Real experiences, published anonymously and with permission.
Owners of independent coffee shops in Dhaka, in a Daily Star Bangla report
Food processingDhaka
One Bashundhara coffee shop took about 80 lakh taka to build. Another was taking 1,500-2,000 taka a day when it opened in January 2024 and now takes 20,000-30,000.
Two young cake sellers in Patuakhali, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingPatuakhali
Started in 2019 with 5,000 taka and a Facebook page, at first reselling cakes sent down from Dhaka by launch. It now has four outlets across Patuakhali and Barguna, 35 staff and monthly sales of 16-20 lakh taka.
The owner of a biriyani hotel in Naogaon, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingNaogaon
Goat biriyani at 200 taka a plate and chicken polao and kachchi at 180, with 700-800 people eating there each day across lunch and dinner. It began in 1974 as a tin shed seating six and is now a five-storey building with 25 staff.
Sweet-makers in a confectionery village in Bogura, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingBogura
Wholesale rates run at 140 taka a kg for kadma, sugar figurines and batasa, 160 for nimki, 120 for jilapi and 90 for khoi. What began in the early 1980s with one man selling sweets at local fairs has turned a Bogura village into a confectionery quarter.
A sugarcane-juice seller in Rangamati, in a Prothom Alo report
Food processingRangamati
The same 2.5 acres returned about 30,000 taka a year under paddy against 18,000 taka of production cost. Crushed and sold as juice at the roadside, the cane from that land now takes about 2,000 taka a day and leaves about 400,000 taka of profit over a nine-month season.
A CCTV trader in the Baitul Mukarram market, Dhaka, in a Swadesh Pratidin report
Digital & B2B servicesDhaka
A four-camera setup with a DVR costs the buyer 20,000-22,000 taka and installation near Dhaka 300-500; some 6-7 lakh cameras sell a year, almost all imported.
Two young founders of an online coconut delivery business in Dhaka, in a Prothom Alo report
Digital & B2B servicesDhaka
It began with 100 coconuts bought for 8,000 taka at Karwan Bazar; total investment is now about 10 lakh taka, with 12 staff and average sales of 25 lakh taka a month.
Digital printing press owners in Patuakhali, in a Jagonews24 report
Light manufacturing & workshopPatuakhali
A district convention held after 23 years kept more than 13 digital presses in Patuakhali running for 15 days; single presses took around 5 lakh taka of orders, and the district total came to roughly half a crore.
A woman physiotherapist and centre founder in Dhaka, in a Prothom Alo report
Home & local servicesDhaka
The first attempt in 2009, on one lakh taka borrowed from an uncle, did not survive. She restarted in 2013 in a drawing room in Uttara with two employees and second-hand equipment; the centre has grown from 500 to 3,000 square feet with 23 staff.
A woman cottage owner in Rangamati, in a Prothom Alo report
Home & local servicesRangamati
She left an NGO job and started in February 2024 beside Kaptai lake with three machang huts and 30,000 taka of borrowed money. A Krishi Bank loan took the overnight huts to seven, and her capital now stands at about 8 lakh taka.
A motorcycle mechanic in Gaibandha, in a Daily Sangram report
Home & local servicesGaibandha
Both his legs have been non-functional since birth; at 14 he chose motorcycle repair and spent two years learning in someone else's garage. His own workshop now has five workers, brings 15,000 taka a month and supports a household of seven.
A gym owner and bodybuilding coach in Chattogram, in a Prothom Alo report
Home & local servicesChattogram
The first gym opened at Bahaddarhat in 2002; there are now four branches in Chattogram city and two in Patiya and Chandanaish that bring in no income. About 500 bodybuilders have been trained, with at least 150 more in training.
