Real experiences, published anonymously and with permission.
A farmer in Manda, Naogaon, who keeps bees beside his mustard field
Food processingNaogaon
A farmer in Manda, Naogaon, has kept bee boxes beside his own mustard field for six years. Last year he sold Tk 13 lakh of honey from 100 boxes and hopes for Tk 15 to 16 lakh this year.
A second-hand book dealer and collector in Kishoreganj
Retail & wholesaleKishoreganj
A collector in Kishoreganj, alongside a paper-trading business, gathers rare books and runs a second-hand bookshop called Old Collection. Items sell through a Facebook page, but he faces money trouble and problems of dust and preservation.
An old-plastic trader in Shibganj, Bogura
Light manufacturing & workshopBogura
A trader in Shibganj, Bogura, started buying and selling old plastic in 2011 with a Tk 10,000 loan. He makes Tk 15,000 to 20,000 profit on every Tk 1 lakh of sales.
A mehedi artist and entrepreneur in Dhaka, from a family in Naogaon
Home & local servicesDhaka
A student opened a Facebook page in 2019 and began applying mehedi, then from April 2021 began making her own organic mehedi. Now 128 women work with her.
A housewife and Manipuri loom entrepreneur in Kamalganj, Moulvibazar
Light manufacturing & workshopMoulvibazar
A housewife in Kamalganj, Moulvibazar, bought a Manipuri loom for Tk 6,000 and began weaving saris. In about ten years she has 18 looms and earns about Tk 50,000 a month.
A woman scooter and bike trainer in Cumilla
Home & local servicesCumilla
A woman in Cumilla left a government job to start teaching women to ride scooters and bikes. Her training centre now has five trainers and at least 30 learners a month.
A young skincare entrepreneur in Khagrachhari who runs the business alongside her studies
Retail & wholesaleKhagrachhari
A student in Khagrachhari began selling imported skincare on Facebook with her own Tk 5,000 savings. She opened a shop in April 2024 and now sells Tk 7 to 8 lakh a month.
A young capsicum farmer on the Jamuna char in Islampur, Jamalpur
Agriculture & farmingJamalpur
A young farmer on the Jamuna char in Islampur, Jamalpur, learned capsicum from YouTube and has sold Tk 1.3 lakh of it. With no local buyers, he must carry it to Karwan Bazar in Dhaka.
A 16-year-old beekeeper in Durgapur, Rajshahi
Agriculture & farmingRajshahi
A 16-year-old in Durgapur, Rajshahi, left school because of poverty and started a bee farm with an NGO loan. He now has about 100 boxes and earns Tk 45,000 to 50,000 a month.
The owner of a 50-year-old sweet shop in Rajapur, Jhalokathi
Food processingJhalokathi
A 50-year-old sweet shop in Rajapur, Jhalokathi, keeps its name by making chhana from local milk and selling rasgulla at Tk 10–20. But with fewer customers and weaker buying power its daily milk use has nearly halved, and the owners worry about profit.
A tea and pitha shop owner in South Surma, Sylhet
Food processingSylhet
A tea-stall owner in South Surma, Sylhet, added nungra pitha to his ten-year-old shop three years ago and drew more customers. Nungra and sandesh pitha together now sell over 3,000 a day.
A college student in Matlab Dakshin running a mango orchard and nursery
Agriculture & farmingChandpur
A college student in Matlab Dakshin, Chandpur, set up a 40-variety mango orchard and nursery on land he leased in 2024. He expects about Tk 2 lakh from mangoes and grafted saplings in the first season.
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