I served in the Bangladesh Army for 15 years. I was also a part of the Kuwait mission. I left this country in 2000 to join my fellow soldiers in Kuwait. My service ended in March of 2011. That is when it all began. I discussed with my friends and family in Bangladesh what I can do when I retire. They suggested that I start something of my own to be with my family and earn a livelihood at the same time. 

My job while on the mission was to sew uniforms for other soldiers. So, I thought of utilizing this and doing tailoring business, But then I noticed I have an unused pond right in my backyard. Why not use that? I figured that doing aquaculture is going to be more profitable for me than tailoring business. So, I decided to go ahead with the idea. 

I received my initial training regarding aquaculture from the Upazila Fisheries Department. That helped me a lot in starting a successful business. I was also a part of the WorldFish IDEA project. Being a part of this project helped me get in touch with various professionals who could guide me in my fisheries business. I got to know about LightCastle Partners through them as well. I received training about conducting a business and overall management of business through them. This was truly a life-changing experience for me since I had no formal education regarding business management.

I mostly sell Rui, Mrigal, Pangash, Bighead, Shing, Pabda, and Shrimp. Both fish fingerlings and fully grown fishes are available on my fish farm. Besides, I also grow mangoes in my garden. By the grace of the Almighty, my business has done very well. I consistently used to make a profit from the very beginning. Since I sell food items, they are always in demand, I never had to face losses. But then the pandemic happened and things got really bad. The price of everything increased which resulted in an increase in expenses for us entrepreneurs. In addition, the demand for fish in the market also reduced drastically. The flood last year also caused a lot of damage to my fish. All of these caused me huge losses. 

Before the Covid-19 happened, I used to make a profit of 5-6 lacs annually. But last year alone, I incurred a loss of 4.5 lacs. I still could not recover from the losses. But I wholeheartedly believe that better days are ahead. With this belief in my heart, I am continuing my business. I have lots of dreams and hopes centering around my business. I want to transform it into a hatchery. Currently, I have only one employee working with me. But I dream of expanding my business and employing more people. I pray to see this pandemic end soon so that I can live my dreams.