Real experiences, published anonymously and with permission.
A woman handicraft entrepreneur in Muktagacha, Mymensingh
Light manufacturing & workshopMymensingh
A woman in Muktagacha, Mymensingh, began selling handicraft clothes in 2011 with Tk 5,000. A partner cheated her of everything in 2016, but with her own shop from 2018 she now gives wage work to 120 women.
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A meat seller at the Kadamtali junction in Gabtali, Bogura
Retail & wholesaleBogura
A meat seller in Gabtali, Bogura, has drawn crowds for about a year by selling beef below the market price. But a toll dispute forced him out of his old shop, and lease-holders are still pressuring him.
A vermicompost entrepreneur in Monirampur, Jashore, a former bank employee
Agriculture & farmingJashore
A man in Monirampur, Jashore, left a Grameen Bank job and began vermicompost in 2011. Leasing 40 decimals of land, he now produces 20 tonnes of compost a month with five workers.
A furniture workshop owner in Raninagar, Naogaon, who returned from Malaysia
Light manufacturing & workshopNaogaon
A craftsman back from Malaysia has opened a furniture and door workshop in Abadpukur bazar, Raninagar, Naogaon, using his skill with digital wood-carving machines. Lack of space keeps it below full capacity, but it earns Tk 30,000-40,000 a month.
A member of a curd-making family in Borni union, Barlekha, Moulvibazar
Food processingMoulvibazar
A family on the bank of Hakaluki Haor in Barlekha, Moulvibazar, has made and sold curd from buffalo and cow milk since their father's and grandfather's time. When curd orders are slow, the same milk is turned into chhana for sweet shops.
The owners of a century-old bakery in Chawkbazar, Barishal city
Food processingBarishal
A century-old bakery in Chawkbazar, Barishal city, survives with a small shop and an old workshop. Sales have grown, but profit has fallen as costs rose, yet the owners refuse to cut quality.
A computer training centre entrepreneur in Nawabganj, Dinajpur, who lost the use of his legs in an accident
Home & local servicesDinajpur
A young man in Nawabganj, Dinajpur, whose lower body was paralysed in a fall from a mango tree, learned computing from a wheelchair and opened a training centre beside the upazila parishad gate. It now combines training, typing, digital services and equipment repair, and employs four or five people.
A 50-year-old woman nakshi kantha and needlework entrepreneur in Palashbari, Gaibandha
Light manufacturing & workshopGaibandha
A woman in Palashbari, Gaibandha, began needlework at home and now gives work to hundreds of women. She takes orders for nakshi kantha and clothes on Facebook and sells to Dhaka and other big cities.
A 60-year-old fruit grower in Boalkhali, Chattogram, and his two sons
Agriculture & farmingChattogram
A family in Boalkhali, Chattogram, built a fruit orchard on fallow, saline-flooded land. Selling foreign and rare mango varieties earned over Tk 8 lakh in one season.
An engineer in Bhola Sadar running a vermicompost and livestock farm
Agriculture & farmingBhola
An engineer in Bhola left his job during the pandemic and started a farm. Vermicompost, milk and meat together bring about Tk 20 lakh a year after costs.
A 36-year-old young strawberry grower in Biral upazila, Dinajpur
Agriculture & farmingDinajpur
A young farmer in Biral, Dinajpur, has grown strawberries commercially for the second time. Costs were about Tk 1.4 lakh, and he hopes to sell Tk 2.5 lakh worth of fruit.
A husband and wife in Dhaka, co-founders of an online shoe brand
Retail & wholesaleDhaka
A couple with jobs began selling shoes online with Tk 90,000. They first sold photos of other shops' shoes, then built their own brand and two branches.