At Future StartUp we believe in three things: idea, conversation & community. The idea of ‘FS Talk’ is to put these three things together in order to make starting up & making things happen easy and fun. We believe convergence and collaboration is in the heart of making things happen. And ‘FS Talk’ aims at making this convergence among idea, community, and conversation happen. We want to initiate and establish the culture of sharing of ideas, resources, and knowledge within the community of makers, shapers and thinkers of our society.
We are just closing up first ‘FS Talk’, held on March 3o, 2013, at the city’s EMK Center, located in Dhanmondi.
We invited Samira Zuberi Himika, Founder & Managing Director, ‘team engine’; Fayaz Taher, CEO, Fortuna Group; and Atiqur Rahman Sohel, MD & CEO Filament Engineering Ltd to come and share their stories of becoming entrepreneurs. The event started at 10:00 am and ended at around 1:15 pm.
We can’t share the experience of the event, ask someone who attended, but we can share content. For those who missed the event here are few snippets:
Idea comes from nowhere; sometimes it just clicks in your mind that you need start & do it. And I think when it does so, one should follow. - Samira Zuberi Himika
Idea comes when you meet people, listen conversation, attend event like this, look at things around you. There is no structured way or no specific time for getting idea-Fayaz Taher
Bangladesh is a country of ample possibilities, we have loads of problems and we have loads of opportunities to solve those problems. Just get started with a problem that bothers you~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
Don’t start in a sector that you don’t understand, even if it’s profitable, instead start that you know~ Atiqur Rahman Sohel
Make mistakes; let your team to make mistakes. There is no better way to learn than by making mistakes~ Fayaz Taher
Entrepreneurial success is a matter of ‘WE’-it’s not I- you can’t do it alone. Without a good team, making something happen is extremely difficult. I think one should invest in a good team. ~Fayaz Taher
I operate my team as a football team. I’m the team manager & coach. My job is only to coach the people to play in the field. ~ Fayaz Taher
Finding right partner is extremely critical. It’s like marriage. And partnership should be based on some quality otherwise it would not sustain. ~Fayaz Taher
Passion and determination is important. In Bangladesh ‘no’ is the favorite word. Everybody says the same thing: you can’t do that, do this etc, but I think be positive. Say yes, and then find what you need to do it. If you say ‘No’ at the beginning then how can you precede ~ Fayaz Taher
Your funding depends on whom you know. ~ Fayaz Taher
Meeting your commitment is critical. We have a serious problem with it. We often say one thing do another. We commit we’ll deliver certain product on a particular date but deliver it late. This is detrimental. ~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
We are prone to short run thinking. We can’t see things down the line five or ten years. That is one of the reasons why we have almost no prestigious brand. We do business in a hurry mode and often with a target of making loads of profit as shortly as possible. ~ Atiqur Rahman Sohel
Opportunities are there, you just say yes. Don’t say you can’t rather say I’ll manage it. ~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
We have loads of problems in Bangladesh. And for entrepreneurs problems are the source of opportunities. We have loads of opportunities to work. ~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
In business you can’t start just because you got it beautiful or interesting. You must know its practicality, market demand and usability in your market. ~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
I don’t want to eat fruit right now; I want to look forward, 15-20 years from now. ~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
Many of my competitors are out of market now because they wanted to eat the fruit instantly. In the year 2009-2010 around 300 solar companies were formed, it was the time when Govt. formulated some regulations in favor of solar power and a huge number of people jumped into the sector in fact without knowing business sufficiently. And now except 20-25 companies all are dead!! ~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
If your vision is to make money in short run then you will do so and die. But if your vision is not to make money but to create value and to build a brand then you can do it. ~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
What is there to look for a job too desperately? Start your own. Even, if it’s Start small and there are too many opportunities and things to do. ~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
If have courage, willingness to work hard, want to do something new and give back to society; there are opportunities to do a lot for you. ~Atiqur Rahman Sohel
