| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : FEBRUARY 5, 2001 ISSUE | |||||
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| FRONTIER -- FEATURES
ONLINE EXTRA: A Web Designer's Minimalist Approach Over the past five years, as entrepreneurs have scrambled to build market share, Dirk Wilken has done the exact opposite. The Dutch national moved to Bangkok in 1995 and opened a Web design shop, Beebop Internet Solutions. When Thailand's economy collapsed, Wilken made all the right moves: marketing his services abroad, cutting expenses, hiring part-timers. Yet when frontier spoke to him in March, 1998, he was eking out a mere $22,000 a year. Rather than hustling for new clients, Wilken dropped all but one -- Asia Auto, a London-based outfit that gathers intelligence on Asia's automotive market, which pays Wilken's company $65,000 a year to manage its Web site. Since face time is not an issue, Wilken is free to roam the world, jaunting to places like Spain and Hong Kong while working from his laptop. "Nothing is perfect, but this comes pretty close," says Wilken, 41. Nor is he worried about losing his single fat-cat client. When you live a low-maintenance life, he says, it's easy to have a soft landing. By Stephanie B. Goldberg _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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