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gtm_strategy

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GolfOkay GTM Strategy: Direct Package Sales

Strategy: Automate Tan’s operation → Scale direct package sales → Reach profitability fast

Not building: SaaS products for competitor agents

Capital: ฿5M for 12-month runway

Market Opportunity & Timing

Market Size (Validated 2024-2025)

  • 700K golf tourists annually to Thailand (TAT, AGIF data)
  • ~฿100K spend per trip (3× average tourist) - historical 2011 estimate, needs validation
  • ~300 golf courses nationwide (150-200 international standard)
  • Historical 2012 market value: ฿86B (not current); 2025 likely higher adjusted for volume/inflation

Distribution Reality

  • Majority of bookings handled by agents via manual workflows (phone/LINE/email)
  • Only a minority of courses have modern API-ready systems
  • Many courses still fully manual (accept this reality)
  • Fragmented, inefficient processes dominate the market

Digital Infrastructure Ready

  • PromptPay: 81M users (2025), 0.8-1.5% fees vs 3%+ cards
  • Digital wallets: 22% of POS transactions
  • Visa expansion: 93 countries, 60-day stays (doubled from 30-day)
  • Mobile penetration: High among expat/tourist segments

Current State

GolfOkay = Tan’s TAT-licensed company. Can sell packages as seller-of-record immediately. No regulatory blockers. Thai entity structure complete. Investor’s transport network provides immediate ancillary revenue synergy.

Competitive Landscape

Weak Incumbents

  • Club Thailand Card: 15K members, 200+ courses, legacy UX, no mobile app, opaque pricing
  • Golfasian: 192K customers, dominant DMC, but email/phone only, no self-service platform
  • GolfNow: Global platform, 3.5M users, lists Thai courses but weak local penetration
  • Major OTAs: List golf resorts but no dedicated tee-time vertical

Exploitable Gaps

  • No unified platform (real-time booking + transport + accommodation)
  • No price transparency or dynamic pricing
  • No mobile-first UX for consumers
  • No AI automation (50-65% of workflows automatable)
  • Agents stuck with spreadsheets and manual confirmation calls

Strategy: Direct Package Sales (Not B2B SaaS)

Why Direct Sales

Economics comparison:

  • B2B SaaS approach: 300/month)
  • Direct sales approach: 800 margin)

Unit economics per package:

  • Average package value: ฿100K (~$3,000)
  • Commission (15%): ~$450
  • Transport margin: ~$200
  • Ancillaries (VIP fast-track, equipment, insurance): ~$100-200
  • Total margin per package: ~$750-850

Path to profitability:

  • 20 packages in 90 days = $15-17K revenue (validation)
  • 75 packages/month by Month 9 = $56-64K revenue
  • Break-even at ~50-60 packages/month (achievable Month 6-9)

Why not SaaS for competitors:

  • 300/month SaaS seat
  • Revenue scales with package volume, not seat count
  • TAT license operational—can be seller-of-record immediately
  • Agents would use our tools to train their future competitor

GTM Phases

Phase 1: Automate Tan’s Operation (Months 0-3)

Build internal tools (not products to sell):

Intake & CRM:

  • LINE/WhatsApp webhook integration
  • Automatic inquiry capture and categorization
  • Client profile management (preferences, history, notes)

Quote Builder:

  • Template-based pricing (corridor bundles: Bangkok-Pattaya, Hua Hin, Phuket)
  • Dynamic pricing rules (peak/off-peak, group discounts)
  • Real-time aggregator API integration where available
  • Manual desk fallback for non-API courses

Booking Flow:

  • Automated tee-time confirmation (aggregator APIs)
  • Manual desk workflow for legacy courses (50-55% of market)
  • E-voucher generation with QR codes
  • Supplier confirmation tracking

Payment Processing:

  • PromptPay QR links (low fees, local preference)
  • International card acceptance (Stripe/2C2P/Omise)
  • Payment status tracking and reconciliation

Operations Board:

  • Driver assignment and routing
  • Course confirmation status
  • Day-of-play issue tracking
  • CSAT surveys post-trip

Goal: Process 20-30 packages through automated system in 90 days

Revenue: Direct package sales (~$1,000/package margin) + transport ancillaries

Team:

  • CTO builds solo for 6-8 weeks
  • Ops manager hired week 1-2 (฿30K/month + equity)
  • Developer hired week 6-8 (฿50K/month + equity)

Phase 2: Scale Direct Sales (Months 3-9)

Increase package volume:

Supply side:

  • 2 aggregator partnerships signed and active (200-500 courses inventory)
  • 10-15 direct course relationships (better rates via volume commitments)
  • Manual desk handling 40-50% of confirmations efficiently

