Joana and Damian share their experiences and tips on succeeding in Thailand, emphasizing transparency and data-driven decisions.
Overview
In this episode of Made it in Thailand, I had the pleasure of speaking with Joana Button and Damian Sutton, a power duo who moved from Australia to Thailand and successfully established thriving businesses. Joana shares her transition from the travel industry to founding Simple Scalable Solutions and the Scalify platform, while Damian delves into his passion for Agile methodologies and his role as a technology leader. Together, they discuss the challenges of cultural adaptation, the importance of data-driven decision-making, and their mission to simplify technology for small businesses. Join us for a compelling conversation filled with insights, experiences, and invaluable advice for anyone looking to find success in Thailand.
What you’ll learn
- Embrace a growth mindset for effective problem-solving.
- Understand the vision, motivation, and capabilities for high performance.
- Education is practical application and continuous learning.
- Adapt and welcome new cultures for personal growth.
- Use digital transformation to enhance small business competitiveness.
- Simplify technology for scalable business success.
- Move beyond hustle culture to sustainable growth.
- Promote transparency and visibility in business operations.
- Align values with leadership and business practices.
- Balance curiosity, data-driven decisions, and human interactions.
Contact Details
Damian’s Bio
Damian Sutton fell in love with technology at an early age. Inspired by a “choose your own adventure” book, he started coding at 12 and developed his first game. He has since worked for some of the largest travel tech companies in the world, such as Agoda and Wotif. With over 20 years of experience leading high-performing global teams and developing software solutions for high-growth, high-yield, and high-volume online websites, Damian has successfully scaled businesses by driving growth and innovation through technology. He has not only become a commercially astute Chief Technology Officer but also one of the best technology leaders in the industry.
As the Founder and CTO of Simple Scalable Solutions and Scalifi, an all-in-one and customizable platform, Damian is known for his ability to solve and communicate complex technical challenges transparently, empowering business success through innovative, scalable solutions. His leadership is rooted in understanding a business’s purpose and vision, and he actively engages with teams and stakeholders to achieve technological excellence and scalable growth. Outside of his professional pursuits, he is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of tech enthusiasts and contributing to Bangkok’s local startup ecosystem. Damian relocated to Bangkok, Thailand from Sydney, Australia with his wife and two daughters in 2019.
Joana’s Bio
Joana Button is the visionary Founder and Director of Scalifi and Simple Scalable Solutions (SSS), a digital, technology, and innovation agency. With over 20 years of experience, she is a multi-award-winning strategist, problem-solver, and business mentor who has driven growth and transformation across the travel, tourism, digital, tech, and SME sectors. Joana has a proven track record of helping startups and SMEs grow and scale 10x in five years with SSS.
Her deep understanding of SME challenges led her to develop Scalifi, an all-in-one and customizable platform. Designed for SMEs, it integrates with and is built on the shoulders of leading technologies and industry giants like HubSpot, Salesforce, High Level, Notion, and more to empower them to achieve sustainable growth and success. Passionate about giving back, Joana actively supports the Australian and Thai communities through her CSR and ISR work as Vice President of the Australian Thai Chamber of Commerce.
In her spare time, she mentors the next generation of young professionals and entrepreneurs, co-chairs Inspiring Women in Travel Asia (IWTA), chairs NextGen, a community of Young Professionals, Young Entrepreneurs, and those Young at Heart, and is also the Director of Move Ahead Media, an award-winning full-service digital marketing agency. Joana relocated to Bangkok, Thailand from Sydney, Australia with her husband and two daughters in 2019.
