Photo : Collected

DHAKA, June 10, 2025 (BSS) - The leather goods business ushered in prosperity of Maksuda Khatun's life as she set up a small shop identifying as Shabab Leather to earn money for livings. 

The shop is little but filled with different products specially made by leather. There are different types of leather goods including bags and jackets.

Maksuda, the proprietor of Shabab Leather, also installed a shop at the National SME Fair in the capital recently.

She said that her products were sold as per her hope. But the beginning of the path was not so easy for her. She is from such a family when its every member  do service. None of her family members did business. Even, Maksuda started her carrier in teaching profession. Later, she joined a buying house leaving the teaching profession.

Her husband Shoiab Hossain used to export gloves made by leather. But, once he incurred loss in the business. Even, they were forced to sell their own flat to recoup the loss. But, even the debt was not paid.
 
Maksuda realised that it was not possible to pay the loan by her salary. After that, she started her own business with the money through savings and selling ornaments.
 
She started her business ‘Shabab Leather’ at Hazaribagh along with five employees. “My husband had a business of leather. I also worked in buying house. Later, we started the business through using our own experience. The first year of my business was so tough. Even, we sold the products at different shops personally,” she said.

She said, “In the beginning, I’ve sent sample of works and pictures through e-mail to my clients of buying house. They advised me to open a website. At one stage, a couple of Dutch gave a work order of bags in the month of March in 2017. The incident changed our life.”
 
Maksuda said the work order really changed our life and currently "we are exporting the products of Shabab Leather in different countries including Spain, Italy and Canada". The export income is about two crore per year, she added.

She also said she took loan from the bank to run her business. She also repay the loan within the stipulated time, she added.
 
Maksuda said she started a shop in city’s Bashundhara Shopping Complex in 2019. She is now dreaming of expanding her business.