Demand side:

  • Consumer LINE bot (lead capture, simple bookings, FAQ automation)
  • SEO for “golf Thailand” keywords (Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Phuket)
  • Targeted ads to expat/digital nomad segments (Facebook, Google)
  • Referral program (฿2-3K credit for successful referrals)

Operations:

  • Team fully operational (ops manager + dev + CTO)
  • Manual desk SLAs: <24hr quotes, <48hr confirmations for legacy courses
  • 50-65% workflow automation achieved
  • Transport attach rate ≥40%

Target: 50-100 packages/month by Month 9

Profitability: $50K-100K monthly revenue with 40-50% margins

Phase 3: Selective B2B (Months 9+, If Beneficial)

Only pursue if it accelerates direct sales:

White-label tools for courses (free, not SaaS revenue):

  • Give courses booking widgets/microsites
  • In exchange: preferred inventory, better rates, exclusive access
  • Not charging ฿8-15K/month—using tech as leverage for supply

Hotel concierge portals (drive package volume):

  • Simple interface for hotel staff to request golf packages
  • Routes demand to GolfOkay for fulfillment
  • Revenue from packages, not portal fees

Agent partnerships (qualified demand only):

  • Where agents bring high-value corporate/MICE bookings
  • Revenue share on packages, not SaaS licensing
  • Selective—don’t enable competitors

NOT building: SaaS products for competing agents at $300/month

Technology Integration Strategy

Hybrid Approach (Accept Market Reality)

Aggregator APIs (immediate):

  • Golfsavers (500+ courses, proven API)
  • GolfThai (300+ Thai courses, 22 years experience)
  • Launch week 1, instant inventory access

Direct course integrations (selective):

  • Golfmanager API (open source, used by premium courses)
  • Lightspeed Golf Partner API
  • Only where volume justifies integration effort

Manual desk (50-55% of market):

  • Staff handle phone/LINE confirmations for legacy courses
  • Pre-negotiated time windows reduce coordination overhead
  • Templated messaging and macros for efficiency
  • This is NOT a failure—it’s accepting reality

Payment infrastructure:

  • PromptPay QR (0.8-1.5% fees, 81M users)
  • International cards (Stripe for global tourists)
  • E-voucher system for manual workflows

AI Automation (50-65% Realistic Target)

High-value automation:

  • FAQ handling: 85%+ achievable
  • Simple booking requests: 65%+ achievable
  • Price alerts and recommendations
  • Itinerary modifications with clear parameters
  • Payment processing

Human escalation for:

  • Complex multi-destination packages
  • Policy exceptions
  • High-value corporate bookings
  • Problem resolution

Tech stack:

  • OpenAI GPT-4 for conversational interface
  • Anthropic Claude for detailed analysis
  • Aggregator APIs for real-time inventory
  • PromptPay/Stripe for payment processing

Capital Structure & Team

Total committed capital: ฿5M (~$150K USD) for 12-month runway

Equity Structure

  • CTO: 35% (4-year vest, 1-year cliff, early exercise allowed)
  • CEO (Tan): Equal or higher ownership
  • Investor: Remaining stake

Compensation

CTO:

  • ฿330K signing bonus (debt clearance, setup costs)
  • ฿100K/month base
  • Profit share reaching ฿200K+/month after Month 3 if metrics achieved

CEO (Tan):

  • ฿100K/month base
  • Profit share reaching ฿200K+/month after Month 3 if metrics achieved

Team hires:

  • Operations manager: ฿30K/month starting month 1 (+ equity sweetener)
  • Developer: ฿50K/month starting month 2 (+ equity sweetener)

Performance Milestones (Profit Share Triggers)

Month 3:

  • 15+ packages processed through automated system
  • Unit economics validated (฿20K+ average margin/package)
  • 50%+ workflow automation achieved

Month 6:

  • 30+ packages/month sustained run rate
  • 2 aggregator partnerships signed and active
  • Team fully operational

Month 9:

  • 60+ packages/month run rate
  • Revenue covering ≥40% operating costs
  • Clear path to profitability documented

Burn Rate

  • Months 0-3: ฿390K/month ($11.7K) including signing bonus amortization
  • Months 4-12: ฿280-480K/month ($8-14K) depending on profit share achievement
  • 12-month runway with ฿5M commitment

Governance

  • CTO: Full autonomy over tech stack, product roadmap, vendor selection
  • CEO: Handles sales, partnerships, investor relations
  • Conflicts: 48hr discussion → investor decides if unresolved
  • Pivot: Major strategy changes require CTO agreement

