I have been a school teacher since 1997. I love teaching kids. The very thought of having an impact on the growth and development of young minds that will change the world someday makes me ecstatic. I feel that I am also a part of that change. But I always had an interest in arts and crafts. So, I thought of doing something of my own to utilize my creativity besides my job.
In the year 2002, my husband went to China for some work. There he got the chance to visit various tourist spots. In those places, he saw beautiful crafts made out of bamboo. He showed me the pictures of those when he came back and I was amazed by their creativity. And I thought to myself that something like this is possible in Bangladesh as well. That inspired me to start my business even though I was very skeptical if I would be able to make it successful.
In 2005, the Standard Chartered Bank along with the SME Foundation of Bangladesh hosted an SME fair. There I showcased some of my work. To my complete surprise, I won the best women entrepreneur award. This gave me a boost of confidence and I continued with my business. Gradually my work started gaining attention from various fashion houses and companies. I diversified my product range with various products, starting from showpieces to furniture made out of bamboo. My work was so well received that I worked with Otobi as my client and sold my furniture to them. Besides, I am also working with Aarong as a supplier.
I am a big believer in sustainable businesses. Because I believe that now more than ever, we need to go the extra mile to conserve the environment and help people lead a better life. That’s why I have been a part of several tree plantation initiatives. I have planted bamboo seeds in 17 acres of Government-owned land as a part of the government’s initiative. I also participate in different tree fairs each year where I sell bamboo plants. In addition, I’m associated with Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) based in Chittagong. Through them, I collect bamboo crafts made by the Garo craftsmen of the Chittagong region.
The life of an entrepreneur is full of challenges and every step is a test. But if I have to specifically mention, I would say that being able to bear the salary expenses of the workers in this field is a big challenge for small entrepreneurs like us. Also, there is a huge shortage of workers as well. Besides, I had to travel alone to various places to collect bamboo for my business since it is not readily available. But I never thought of quitting for once because I love what I do and I feel I’m serving a bigger purpose.
The pandemic has not been easy on me either. I had a huge amount of orders ready but could deliver them to my clients due to the lockdown. I used to have 12 workers working under me. But I had to lay off 5 of them because I could not bear their salary expenses. I have financed my business using small loans but I can’t get any big amount of loan sanctioned by any bank. They want to show me collateral and I do not have anything to show. If I can get investments, I will expand my business and export my products. In this case, the training that I received from LightCastle Partners really helped me a lot. I learned a lot about the challenges and opportunities of exporting businesses and how to apply for a letter of credit. These have helped me improve my business acumen a lot.
Currently, due to the ongoing pandemic situation, my business has been struggling a lot. I am facing issues delivering my products and also keeping the operations running. I hope that I can successfully survive this pandemic and keep doing the work that I am doing. I want to demonstrate the wonderful craftsmanship of Bangladeshi workers in the international market. I sincerely pray that I can live to see that day become a reality.