My Name is Wasu, and This is my Blog.

I started this blog as a companion to my reading challenge in 2021 (100 books in 6 months).

Wasu.Blog is a blend of business guides and digital health critics, with expertise in acquiring valuable insights for innovative IoT and longevity companies. With a background in engineering spanning over half a decade, my team and I have utilized a diverse range of hardware and software tools. As a result, I am now one of the most well-equipped solo entrepreneurs in the smart business landscape today.

Way to Smart Business

This blog quickly emerged as one of the top solo smart business blogs in existence. Within a year, it garnered significant attention and left a lasting impact, all without spending a single dollar on advertising. Not only did local and international businesses take notice, but even universities recognized its value. Today, I have the privilege of teaching thousands of readers and students the art of launching profitable smart services, whether independently or with a small team. However, the path that led me to where I am today was anything but straightforward. I have always tried to develop products throughout my life. Still, multi-tasking and self-depreciation made me quit during the dip.

Here’s how it happened:

I meticulously plan every detail behind the screen before embarking on a new venture. Countless hours are spent researching existing products, web hosting, accounting, and social media profiles. I even create communication structures to ensure everything falls into place seamlessly upon launch. It takes days of perfectionism before summoning the courage to share my vision with friends, in an effort to avoid rejection. And when the moment finally arrives, I excitedly invite a select few to explore my remarkable new online business. However, contrary to the belief that sharing ideas holds you accountable, I must confess that it often backfires. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way.

It feeds your ego, but not much more.

Next, when it finally comes down to where the rubber meets the road, I never gave it my all. Something seems more important, and the urgency to accomplish it is not there. Instead, I stayed in a protected shell, hiding my personality from the outside world.

If I didn’t put my face on it, I thought it wouldn’t hurt me as a person when it went sideways.

This blog shows the first time I made the smart service works. Here are my assumptions why so: 

• I learned enough about myself through my business engineering to connect the dots. It is more about doing something meaningful, no matter for incomplete it is.
• This blog is under my name, putting me at the forefront, piece by piece.
• I did tell some friends and family, but not until I finished various research challenges and hands-on projects.

“About Me” pages are usually treated as CVs, showcasing professional accomplishments and awesomeness. While I do appreciate a splendid success story, what truly captivates me is the tale of someone who’s fucked up their life, only to turn it around and become the person they aspire to be. It’s the journey of resilience and redemption that truly inspires me.

Here is my story – I hope it shows you who I am.

In 7th grade, I enrolled in the same middle/high school as my dad and uncle, and unfortunately, bullying became a daily occurrence. But, in all honesty, it’s not surprising considering it was an all-boys school. However, this phase didn’t last long. By 8th grade, I underwent a transformation from being just nerdy to proudly embracing my identity as a computer club enthusiast. I eagerly sought out programming and robotics projects, immersing myself in a world that fueled my passion. My dedication knows no bounds as I strive to become the epitome of a true nerd.

Besides staying busy with school and guitar lessons, I remember watching a lot of MTV after school (back when they played music). It was classic episodes with a constant stream of Eminem, Jay Z, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Blink 182 – you know the good stuff.

In 2005 when I was 14, my sister went to the Czech Republic. So in 2007, I followed the path and went to Montana, US, to live with a lovely host family for my exchange year. Me being an exchange student from Thailand is out of place in the big sky state of Montana. But I tried to fit it the best I could, and it was worth every day trying.

I was a cowboy.
There were just too many cows on our ranch.

Run for track and field team
Thanks for lending ’em cleats

It was a surprise to Muay and me that we both got a scholarship to do it, but it was one of my best experiences. Even after I got there, I attended various school scholar competitions like a FIRST robot, chemistry, and math. But also all types of sports, I learned that sport was the only way I can find friends. My school basket teammates were my true buddies.

