Skip to content
  • Our data is copyright protected — copying without permission is prohibited
  • We handle no money, ever
  • No business is promoted for payment
  • Tell us if something is wrong — we check and fix it

All businesses

Filter by capital, district and kind of work. Every number uses the same units, so you can compare businesses side by side.

151 businesses

Food processing

Tea packaging and branding

Buying loose tea at auction, blending and packing it under your own brand. The 2026-27 Chattogram auction averages Tk 280.88 a kg while packet tea sells at Tk 428-650.

Capital
৳5 lakh – ৳50 lakh
People
2 – 15
First income
45 – 100 days
Editorial estimate
Light manufacturing & workshop

Sand filling and earthwork

Contracting land filling, pond filling and earth cutting. Fill sand is Tk 8-12 a cubic foot in Dhaka, and lifting soil without permission means a fine up to Tk 10,00,000 and the excavator confiscated.

Capital
৳1.5 lakh – ৳15 lakh
People
3 – 20
First income
30 – 365 days
Editorial estimate
Food processing

Jar water and drinking water plant

Treating water and selling it in jars and bottles. BSTI certification is compulsory, and most of the margin sits with the retailer and distributor rather than the plant.

Capital
৳8 lakh – ৳50 lakh
People
3 – 15
First income
45 – 100 days
Editorial estimate
Food processing

Ice cream and popsicle making

Making ice cream, kulfi and popsicles from milk, milk powder and sugar. BSTI certification is compulsory, and one break in the minus-20-degree cold chain ruins the stock.

Capital
৳2.5 lakh – ৳30 lakh
People
2 – 12
First income
45 – 100 days
Editorial estimate
Light manufacturing & workshop

Cement post and pillar casting

Casting concrete posts and pillars in moulds. It shares a mixer with concrete block making, and the rising price of rod and cement is the main risk.

Capital
৳1.5 lakh – ৳9 lakh
People
2 – 10
First income
30 – 90 days
Editorial estimate
Retail & wholesale

Tyre and battery shop

Selling and fitting tyres and batteries for cars and motorcycles. Car tyres Tk 11,000-29,000, bike tyres Tk 1,750-15,650, bike batteries Tk 1,050-1,950.

Capital
৳2 lakh – ৳15 lakh
People
1 – 4
First income
20 – 60 days
Editorial estimate
Food processing

Tomato sauce and ketchup making

Buying winter tomatoes and cooking them into bottled sauce and ketchup. Sauce sells at Tk 320-430 a kg, and the BSTI sample test alone is Tk 11,100 for ketchup and Tk 12,200 for sauce.

Capital
৳2.5 lakh – ৳15 lakh
People
3 – 12
First income
60 – 180 days
Editorial estimate
Light manufacturing & workshop

Tiles and marble fitting

Laying tiles and marble on floors, walls and bathrooms. Tiles run Tk 55-170 a piece and the statutory minimum for a tile man is Tk 1,105 a day in town, the highest on any site.

Capital
৳30k – ৳2.5 lakh
People
2 – 8
First income
7 – 30 days
Editorial estimate
Retail & wholesale

Shoe and bag shop

Retailing shoes, sandals, school bags and belts. School shoes Tk 559-1,999 and school bags Tk 279-996; unsold odd sizes are the biggest loss in this trade.

Capital
৳2 lakh – ৳9 lakh
People
1 – 3
First income
15 – 45 days
Editorial estimate
Digital & B2B services

Samity and microcredit lending

Savings groups and small loans. An MRA certificate is compulsory, and new applications have been suspended since 4 November 2024. The service charge ceiling is 24 percent on the declining balance.

Capital
৳15 lakh – ৳52 lakh
People
3 – 15
First income
35 – 70 days
Editorial estimate
Light manufacturing & workshop

Household plastic goods moulding

Moulding buckets, mugs and chairs from melted plastic. The market is worth about Tk 50,000 crore, but RFL's own store sells a 30-litre bucket at Tk 193, which virgin resin cannot match.

Capital
৳6 lakh – ৳50 lakh
People
4 – 30
First income
90 – 240 days
Editorial estimate
Home & local services

Motorcycle servicing

Servicing motorcycles and selling parts. Bangladesh has 4,980,747 registered motorcycles, and 86 percent of all 2025 vehicle registrations were motorcycles.

