Covid-19 proves a blessing for Rahim

Abdur Rahim, a master's degree holder, always dreamt of running his own business. He does not like government or private jobs. He used to ponder over different business ideas, but he did not know how he would start his business and what the process would be. 

The Covid-19 pandemic came as a blessing for Rahim as it opened a door for him to start an online business with a small investment during the pandemic period.

Rahim said, "I observed that people were reluctant to go to markets, and online businesses were gaining popularity. Then I decided to launch an online platform to sell garment items. I invested Tk2 lakh in my business. Now my business is going well."

Perhaps, it would normally take time to start a business but the pandemic created the scope to launch it earlier, he said.

"I did not have much money to rent a showroom in a market. But now I can sell my products online, and it took only Tk2 lakh to start the business. This has been a great opportunity for me," explained Rahim about how the pandemic has brought fortune for him.

Rahim, hailing from Kurigram, told The Business Standard that he passed his honours and master's from the Institute of Social Welfare and Research of Dhaka University in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

When all of his friends and elder brothers remained busy preparing for jobs, he searched for new business ideas.

Still he had to join the Bangladesh Police as a sub-inspector due to his family's pressure this year. However, he did not continue it.

Rahim left his job in May and decided to start his long-cherished business. He took a week to study different types of business ideas. 

Finally, he chose to do business online. Then he opened a Facebook page named Dhorla, from where he started selling garment items. Now 40 to 50 items are being sold from his fashion house.

Rahim said he thinks that online marketplaces will be very popular in the upcoming days. People will prefer online shopping, he added. 

"My father died when I was only two years old. My mother raised me with much care. She taught me to do something for people. I observed that people, who were doing jobs, could do nothing for other people. Then I decided to do business to create job opportunities for people," Rahim said about his motivation behind his dream.

Now he feels happy and aspires to become one of the top businessmen in the country.

However, hundreds of students and youths started online businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic for their survival as they had lost their tuitions or jobs.