‘I used to turn over £45k a month – now I run a diving school in paradise’

A chance piece of advice led ex-soldier Jon Matthews to a new career overseas

When Jon Matthews’ company collapsed in October 2020, he lost “almost everything”. 
His successful events firm was hit hard by the Covid lockdowns. “I tried to keep the business running by selling food and drink in car parks, but it wasn’t enough,” says Matthews, 46. 
He went from turning over £45,000 a month, to having just £1,000 to his name and a £400 monthly disability payment as his sole income.
So the ex-soldier upped sticks – in the middle of the pandemic – to Thailand, to start a brand new life. Now, just four years later, he has rebuilt a thriving business in paradise.
“The lifestyle is phenomenal. I wake up every day on a tropical island,” he says.
The only regular income Matthews had after his business folded was a £400 monthly disability payment, which he qualified for due to injuries he sustained serving in the RAF between 1996 and 2000. 
“There was no way I could live on £400 a month in the UK, so I decided to go to Asia, and the only country that was open there during the pandemic was Thailand,” he says. “Some people I met there suggested diving, so I did a course and fell in love with it.”
Matthews qualified as a diving instructor, but didn’t want to work for the dive centres that already existed on Koh Tao.
“I didn’t like how the local diving schools operated; they were too money-orientated, without enough focus on diving or safety,” he says. “I realised that the only way I could teach diving how I wanted it to be taught was to set up my own diving centre.”
Jon started Escape Divers in January 2023, but initially struggled to attract customers. So he opened a hostel – and in the year and a half since it began, its value has more than doubled.
He took out a loan to get things off the ground, and also sold shares in the business to seven investors. They each paid £5,000 for a 5pc stake in the business in mid-2023. “One of them is preparing to sell their share for £12,000, which is more than double what they paid,” he adds.
Each month during the high season, Escape Divers attracts approximately 750 people and turns over the equivalent of between £26,000 and £39,000.
What is Matthews’ secret to growing a successful business in a short period of time? 
“You need to understand people. It’s not about knowing the industry: I’m new to diving, I’m new to Thailand – but I understand people,” he explains. “I choose the right people to run it, to teach the diving and to sell the business, and I understand the target market. Anybody can run a business if they understand people.
“I’ve got an incredibly good team, and I do everything by the book. A lot of the nearby dive centres only have one or two Thai staff – we’ve got 14. I employ people from the local community.”
Matthews prides his business on the quality of the instructors it employs. One of them is Claus Rasmussen, who was instrumental in the Thai Cave Rescue in 2018, when 13 children were brought to safety after becoming trapped in a flooded cave in the north of the country.
Thai law states that domestic businesses must be majority-owned by Thai nationals, so a close friend owns 51pc of Escape Divers, although she has forfeited her rights to profits.
Opening a hostel abroad may sound like a dream come true, but Matthews urges caution. “Things are very different over here: you need to be prepared to lose everything. I’d say start small and let the company grow itself. If you want to start a business in Thailand, you need to find somebody from here that you trust implicitly, along with the right accountant and lawyer,” he says.
“You’re not going to get rich by owning a hostel in south-east Asia, but you will fund a lifestyle. I don’t need much; I own a tiny house and a motorbike, but I’m in paradise. If you want an amazing lifestyle, then it’s absolutely worth it.”
Due to his military injuries, Matthews believes that he will be in a wheelchair in a matter of years. 
“I want to know that I’ve got some kind of income to support myself. It won’t be a massive income, but I don’t need it to be. It provides me with beautiful food and a roof over my head, away from the hustle and bustle of the UK.”
Recommended