will include an English version of the website to help Blisby members sell to international buyers.
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO CREATE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AROUND BLISBY?
We want to provide the tools for people to connect with the makers — something people don’t get from buying big brand
products. We will provide a community web board where both sellers and members can have discussions, teach and
learn from one another. In our blog, we offer great content on do-it-yourself projects and announcements on events and
workshops. We also interview artists and makers on their inspiration, their journey and their craft. Come to the website
and discover something unique whether to buy, sell or just browse. And please support our local Thai artists.
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