ET

Example Trading Co

Hi Ploy,

You just metSteve

Example Trading Co: Kitchen equipment for Thai hotels since 2009

ET

Example Trading Co

Ploy Example

Managing Director

example.com

Three things I noticed

What stands out about Example Trading Co

  1. Deep supplier relationships

    Exclusive distribution for several European brands is a moat that newer online sellers cannot easily copy.

    "Exclusive Thailand distributor" listed against four European brands on the brands page
    Source: their website

  2. Service is the hidden product

    An in-house service team means every installed unit is a recurring relationship, not a one-off sale.

    Service centre page: "24-hour callout for installed equipment", 12 technicians named
    Source: their website

  3. Hotels are spending again

    Tourism has recovered and hotel refurbishments are back on the calendar, which is the core buying moment.

    Illustrative: hotel refurbishment tenders up year on year in the 2025 industry outlook
    Source: industry reports

Opportunities for optimization

Where I would take a deeper look

I may not have the full context of your business, but here are some initial observations that I would want to explore further.

  • The trend

    A steady business in a market that has changed around it

    Revenue has eased for a few years while buyers moved online and price-compared more. That is a process and channel problem, and both are fixable.

    Where I think I could help
    RevenueNet profitTHB
    020M40M60M37.9M202120222023202420252021: revenue 48.2M THB, net profit +2.1M THB2022: revenue 45.1M THB, net profit +1.3M THB2023: revenue 41.8M THB, net profit +400K THB2024: revenue 39.5M THB, net profit -600K THB2025: revenue 37.9M THB, net profit -1.1M THB

    Source: DBD DataWarehouse

    Show the numbers
    YearRevenueNet profit
    202148,200,0002,100,000
    202245,100,0001,300,000
    202341,800,000400,000
    202439,500,000-600,000
    202537,900,000-1,100,000

  • Margin compression

    Revenue eased 21% over four years while net margin moved from 4.4% to -2.9%. Costs have not followed sales down.

    vs industry median net margin 5.1%

    Source: DBD DataWarehouse

  • Admin costs rising

    Selling and admin expenses grew from 18% to 26% of revenue between 2021 and 2025.

    vs peer range 15-20% of revenue

    Source: DBD DataWarehouse

  • Interest expense growing

    Finance costs roughly doubled since 2022, likely stock held on credit for longer.

    Source: DBD DataWarehouse

  • 41

    Performance

    Slow

    72

    SEO

    Fair

    90

    Accessibility

    Good

    78

    Best practices

    Fair

    Website check, on a phone

    Hotel buyers shortlist on their phones; the catalogue is the first thing to make faster.

    Source: Google Lighthouse, mobile profile

Challenges at this stage

Businesses at this stage tend to run into these challenges

A business at Example Trading Co's stage: 37.9M THB in revenue (2025), registered as a small company, eight years trading.

  1. Challenge 1

    Serving every kind of client spreads the team thin

    What it looks like
    The site sells to hotels, restaurants, hospitals and schools across 14 product categories, and every inquiry goes to one general inbox.
    Why it happens
    Saying yes to every buyer pulls the offer, the pricing and the team in different directions at once.
    What I would do
    Pick the best-fit client type, put every inquiry in one CRM, and track response time and conversion by segment.
    Proof: CRM and ERP operating system 

  2. Challenge 2

    Revenue rests on one main offer

    What it looks like
    Equipment sales are the whole catalogue; the 24-hour service callout is listed as support, not sold as a contract.
    Why it happens
    When clients have nothing further to buy, every baht of growth has to come from finding a new client.
    What I would do
    Package the service team's callouts as an annual maintenance plan for every installed unit.
    Proof: Sales function from zero 

  3. Challenge 3

    Too much still runs through one person

    What it looks like
    One contact is listed for the company in the AustCham directory.
    Why it happens
    Demand grows faster than the founder can hand work over, so every sale and decision queues behind one diary.
    What I would do
    Write down the five tasks that repeat most, train the team on them, and move inquiries into a shared system.
    Proof: Teams, comp plans and reviews 

Observation to Action

Next Steps I Might Take

Each idea starts with something I noticed, what it means for the business, and what I would do about it. It all comes from public information, so read it as a starting point rather than a verdict.

  1. Idea 1

    1. I noticed

      Revenue has eased for four years while the market recovered.

    2. Which means

      The gap is likely in how buyers find and choose suppliers, not in demand.

    3. What I'd do

      I would map the buyer journey and fix the first two steps where deals leak.

    Proof: BTIS turnaround 

  2. Idea 2

    1. I noticed

      The service team is a recurring relationship with every installed unit.

    2. Which means

      Service visits are the cheapest moment to sell the next upgrade.

    3. What I'd do

      I would put service and sales on one CRM so every visit can open a conversation.

    Proof: Zoho operating system 

If I joined the team

My first 90 days

I am looking for my next role, and this is how I would spend the first ninety days if that role was with Example Trading Co.

  1. Phase 1: Days 1-30

    Listen and learn

    Based on: Showroom, service centre and import desk named on the site

    • Walk a hotel order from inquiry to installation
    • Ride along with the service team for a week
    • Rebuild the margin picture by product line

  2. Phase 2: Days 31-60

    Quick wins

    Based on: Admin costs at 26% of revenue; finance costs doubled since 2022

    • Cut slow-moving stock held on credit
    • Put service and sales on one CRM
    • Price quotes from live margin, not list price

  3. Phase 3: Days 61-90

    Foundations

    Based on: Four years of easing revenue in a recovering hotel market

    • A buyer journey that shows up in online shortlists
    • Service contracts as recurring revenue
    • Monthly numbers the whole team can read

Portfolio

A Few Past Builds That Might Be Relevant

  • BTIS turnaround

    +76% revenue

    Joined as COO in 2025. Revenue up 76% and the company's first profitable year after four years of losses.

    operationsgrowth

    Read more: BTIS turnaround
    Revenue 22.6M (2025)Net profit +675K (2025)THB
    010M20M30M22.6M202120222023202420252021: revenue 407K THB, net profit -800K THB2022: revenue 5.6M THB, net profit -5.9M THB2023: revenue 6.5M THB, net profit -5.7M THB2024: revenue 12.9M THB, net profit -1.8M THB2025: revenue 22.6M THB, net profit +675K THB
    Show the numbers
    YearRevenueNet profit
    2021407,192-799,735
    20225,640,756-5,856,129
    20236,489,139-5,650,599
    202412,875,944-1,815,444
    202522,614,435674,599

    Source: DBD DataWarehouse, Income Statement 2021-2025, data as of 12 Oct 2026

  • Zoho operating system

    1 pipeline, 17 people

    CRM, Bookings, Forms, Flow and Sign wired into one pipeline from inquiry to signed engagement, run by a team of 17.

    automationcrm

    Read more: Zoho operating system

  • This page

    Built live

    Built from a photo of a business card by an AI pipeline I designed. Scraped, audited, written and published in minutes.

    aibuild

    Read more: This page

Over to you, Ploy

I would enjoy a coffee to hear how you see the next five years.

Email SteveSteve on LinkedInBook a time

stevehazeltine@gmail.com