Cambodian Campfire

Meet Sopheap. He runs a successful bicycling tour company in Battambong and is honored with a #1 rating on Trip Advisor. He says this is only his first step. Some day he will be prime minister.

One evening, we're throwing around ideas for fun. He can't expand his business by simply adding more bicycles. What about a campfire for tourists? Roasted fish and mango sauce, cricket concerts, star watches, Khmer ghost stories! 

By the next morning (early) he'd made a logo, figured out a balance sheet and made plans on how to get tourist traffic. He cleared the land, bought gravel, built and painted tables and didn't forget to buy fish. After a few days we had the greatest campfire party in Battambang. It was such a success that he posted online (instant likes) and designated his smartest female staff to head the new branch business.

Why is he doing business? It's the experience, he says. His plan is to become the leader of an opposition party in Cambodia in 15 years. As a student, he was told by a teacher that to be a political leader, you must make sure everyone likes you. That was not the last lesson he disagreed with. So there you have it! Cambodian Campfire.