Capital
৳50k – ৳5 lakh
People
1 – 5
First income
10 – 45 days
Editorial estimate
Light manufacturing & workshop

Masonry and building contracting

Contracting the labour of brickwork, casting and finishing. Dhaka construction runs Tk 1,800-3,000 per square foot of plinth area, and the statutory minimum for a mason is Tk 940 a day in town.

Capital
৳50k – ৳5 lakh
People
3 – 25
First income
15 – 60 days
Editorial estimate
Home & local services

IPS and battery sales and servicing

A shop that installs IPS units and replaces batteries. The machine sells once, the battery every 18-30 months - and the battery is most of the price of the set.

Capital
৳2 lakh – ৳6 lakh
People
1 – 4
First income
15 – 45 days
Editorial estimate
Digital & B2B services

Insurance agent

Commission-only work with almost no capital. Life agents may take up to 35 percent of the first year's premium, and individual agency in non-life insurance closed on 1 January 2026.

Capital
৳500 – ৳15k
People
1
First income
30 – 90 days
Editorial estimate
Agriculture & farming

Hydroponic farming

Growing vegetables in water without soil. One Dhaka rooftop setup cost about Tk 2,00,000, and outside Dhaka there is still almost no commercial buyer.

Capital
৳4k – ৳2 lakh
People
1 – 3
First income
45 – 120 days
Editorial estimate
Agriculture & farming

Flower farming and florist

Growing rose, gerbera, gladiolus and marigold for the Godkhali or Gabtoli wholesale mokam. One bigha of roses costs about Tk 150,000, and the whole year's income turns on the price on a few festival days.

Capital
৳1.2 lakh – ৳3.5 lakh
People
1 – 5
First income
60 – 90 days
Market quote
Home & local services

Easy-bike charging station

A garage charging the batteries of easy-bikes and battery rickshaws. Electricity in the LT-D3 class costs Tk 9.09-14.20 a unit, and commercial charging from a residential connection is prohibited.

Capital
৳1 lakh – ৳5 lakh
People
1 – 3
First income
30 – 90 days
Editorial estimate
Food processing

Dry fruit and nut packaging

Buying nuts and dates by the sack and selling them in small branded packets. Wholesale almonds run Tk 1,150 and cashews Tk 1,600 a kg against Tk 1,200-2,600 in packets. No BSTI CM licence, but a packaging registration certificate is required.

Capital
৳1.5 lakh – ৳10 lakh
People
2 – 8
First income
20 – 60 days
Editorial estimate
Light manufacturing & workshop

Cycle and rickshaw repair shop

A roadside shop repairing bicycles, rickshaws and e-rickshaws. It can start from about Tk 15,000 of tools and stock, and customers pay cash when the job is done.

Capital
৳15k – ৳1.2 lakh
People
1 – 3
First income
7 – 30 days
Editorial estimate
Home & local services

Home and office cleaning service

Deep-cleaning flats and offices. In Dhaka a bathroom is Tk 1,225-2,250, a full home Tk 5,100-9,200 and floors Tk 3.5-10 per square foot.

Capital
৳30k – ৳3 lakh
People
2 – 10
First income
7 – 30 days
Editorial estimate
Home & local services

Car wash and servicing

Washing, interior cleaning and polishing cars. Online platform rates in Dhaka run Tk 1,790-5,700 per car, and a pressure washer starts at Tk 7,250.

Capital
৳60k – ৳6 lakh
People
2 – 6
First income
15 – 60 days
Editorial estimate
Food processing

Biscuit and chips making

Making and packing biscuits, toast and chips from flour, sugar and oil. BSTI certification is compulsory, and the shop credit cycle is the real constraint.

Capital
৳4 lakh – ৳40 lakh
People
4 – 30
First income
45 – 100 days
Editorial estimate
Light manufacturing & workshop

Karchupi hand embroidery

Sequin, bead and zari handwork on sarees and three-pieces, done at home. The mohajon supplies every material; the piece rate is Tk 700-800 a saree and one saree takes at least fifteen days.

Capital
৳500 – ৳5k
People
1 – 3
First income
15 – 20 days
Editorial estimate