Amena Begum

Owner of Amir Tailors & Boutique

Life looked bleak and challenging for mother-of-three Amena Begum when her husband lost his fight against kidney disease in 2009. “I was widowed at the age of 30 years and my youngest son was only 3 months old,” says the young entrepreneur, who now runs Amir Tailors & Boutique in Maghbazar.

Amena had spent her savings, sold her jewellery, and borrowed money to pay for her husband's medical treatment. “What haunted me more than the grief of losing my husband was the concern for the future of my sons,” she says with tears in her eyes.

Amena learnt tailoring from her mother at an early age and was encouraged by her husband, who was an auto-rickshaw driver, to train in stitching and cutting clothing for ladies. What was once a hobby and supplementary income was now a skill Amena had to rely on.

“Working within the boundary of my home to serve my neighbours and acquaintances was not enough to run my family,” explains Amena. She began working for ready-made garment stores and found herself needing capital to buy material and a helping hand to meet orders.

“People I knew did not come forward to help me and I was disappointed to learn the terms and conditions of different organisations,” says Amena. “I kept praying to God to show me a way. Then one day I got a call from my son's school saying that someone was looking for young widows with business ideas.”

Amena was introduced to Bangladesh Youth Enterprise Advise and Helpcentre (B'Yeah), who liked her products, approved a loan and introduced her to a mentor already in the business. “With a loan of merely 50,000 taka, I started my own business,” says Amena. “Today my business has assets of almost 200,000 taka and I have four full-time and five part-time employees.”

Life took another turn for the better as Amena received an Entrepreneur of the Year award from Youth Business International in London last November, in recognition of her success. “I really liked London and the awards ceremony was like a dream come true for me,” says the young mother who spent seven days in the British capital.

“I want to encourage other young women like me to be courageous in crisis situations,” says Amena, who also gives free tailoring training and employment to unfortunate and underprivileged women.

“They should not become a burden to others, rather they should stand on their own feet and put their skills to work,” says Amena, who lives by example.

by Soraya Auer

Atif Ahmed Akkhor

Co-founder and CEO of IonSketch

Lots of teenage boys spend time in front of a computer, but not many of these boys are making money by doing it. Atif Ahmed Akkhor, co-founder and CEO of IonSketch, began graphic designing in 2009, when he was just 13 years old.

“I was actually angry at somebody,” says Atif. “I thought if this guy can do graphic design then why can't I? I'm not a professional artist, nor have I have been to an art school but when I started designing, I just felt it was me. I love drawing.” With the full support of his family, Atif founded IonSketch, a graphic design firm.

“To be a graphic designer, all you need is a computer and a creative mind,” says Atif, who started with his older brother's hand-me-down PC. “When it wasn't enough, my dad gave me my first laptop, saying I was doing a good thing, not wasting my time,” remembers Atif, now in class 10. As the firm started to make money, Atif was able to afford more equipment like scanners and graphic tablets.

“We recently acquired office space, but before we were in cloud service, getting together at someone's house or in a cafe,” says Atif, who now employs three other designers, a PR manager and consultant. “The other designers are like me, we are young and still studying, two are in school and one is finishing a college degree.”

Age, however, has not been a challenge for the talented graphic designer, whose team recently took on the big project of designing Bangladesh's World Expo 2012 Pavilion logo. IonSketch's portfolio also includes creating corporate identities for consulting and logistics firm GGB BD, law firm Foyej Ahmed & Associates and SELISE, a Swiss software developing company.

Atif, who goes to Government Laboratory High School in Dhaka, does his work for IonSketch after school and says, “My first priority is my studies, so if work is busy, it can be a headache, but I love it.

“Right now, IonSketch is getting bigger every day,” says Atif, who hopes to see the company deal with international clients on a regular basis. “I'm thinking of expanding into advertising and motion graphics or filming.”

Although Atif believes he'll be doing graphic design for the rest of his life, the 15-year-old says, “I'd really like to study architecture but that's in the far-off future.” Whatever this teenager decides to do with his life, he will always have the growing success of IonSketch to look back on.

by Soraya Auer

Nadia Afroz Rahim

Director of Rahimafrooz

Joining a family business is not always easy. Nadia Afroz Rahim, now a Director of Rahimafrooz, wasn't given any special privileges when she started at the family-run company. She began as a middle manager, with a boss who was not a family member, and was treated like any other employee. “I did face quite a few challenges while dealing with customers,” said Rahim in a recent interview. “Sometimes they would expect more prompt or immediate responses because of who I was, but I had to follow due procedure just like everybody else.”

Rahim studied and worked abroad before joining the family business, and says Europe was very challenging as the customs, language and people were new to her. “My colleagues at INSEAD (known as the Business School of the world) came from 70 countries,” explains Rahim, “with no major block of nationals, making it very diverse and fascinating.”

Her main interest in Rahimafrooz has been their work in environmental sustainability. It started more than 20 years ago when her father and uncle took up the initiative to use Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Energy to light up rural households in Bangladesh. With support from the World Bank and Global Environment Facility (GEF), the initiative has grown and more than 350,000 homes in Bangladesh are now benefiting from the project.

Rahim stresses the work was a team effort and says her biggest contribution to the project was developing relationships with clients, micro-finance institutions and donor agencies. “Part of the way we do our work is by communicating to the world about the project and its importance in helping people in literally lighting up their lives,” says Rahim, who has worked in economic consulting in New York.

When asked what drew her to the project, she says, “I was attracted to the rural customer base.” She explains, “You really do not get to experience the spirit of Bangladesh ensconced in an apartment in Dhaka city. Through my work, I got to experience all those rural pleasures that really define our country.”

Compiled by Star Correspondent