It has been around 10 long and strenuous years since I got myself involved in running Jenny Sandal Factory all by myself. But its inception was way back in the year 2000 when my older brother and I embarked on this journey together. For 10 years, we operated Jenny Sandal Factory hand-in-hand, and at the same time, I would also look after our shop in Bhairab. But in 2011, after my beloved brother passed away, it not only affected me tremendously but also our business in the worst possible way. The business suffered a colossal loss, and being left behind to take care of it all alone, I was obligated to discontinue the business, at least for a little while.
The hiatus came to an end after about a year, and since then, starting in 2012, I became the sole proprietor of Jenny Sandal Factory. But my introduction to adulthood began with the agricultural industry back when I was 14 or 15 years old. From there on, I pretty much figured out how the rest of my life would turn. Because once you are forced to leave your education behind, it becomes highly unlikely that you get back to it, especially if you get committed to something full-time.
Running Jenny Sandal Factory by myself was ensuring that I go the extra mile every second of every day. I cannot express in words how exhausting and consuming it was for me to put in those extra hours in establishing Jenny into what it is today. We started with one small shop in Bhairab, and now we have expanded it to four. The factory is running as efficiently as it can. What pleasantly surprised me was that, even during the peak pandemic wave, my business continued to operate like any other regular day. Of course, the expenses went up and sales reduced, but we did not incur losses as much as other businesses did. Even though I had to be extra mindful of the daily costs and operational activities, I knew my workers required my business to remain open regardless. I had to be there for them at any cost, and so I was.
My future plan is very simple and brief. I only want to see my business expand further. Presently, I supply my products to Kishorehanj, Gazipur, Comilla, Bogura, and Mymensingh. In the near future, I want to dive into the markets of other districts as well. For this, I have been striving relentlessly. However, I know I have some bottlenecks to overcome to achieve this goal. For instance, I require around BDT 20 lac investment to purchase a handful of machinery for the purpose of cutting raw materials. I have also been carrying a loan of BDT 10.5 lac for the past 5 years, and it concerns me now more than ever.
Regardless of the unforeseen or expected hurdles I face, I am mentally very strong. I also have had huge help from LightCastle Partners and the B-SkillFUL project. They have provided me with nothing but continuous support and motivation. I received 3 sewing machines from them which greatly assisted in my business activities, and I know I will be receiving even more help from them in the coming days. Although I was scared to trust them at first, they proved time and time again that they are here only to help advance my business. And for this, I will forever remain grateful.