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What workedA hand-embroidery entrepreneur in Rangpur, in a Prothom Alo report · Started in 2021

A 2.5-lakh order cancelled and 45,000 taka lost, now 3-4 lakh of sales a month

Started in 2021 with about 10,000 taka of cloth and thread. A 2.5-lakh-taka overseas order was rejected over poor cloth sourced through a relative, costing about 45,000 taka; after taking sourcing back into her own hands the page now sells 3-4 lakh taka a month.

This woman in Rangpur town started a hand-embroidery business from home in 2021 with about 10,000 taka of cloth, needles, thread and small tools, having taught herself needlework from YouTube; her first piece was an embroidered panjabi made for her husband. An early order worth around 2.5 lakh taka came from a buyer based in Italy, but the work was done on poor-quality cloth bought through a relative, the consignment was rejected, and she lost about 45,000 taka. From then on she kept both the decisions and the buying of materials in her own hands, relearned design and fine stitching from YouTube in 2023, and restarted. Sales now run at 3-4 lakh taka a month, leaving her 30,000-45,000 taka after costs. More than fifty women do the stitching for her, each earning 2,000-5,000 taka a month.

Lessons

  1. 1.Letting a relative or middleman buy the cloth for your first big order is how the capital goes: one rejected consignment cost 45,000 taka
  2. 2.Turnover is not take-home: 3-4 lakh of sales leaves 30,000-45,000, with the rest going to cloth and piece-rate wages

Published with the person's permission, without revealing who they are.

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