The concept is social enterprise, which means our ultimate business goal is to profit society and, at the same time, for us to gain a reasonable amount of profit. By doing this, we insist and emphasize on the sustainability of our business, which is different from NPOs [non-profit organizations] since they don’t usually generate enough money [to be self-reliant]. The signature of Ma:D is that we provide a like-minded community for people who want the same things. Our staff create an atmosphere where interacting with strangers isn’t awkward. We sit down and talk to our customers in order to understand them inside out. By doing this we are also able to find out if what they are doing can actually create an impact on the society. This is how we got the name Ma:D: in Thai, it means you are with good intentions while in English, it can be read as “mad” which is normally how the people who want to change the world are thought of. 

 

At first, a lot of people were doubtful as to whether this is going to work because it is a very new kind of business, but I believed in it. Events actually help a lot in spreading the idea of social innovation as they allow people who think alike to meet and connect as well as open up to new ideas. 

 

We are now working on coming together with two other spaces: Hubba and Pah Space. Each space answers the needs of different kinds of people and, by uniting the three together, we allow people from different business sectors to meet and to be introduced to new ideas. We are also planning on utilizing sustainable energy which we hope to be a model for other people. We believe people who live in this neighborhood have a lot of purchasing power and are ready to adapt to new lifestyle. Even a small change in our habits can make a difference.