Exit Terms

  • Either party: 60-day notice
  • Vested equity retained, unvested forfeited
  • Terminated without cause: 3 months severance + 25% unvested accelerated

90-Day Execution Plan

Weeks 1-2: Foundation

Immediate actions:

  • Sign 2 aggregator MOUs (Golfsavers, GolfThai for instant inventory)
  • Lock automation scope (LINE → quote → booking → ops)
  • Staff operations coordinator ฿30K/month (manual desk coverage)
  • Integrate PromptPay + card payment rails (Stripe/2C2P)

Deliverables:

  • Aggregator contracts signed
  • Ops coordinator hired and trained
  • Payment infrastructure live
  • Development environment set up

Weeks 3-6: Build & Ship

Build:

  • Automated booking flow v0.1
  • LINE webhook integration
  • Quote builder with price templates
  • E-voucher generation
  • Operations board (basic)

Ship:

  • Process first 5 packages through system
  • Validate unit economics with actual data
  • Test manual desk SLAs with real bookings

Deliverables:

  • v0.1 deployed to production
  • First 5 packages completed
  • Unit economics validated (or adjusted)

Weeks 7-10: Scale

Increase volume:

  • Process 10-15 packages
  • Hire developer to assist CTO (฿50K/month)
  • Refine automation based on real usage patterns

Optimize:

  • Hit 50-65% automation targets for simple workflows
  • Achieve transport attach rate ≥40%
  • Manual desk efficiency improvements

Deliverables:

  • 10-15 packages processed
  • Developer onboarded
  • Automation metrics hitting targets

Weeks 11-13: Prove

Validate model:

  • Process 20-30 total packages through system
  • Revenue: $15K-17K from packages + transport
  • CSAT ≥4.6/5
  • Quote SLA: <24hr for standard requests

Document:

  • Updated pricing study (replace 2012 ฿/trip baseline with 2025 data)
  • Detailed unit economics breakdown
  • Path to profitability model (Month 9 targets)

Deliverables:

  • 20-30 packages completed
  • $15K-17K revenue achieved
  • Path to profitability documented

KPIs & Success Metrics

90-Day Targets

  • Revenue: $15K-17K (package sales + transport ancillaries)
  • Volume: 20-30 packages processed
  • Automation: 50-65% of workflows automated
  • Proof: Unit economics validated, profitable path visible

Month 9 Targets

  • Volume: 75+ packages/month
  • Revenue: $56-64K/month
  • Margin: 40-50%
  • Break-even visibility: Clear path documented

Operational KPIs

  • Quote SLA: <24hr for standard requests
  • Confirmation SLA: <48hr for manual course bookings
  • CSAT: ≥4.6/5 average
  • Transport attach rate: ≥40% of packages
  • Automation coverage: 50-65% of simple workflows
  • Manual desk efficiency: Handle 60% of confirmations with 1 FTE

Critical Success Factors

  1. Aggregator partnerships: Must sign Golfsavers + GolfThai or equivalent for instant inventory
  2. Manual desk efficiency: Accept 50-55% manual reality, optimize workflows
  3. Unit economics validation: Real data from first 5-10 packages confirms margins
  4. Transport attach rate: 40%+ critical for ancillary revenue
  5. Automation targets: 50-65% achievable with realistic scope
  6. Team hiring: Ops manager week 1-2, developer week 6-8 timing matters
  7. Payment integration: PromptPay + cards live by week 2 for fast checkout

Risk Mitigation

Integration complexity:

  • Hybrid approach accepted from day 1
  • Manual desk staffed early (week 1-2)
  • Not trying to API-connect every course

Demand validation:

  • Processing Tan’s existing flow first (proven demand)
  • Consumer marketing only after automation works (Month 3+)
  • B2B only if it drives direct volume (Month 9+)

Capital efficiency:

  • Lower ฿100K/month base (lean months 0-3)
  • Profit share aligns incentives with package volume
  • 12-month runway with reduced burn allows pivot room if needed

Team capacity:

  • CTO builds solo 6-8 weeks (realistic MVP scope)
  • Ops manager early hire (protect manual desk SLAs)
  • Developer mid-quarter (helps scale, not critical for v0.1)

Why This Works

  • TAT license active: No regulatory blockers, can operate immediately
  • Direct sales economics: 300/month SaaS
  • Hybrid integration: Accepts market reality (manual desk required)
  • Fast validation: 20-30 packages in 90 days proves model
  • Clear profitability: 75 packages/month = $56-64K revenue (break-even visible)
  • Strong incentives: 35% equity, equal partnership comp, performance bonuses

The path to profitability is packages, not SaaS seats.

20 packages in 90 days = $15-17K revenue 75 packages by Month 9 = path to profitability clear

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