Photo : Collected

DHAKA, May 27, 2025 (BSS) - Naima, once a full-time homemaker, has shown that no dream is too big to achieve.

Today, she runs a business worth crores of taka, transitioning from managing household chores to making key decisions for her family and enterprise.

With intelligence, patience, and time-befitting decisions, she has emerged as a successful entrepreneur and also an inspiration to many aspiring women business owners.

In an interview with BSS, Naima recalled the hurdles she faced when she first started her clothing business.

“I started with a very small amount of seed money. Now, my annual earnings are nearly one crore taka,” she said. “I launched my online business from home, and since then, there has been no looking back.”

Naima said she had to face resistance from her family in the early days. “They allowed me to do a job, but I was passionate about doing business,” she said.

As her family initially disapproved of her plans, she began her online venture in secret.

“One of my friends, who lived in Tangail, used to bring Tangail sarees since her father was involved in the saree trade. I took 10 sarees from her and started my business,” she recounted.

“All of those sarees sold out within two days, which gave me the confidence to continue.”

She went on to say, “It was the Spring Festival, and I managed to sell 150 sarees in just a few days.”

Naima eventually revealed her entrepreneurship to her family members, who were stunned by her success.

“They couldn’t believe I was doing so well in business. After that, they never tried to stop me again,” she said.

Encouraged by the success of her online platform, Naima went on to open a physical showroom. Today, she manages both online and offline operations.

Her sarees have become popular not just across the country but also among Bengali communities abroad.

Speaking about her entry into the international market, she said, “One of my friends in Canada used to comment on my saree posts. On December 16, 2019, the Bengali community there organized a programme and decided that all the women would wear matching sarees.”

“My friend placed a large order and sent the money. That’s how I began getting orders from different parts of the world,” she added.

Regarding the challenges of shipping sarees abroad, Naima said the biggest difficulty was the high delivery charges.

“In the beginning, the courier fees were higher than the price of the saree itself,” she said. “After much effort, I found a courier service that was more affordable than others.”

She said exporting sarees is more profitable and that Bengali-populated areas are ideal markets for expanding the business.

“When one person from the community buys a saree, others are encouraged to purchase as well, as they feel a connection to their homeland,” Naima said.

Naima’s successful entrepreneurship is a unique example for millions of women in the world.  Her hard work, perseverance and dedication to work once again proved that “no dream is too big to achieve”.