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INVESTMENT

The quiet entrepreneur

Sayeda Akter
Fourteen years ago, when Tahera Begum first started Arju Iron Store in Bogra, it was quite impossible to convince her family that she could succeed in business.
"Initially it was very difficult trying to juggle everything at work, from handling workers, accumulating raw materials, to dealing with customer inquiries," says Tahera, DCCI Best Woman Entrepreneur 2008 awardee. “But it was not impossible."
"Furthermore, the conservative society was most unsupportive of women involved in entrepreneurship," she adds.
Overcoming all hurdles, Tahera now successfully runs a light engineering workshop and maintains steady growth by producing quality machinery, such as rice mills, shallow tube-wells, shallow irrigation machines, bolts and iron moulds, spare parts for paper mills and bus engine plates and pistons.
The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) had awarded her extraordinary performance in successfully running a small and medium enterprise, at the chamber's golden jubilee celebrations.
Tahera was awarded the Best Woman Entrepreneur' award while two others were awarded the 'Best Innovative Entrepreneur’ and the 'Best Non-Resident Bangladeshi Entrepreneur' awards.
In a telephone interview with The Daily Star, Tahera expresses
her excitement over the award. She remembers the time she had started business and such an award was not even a dream.
"My husband, who was a day labourer in a mortar workshop, earned very little and we struggled to make ends meet for our family of seven," Tahera says. "My circumstances led me to start a business of my own, just to meet day-to-day expenses."
"In 1994, my husband and I started producing small iron moulds with mortared and crushed iron ore at home, selling our produce in the local market," she says.
In 1995, Tahera started her tiny workshop on Sultangani Road in Bogra, with a handful of employees and an investment of Tk 1,700, which she had saved up for future.
Tahera says her workshop grew gradually, lacking proper investment in the early years. This is because she put the needs of her family before the workshop.
"I did not take any bank loans because the interest rates were too high and repayment options were strict," she says.
However, Tahera took a loan of Tk 50,000 from the Thengamara Mohila Sabuj Sangha (TMSS), a local NGO.
The first big order she took in was in 2000, which was for manufacturing engine covers for shallow irrigation machines and tube-wells.
It was ail hazy after that. Her business grew rapidly and the annual turnover of Arju Iron Store now stands at Tk 50 lakh and employs 25 permanent workers, where the majority are
women. She also hires temporary workers on the basis of work ordervolume.
Tahera says her success is driven by her 'yes attitude'.
"Whenever new clients come to me and ask whether 1 can make something; my answer must always be yes," she says.
“My team is also eager to meet clients' demand.”
However, problems are still on her trail, as Tahera faces a dearth of funds and limited access to better markets.
"I don't have adequate machineries of my own, so I have to go to other factories to
outsource," she says. She only possesses a lathe and drilling and welding machines, used in the primary stages of mortaring iron ore.
“Outsourcing costs me rent and additional charges, which eats up profits,” she says "If I had adequate machinery, my production would have increased at least four times by this time."
Another problem Arju iron Store faces is the distance from the capital, where most customers live and do business. “The majority of her clients are all situated in the northern part of the country. My business would flourish if 1 had access to customers situated in and around the capital."
“Buyers are limited and I cannot bargain for a lot," Tahera says. "Often I have to sell products at a low rate only to manage capital for completing successive orders."
Tahera plans to spend her prize money buying some essential machinery, such as mixture machines for her workshop.
Currently she basks in her glory as many people come to her for advice regarding setting up businesses of their own. Local women are also quite enthusiastic about small business ventures. Many more are now keen to work for her workshop and gain expertise.
Tahera now dreams of setting up a factory of her own, which will be fully equipped with modern machinery. Tahera also plans to recruit a large number of destitute women in her factory.
sayeda@thedailystar net