Success and failure stories

Under 300 taka in three months, with the equipment sitting idle

With weddings and social gatherings stopped under COVID restrictions, this mic-hire business took under 300 taka in about three months. Saidpur has more than a hundred such small operators.

From 300-400 taka a day to about a lakh a month, with six workers

Three years ago the day brought 300-400 taka. After a six-month course in AC and fridge servicing, he runs his own business with six workers and about a lakh a month.

Six months of training, then his own repair shop at about 40,000 a month

He was jobless for years after his father died. A six-month hands-on course in electrical repair in 2023 led to his own shop, now bringing about 40,000 taka a month with two workers.

Started in 2023

Haircut and beard for 30 taka: a roadside barber takes 250-300 a day

What costs at least 60 taka in a salon costs 30 at the roadside: 20 for a haircut, 10 for a beard. The day brings 250-300 taka, and six people live on it.

The salon closed in lockdown; a vegetable cart now brings 400-500 taka a day

A salon with staff closed for good during the pandemic. A vegetable cart now takes 2,000-2,500 taka of stock a day for a 400-500 taka margin, and reopening the salon would need 70,000-80,000 taka.

After the shop came down: a footpath, and less than half the income

A tin shop over a drain brought 700-800 taka a day. After the municipality took it down, the work moved to an open footpath at 50-60 taka a haircut.

Started in 1975

Price past 5,000 taka a maund, and not an onion in the arot

Onion prices at Santhia rose from 3,200-3,400 to 5,000-5,400 taka a maund in ten days, but supply dried up: a hat day that normally brings ten trucks brought half of one.

A 3-4 taka margin flips to a 2-3 taka loss, with 100-plus trucks stuck at the port

Demand at the Hili land port halved in four or five days, leaving more than a hundred loaded rice trucks unsold and turning a 3-4 taka per kg margin into a 2-3 taka loss.

Twenty betel nuts: from 700-800 taka down to 200-300

The supari harvest in Indurkani was better than last year, but the price for twenty nuts fell from 700-800 taka to 200-300.

2,600 taka of vegetables on a hired van, and half as much money sent home

A van hired at 30 taka a day carrying 2,600 taka of vegetables returns 400-500 taka if it all sells, but the money sent home has fallen from 8,000-10,000 to 4,000-5,000 a month.

500-700 taka of vegetables a day, 100-150 taka of profit

Twenty-five years of hawking vegetables from a pushcart: 500-700 taka of sales a day, 100-150 taka of profit, stock bought fresh each morning.