I started my business in the manufacturing sector back in the year of 2016. I saw an opportunity in the furniture market of Saidpur and thought to myself, “Why not tap this specific market and see where it takes me.” Since then, I’ve been conducting my business all by myself. It’s called “Furniture Gallery”. Like any other business owner, I too have had my share of ups and downs. However, at the moment, I’m kind of muddling through. 

Before the inception of Furniture Gallery, I was a salesperson here at Saidpur market at a crockeries shop for almost about 10 years. Gradually, I got into thinking of doing something on my own, hence, came the idea of my furniture business. Now you may think that I had someone in my life who inspired me, and motivated me to take this big . But truth be told, it was all me, I was my own inspiration. I was just standing at the marketplace one day, and thought, “Maybe I should get into the furniture business.”, so here I am now, 6 years running. 

If I am to talk about the downside of my business, I’ll say that the uncertainty of sales keeps me in a stressful mental state at all times. I do have enough inventory; it is just the sales that I am constantly worried about. In addition to this, the quality of my products is also something that keeps me on edge, especially because I have taken an attempt to manufacture Malaysian processing furniture, so it is essential that I ensure high quality, which at the moment, is also seeming quite worrisome. Furthermore, I would like to state that although the pandemic had a huge role to play in the deterioration of many businesses, however, that was not the case in my part. The issue with sales continued but it did not worsen. I managed to conduct my business on credit as well, but here, another problem arose. People would purchase my products on credit, while simultaneously purchasing from other shops without clearing out my dues first. 

Although my business is based in Nilphamari, Saidpur, in the Rangpur Division, I have had the opportunity to provide my products in the nearby districts as well. For instance, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Birganj, Dinajpur, Tetulia, Prajatpur. In the districts mentioned, I have successfully tapped into their market as well. Before stepping into this business sector, I knew it would be profitable as there was a market demand for it, however, the type and quality of products that I am trying to manufacture and sell is quite different, for which it’s understandable why sales seem a little stagnant. I have high hopes that in the near future, I would be able to produce export quality products and that is my future plan of action. 

I learnt about LightCastle Partners from a project that I took part in, called B-SkillFUL. At the same time, I got acquainted with some of the people from LightCastle, who were on field visits to Nilphamari, questioning around in regards to the furniture industry, while simultaneously informing on the current state of the market demand as well as product quality. I definitely look forward to working with LightCastle Partners in future, and I can tell for sure that it’s an opportunity that should not be missed.