I did well in both TH and US high school – I didn’t have to try too hard to get A’s and B’s. However, the old demons of bureaucracy chimed in, and it turned out that I had to repeat the year in school because TH and US credit systems are incompatible. As a result, all my friends left me for college, and it was a catch-up game. I swear my sister and I must have given my mom and dad grey hair from 16 to 18. We are very stubborn which what we want to do and doing it. I stayed late, went on a date with my first girlfriend, and got in my fair share of dumb situations courting her around the city.

However, I finished high school with solid grades and was accepted to Thai university SWU in 2010, just to quit it after one year of college to make a trip to Japan.

This afternoon TV show interviewed me about why I find Japan attractive. I talked about Japanese engineering and summed up my view about the show. I vividly remember when my family and I said goodbye in front of the airport security check – my parents cried, and other family members stood nearby. I felt sad, but the pure freedom of true independence washed over me. “Here we go,” I said to myself.

Made it to the drawing class.

Founded in 1911, Kyushu University is the largest national university on Kyushu Island, southern Japan. With about 20,000 students next to mountains and beautiful beaches, Kyudai is a tremendous academic institution (and a world-class vacation school). It’s also windy and remote – literally. But, with classes running from Ito Campus, which is on the other peninsula – you have all the freedom you need in life.

These conditions weren’t the best for a spiraling party kid like me. But, looking back now, I was clueless about freedom and its worth (and could have saved a lot of time and money by going to community college in Thailand). But I stayed responsible for a while.

During my first year, I met new students from many programs. I took every job opportunity to learn about different career paths. I was a translator, an interpreter for food export, pet clothing, animation, and the Thai government.

Undoubtedly, the food export-import expo was the highlight. Every prospect offered us a sample to taste, and they were absolute killers.

One day, I went to a precision machine manufacturer called Nakashimada factory again for the translation of the machine brochure that they will use next months. It was the first time I was exposed to how society revolves outside the university fence. The manager Mr. Uchiyama was impressed by my translation work and said to his colleague, “If you want to invest in this man, you might want to do it now.” This makes me think about how to treat people and the word of investing in others. Can I invest in people? That sounds strange because I have never considered supporting someone as an investment. Now that I thought how interesting. The merit and benefit of knowing people and having them trust in you that they want to invest or support you was a straightforward experience. I witnessed how it changes one’s life path.

Along the side, I started teaching. I loved the exchange so much that I devoted most of the time outside college planning the class.

The students were so dear to me even though I was the youngest in the room. They taught me instead of how to treat others in life.

The lesson I quoted myself.

[จริงใจ The last of the Thai language classes]

I tried to interview for a teaching position in the second year of college. The time I spent with my students is the proudest part of my life in Japan, and it is a memory that makes me happy when I look back on it, even when I am far away from Japan. Moreover, it was an excellent opportunity to uncover and see what kind of person I am.

“Teachers are also nurtured by their students” – Mr. Arashima.
”先生も生徒に育てられるもの” -荒島父さん

Every day I pushed my boundary and got away from life in a college. From the money I gathered from jobbing, I bought myself a bike, and from that day, I was riding it every day as a means to disappear.

My friends were great – I remember we had a regular birthday party. We managed to pack almost all class people into our tiny apartment in the dorm – ahh, 2012.

In sophomore year, I moved out of my dorm and into an apartment with an American friend. I didn’t change majors but had no idea what I wanted to do with my life but didn’t care, still floating around too much – and my grades started slipping.

Plus, I got even more active in teaching; I took a working student job as a TV reporter, which snowballed into a big long-term thing. After that, I became the first name on the list of the guy who would do anything outside school.

My junior year was when my bad habits fully caught up with study.

Initially, I began struggling with my classes and developed a newfound difficulty in keeping up with my responsibilities. Unfortunately, this mindset led to a dangerous habit of slacking off. When you start getting away with being irresponsible, your standards begin to slip, and once you miss a few classes, there’s no turning back.

I ended up asking for help from my lab friends. They were tutoring me and helping me with my robotic thesis. I am so in debt to all of them.

Despite my incapability, I devote myself to this graduation project with the hope that it will bring joy to my life. I am determined to make a change in others’ life—especially who need a bionic limb. I wish to provide a tool to support people who lack a specific body part to live up to their dream.

