Vedant Chawla on Business, AI, and Building a Life in Chiang Mai

Home - Lifestyles - Building a Life in Chiang Mai Thailand: Vedant Chawla on Business, AI, and Finding a Home When Vedant Chawla first visited Chiang Mai in February 2016, he did not know the city would one day become home. Originally from Agra, India, the city known around the world for the Taj Mahal, Chawla says Northern Thailand gave him something he had been looking for but could not easily describe at the time: balance. Now 32, Vedant Chawla, whose Thai name is วิดาล ชาวลา, has lived in Chiang Mai since 2022. He is the founder of Ownware Innovative Technologies, a digital services company working with clients overseas, including businesses in the United States. His work covers websites, social media, video content, online advertising, public relations, and, more recently, helping small businesses understand how to use artificial intelligence in practical ways. In this interview with Chiang Rai Times, Vedant Chawla spoke about leaving India, building a business in Thailand, learning Thai, creating jobs, and why he believes the future belongs not to artificial intelligence alone, but to people who learn how to work with it. You are originally from India. How did Thailand become such an important part of your life? I am from Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal. I first visited Chiang Mai in February 2016, and honestly, I felt something different here. At that time, I did not know I would live here later. It was just a visit. But when I came back and started living here from March 2022, the feeling became stronger. Chiang Mai always felt like home to me. It is not too fast, not too slow. You have nature, cafés, mountains, good food, friendly people, and still you can work and build something. For me, quality of life matters a lot. I think many people chase only money, but after some time you realize that peace, health, and the environment also matter. It started with travel and curiosity. I always liked exploring new places and understanding different cultures. But Thailand was not just another country for me. It had a certain comfort. There is access to a wide variety of foods, many cultures, and a balanced lifestyle. Especially in Northern Thailand, you can be close to nature and remain connected to the world. I work online, so I do not need to be in a big city all the time. Chiang Mai gave me that space to think clearly and work better. I think it happened slowly. When I first arrived in Northern Thailand, I expected to stay for a short period. But the longer I stayed, the more I appreciated the lifestyle. I found myself becoming more productive, less stressed, and more focused. In bigger cities, there is always pressure. Traffic, noise, rush, competition everything feels heavy. Here, I could focus on building my business without constantly feeling that pressure. One day I realized, okay, I am not just staying here temporarily. I am building a life here. That was a big moment for me, even if it was quiet. No big celebration, just a feeling. I work online with clients, mostly from different countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Japan, etc. Through Ownware Innovative Technologies, also known as Ownware Digital Marketing, I help businesses build their presence on the internet. That can include many things: graphics, websites, social media, video creation, PR, ads, and digital systems. In simple words, I help businesses get more customers and save time using technology. Many business owners are very good at what they do. Maybe they run a hotel, restaurant, travel company, online store, or local service. But they may not have time to build a website, create content, manage ads, reply to every customer inquiry, or use new technology properly. That is where I help. For example, if someone owns a small business, we can help them make a professional website, improve their visibility on Google, manage their social media, automate customer replies, and use AI tools to make daily work faster. The goal is not to make things complicated. The goal is to make business easier. My day usually starts with checking messages from clients and my team. Because I work with people in different time zones, the morning often begins with updates from overnight. After that, I plan the priorities for the day. Some days I am reviewing a website. Some days I am checking marketing campaigns. Some days I am writing content, creating ideas for videos, or testing a new AI tool. I also spend time talking with clients and understanding what they actually need. I think one mistake in digital work is assuming every business needs the same solution. They do not. A restaurant, a travel company, and a personal brand all need different things. So I try to understand the real problem first. I have a full-time team of five people, including three women. We also work with three to five freelancers depending on the project. For me, building a team is very important. I do not want to build something only for myself. One of my goals is to create stable jobs and meaningful career opportunities, especially for women and people from lower-income backgrounds. Talent exists everywhere, but opportunities are not always equal. Some people just need the right chance, the right training, and someone who believes in them. I try, in my small way, to create that. For me, success has never been only about making money. Of course, a business needs profit to survive, but that is not the whole story. When people have stable work and reliable income, it changes more than one person’s life. It gives confidence. It supports families. It creates long-term stability. A society with more meaningful work becomes stronger. I am especially passionate about creating opportunities for women and people from lower-income backgrounds because opportunity is not distributed equally. Some people have talent but no platform. If I can build a company that helps people learn skills, use technology, and create a better future, then the business is doing something bigger than just earning revenue. Business growth and social responsibility should go together. I really believe that. Leaving your comfort zone is not easy. When you move to another country, you leave behind your network, your reputation, your familiar systems, and even small things like knowing how everything works. In many ways, you start from zero. There were times when things did not go as planned. Building a business in a new country takes patience. You have to understand regulations, adapt to culture, communicate carefully, and earn trust. Sometimes I questioned whether I had made the right decision. But giving up was never really an option for me. I had to keep moving. Looking back, those difficult moments became my biggest teachers. They taught me patience, curiosity, and how to keep going even when progress feels slow. I think people often see the final result and assume it was easy. It was not. There were failures