I will start with this Bachelor’s project.

Although I struggled inside, I always tried to hide it from the surface.

Inspired by the movie “Life of Walter Mitty,” I made the bold decision to leave Japan and pursue my studies in a new country. With the ABC motto in mind – Adventure, Bravery, and Courage – I find myself embarking on a new chapter of my life in Germany.

My survival instinct kicks in, and my learning curve picks up again as I must Deutsch screen. It was a mixed feeling of the sense of ‘I am going somewhere and the importance of ‘wad da heck I am doing here.’ Yes, the parties go on even when studying is tough, and I failed exams.

One head hunter in the UK thought I would be a good fit for a management trainee/engineer position in Japan. So I took a gut shot and somehow landed the job.

The problem is that I needed to finish college to keep the job. I would not make it if I kept failing exams. I gave up and told myself to find a new job.

Long story short, I –one of many engineering graduates started my first professional position in the Autopart industry and later founded a sidepreneur. Then got kicked out of it, put on virtual probation, and moved back to square one with no runway left to start a new business.

This development was the kick in the ass I needed at the time.

While working on a factory shop floor and diesel part production at Bosch, I started learning about digitalization for the industry in this new distraction-free time of my life. There weren’t any comprehensive IIoT courses in the company. Still, I saw the pilot project in different plants because it was both future-oriented and practical. Many technical teams have streamlined production and opportunities to initiate a digital movement in a manufacturing setup. So I began dreaming up IoT ideas by helping others with their digital transformation projects – RPA, Knowledge Transfer Database. Anything I could get my hands on.

Three and a half years as a management trainee has been a ride. I am proud to say that I have given everything I have. The lesson I learned from my first full-time professional work is that the power comes with the usefulness of your performance; Hard skills, soft skills, and network.

One can be anything if you are willing to learn anything. Of course, it takes time, but never as long as you might think.

Since the start, I’ve completed my engineering major in just four years. But what if I break it down and focus on the core knowledge? It could be done in as little as two years. I’ve proven this to myself through various ultra-learning projects. It’s incredibly empowering to discover that I have the ability to become anything I aspire to be.

Then some bold moments took place, and they turned my life upside down.

What does a man do in the Hollywood film when he wants to improve life? – Read.

So I started reading books – 100 business books. I gave myself six months to finish it. Other engineering graduates could also repeat this challenge. The eagerness to turn my life around is out of the chart; I did it while blogging the summary on my blog—spending on average 5 hours daily – reading and writing.

Six months after the reading challenge, at 29 years old, I quit my engineering job with an average salary and moved to Germany. After that, I made some money as an IoT business developer at an energy company while studying for an MBA at my previous university in Aachen.

However, I struggled to gain a new financial runway for my next venture.

Then a 10-day personal development seminar altered my life; such courses gave me a framework I can make sense of. Fourteen others and I were stuck together in a room for three months. After the wrapped up, I finally began to understand myself at the deepest level:

• My fear of failure and rejection kept me from launching a project.
• I learned that I could not compare my present to others’ past.
• I better grasp that imperfection can be vastly improved later.
• Ultimately, the seminar expressed that one must be authentic to move forward.

It’s hard to describe how it related to many lessons I read from the book challenge. Only now is it straightforward. I knew that I was on fire after that long seminar.

On returning from the work trip to Brüssel, I turned on my favorite music playlist and started scribbling a smart business pitch deck.

I planned to sign up for an official incubation competition (which was about six months out) to give myself enough time to start building up competencies in Germany safely. I pitched until I was accepted to join the program, but with one requirement: I needed to find two more co-founders. But I didn’t want to stagnate my passion, so I set off after a month to ask a different professor in the engineering program to support me on the technology proof of concept. They have saved me time – She directed me to an opportunity to test key elements of my smart service idea.

By month three after the pitch, I realized this was twice as much as I could have done in ideation compared to managing shareholders and fighting off legality from the beginning. But this doesn’t mean I give up on my journey of developing my own business.

I started with admitting my previous mistakes, facing the truths, and making sense of what happened.

The newsletter from University Incubator Hub arrived; they were looking for an entrepreneur that fucked up: I pitched and got to share my journey at the Aachen start-up week event.

I ran the full 7-minute talk that summarizes a handful of mistakes. I told them, “If you are the part of the process, you are a company’s bottleneck.”

Subsequently, I began offering my services as a volunteer at various start-ups and meetups. It dawned on me that fear had hindered me from sharing my life experiences. I hesitated to openly discuss my past mistakes, a burden I had carried for more than ten years. However, I constantly reminded myself to challenge my limitations and embrace personal growth.

I was on the journey of becoming that guy I wanted to be – no more holding myself back.

Where I Am Today

By late 2021, I had a good understanding of business needs in digitalization. I led an engineering team, managed e-commerce projects, and had IoT stack-building experience. Now, I am researching Digital Health Business in Switzerland, aiming to make preventive care a success.

At last, I felt prepared to apply this knowledge and embark on a journey of self-employment. I came to realize that humans tend to adapt swiftly to circumstances, such as fighting for their careers. It struck me that whether we find ourselves trapped in a stagnant situation or enjoying a life of abundance, it all boils down to a daily choice I have the power to make.

Not my employer. Not society. Not my past. Not my parents. Only me.

“Darling, in the end, you’ve got to be your hero because everyone is busy trying to save themselves.”

Everything I learned (and struggled with along the way) was the only path to get me where I am today.

I will have a blast at work and in life.

We are in the world of business engineering now. I am not saying that when I was born, the world was different. Indeed it was the same; I have been chasing after computer science and other engineering classes since I was young. I wanted to get a bachelor’s degree and be more productive, happier, relaxed, convenient, etc. But, when the balance of the digital world is so hard to maintain. Soon, the digital functionality you are unfamiliar with will gradually become your comfort place.

Needless to say, formal education is not the means to the end.

At some point, you may experience something extraordinary—a profound feeling when reflecting on the past. Achieving a level of flexibility that allows you to find contentment in any situation can bring comfort and satisfaction. The key lies in finding joy in imperfection. This realization served as the catalyst for me to embark on a venture in the realm of smart services, determined to make it a success.

You Can Do It Too

My blog’s purpose is to publish my journey from kickstart so that we can learn from each other.

Like many of us, I juggle side projects while working at my company. My goal is to provide you with the framework and ideas to supercharge your projects. I never had someone give me a solid foundation or step-by-step problem-solving advice to go from block 0 to block 1. That’s why I want to be part of your business journey as an engineer.

I don’t plan to hit a jackpot income to lay on a beach back in Thailand (just yet). There’s a lot more work to do. But, I have more experience to share, more ideas to test, and more engineers to connect with.

Because that’s my core identity – I’m a teacher at heart.

My biggest thrills in life come from the realization that when I meet someone new and learn something together, that will change our lives altogether. Starting a smart service and creating side hobbies can bring you joy and career advancement. It could be launching a side project to advance your understanding of smart devices and smart economy or making your engineering knowledge worth its value. It could be as simple as making income with consultation or telling your unique story to the world and getting paid for it.

My dream is to help you there faster, no matter your motivations.

"Life is too short to live with regrets. So love the things that make you smile, let go of the things that make you cry, and believe that everything happens for a reason. Follow what your heart longs to take; it's your time to shine. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. You are far from what you once were, but not yet whom you are going to be."
– The Last Lecture.

If you have read this far, I appreciate the time you took and deeply valued every relationship I make from this blog.

“Can engineers work in a business?” I’m here for you as a business-developing guide and a friend. I try to respond to every email and want to hear your story – both the good and the bad. I want to build a laid-back community where new business-inspired engineers can collaborate, provide encouragement, and work smarter. Since we’re all new businessmen, we must band together and rally together to win. One last thing I want to say to you:

Many thanks for reading.

Ps. I hope your life story brings you peace, freedom, and happiness.

You don’t have to solve all the problems, just the ones you care about.