Ratul Rahman is the founder and CEO of Hubxpert, a Dhaka-based HubSpot Platinum Partner, that has carved out a niche in the competitive world of customer relationship management (CRM) and digital transformation. Ratul, a self-taught entrepreneur with a background in accounting, has grown the company from a small team experimenting with HubSpot implementations to a full-service agency serving clients across the globe. We recently had an opportunity to sit down with Mr. Ratul to talk about his personal journey and his experience of building Hubxpert.
In part one of our conversation, Mr. Ratul shares his personal and professional journey, from studying accounting at Dhaka University to becoming a self-taught entrepreneur in the tech industry. He discusses the journey of building Hubxpert in a market like Bangladesh, where digital transformation is still emerging. Ratul reflects on overcoming personal hardships, balancing studies with work, and the importance of perseverance and innovation in building a sustainable, high-growth business. He also delves into the unique hurdles of scaling a tech business, including talent acquisition and training, and how Hubxpert has grown into a regional player in CRM solutions.
This was a much longer conversation that we had to divide into two parts. This is part one, please come back next week for part two.
Ruhul Kader: Thank you for agreeing to this interview. I am super excited to speak with you about your journey, Hubxpert, and the lessons you have learned from building a successful venture in Bangladesh.
Ratul Rahman: Thank you for having me. Looking forward to an exciting conversation.
Ruhul Kader: I want to start in a casual place. What are you busy with now?
Ratul Rahman: We are currently focused on team expansion, which is our top priority. However, we’ve encountered a significant challenge: sourcing HubSpot resources from Bangladesh is particularly difficult because these roles operate at the intersection of technology and marketing. Since HubSpot is a CRM platform, it requires a solid understanding of both domains.
In Bangladesh, digital marketing isn’t typically part of formal education. As a result, when we look to expand, we often struggle to find local talent with the necessary skills. What we’ve found effective is identifying freshers who show some potential and willingness to learn and people who have experience working with various digital marketing tools. We then bring them on board and train them to reach expertise.
Ruhul: That’s very interesting. I’d like to explore a related question. How do you approach hiring? What does your hiring process look like, and what qualities do you prioritize in a candidate? You’ve rightly pointed out that finding ready-made resources is a challenge, which I believe is a common issue for many in Bangladesh. You mentioned that you often hire freshers, train them, and gradually help them grow into experts, learning along the way until they reach a certain level. Could you elaborate on that process? Do you have a structured mechanism in place for this? Before that, could you walk us through your hiring process—how you make decisions, what steps you follow, and so on?
Ratul: Our hiring process is structured into several steps. Let me break it down for you. First, our HR team handles the initial stages. We’ve streamlined this process using software—let me share my screen to give you a better idea. We use a form to collect job applications. Whenever we post job openings, whether on LinkedIn or BDJobs, we direct applicants to this form. There are several categories of these forms based on the job one is applying for.
The application form itself has three steps: personal information, experience and education, and additional details. We ask about their educational background, their skills, and whether they have a portfolio. Importantly, we also request their LinkedIn profile because, in 2025, being active on LinkedIn often indicates a certain level of professionalism and engagement. This is where we start.
Once an applicant completes the form, their submission is automatically sent to a panel via an API integrated with HubSpot, which we use extensively for recruitment. Our HR team then begins sorting through the applications. We evaluate candidates across several stages, with a strong focus on cultural fit—how well they align with our company’s vision and mission. The HR team conducts a two-step sorting process. Once applications are shortlisted, an automated email is sent to the selected candidates to schedule an initial meeting.
In our language, the first stage is a virtual meeting with our HR team conducted via Google Meet. Candidates can choose a time that suits them, and we provide clear instructions for the meeting, such as ensuring a professional background, a quiet environment, and a stable internet connection. Unfortunately, not everyone follows these guidelines—some join from noisy places or use mobile devices, which isn’t ideal.
The goal of the first interview is to understand the candidate as a person—their drive, ambition, and desire for growth. We prioritize cultural fit because we operate in a hybrid model, requiring employees to come to the office twice a week. In a remote setting, it’s harder to gauge someone’s true nature. We try to understand their attitude. We also discuss their salary expectations and assess whether their previous experience aligns with our needs.
If the first interview goes well, we move to the second stage: a technical interview. This is conducted by the team lead who will be managing the candidate if they’re hired. The booking process for this interview is also automated. We’ve moved away from written tests because, with tools like ChatGPT, they can easily be manipulated. Instead, we rely on one-on-one technical discussions with the team lead.
If the technical interview is successful, we invite the candidate for a final, face-to-face interview at our office. For mid-level positions, I usually participate in this round. Here, we conduct a final check to ensure both their technical skills and cultural fit are solid. Most importantly, we assess their potential for long-term growth. While some roles may be short-term, others are critical to our vision of expanding in Bangladesh and beyond. For these, we look for loyal, trustworthy, and technically sound individuals.
Once all these stages are completed and everything aligns with our KPIs, we finalize the hiring decision. In terms of compensation, we aim to offer market-standard or above-market salaries to attract top talent. Fluency in English is a significant advantage. This is essential because many of our clients are international, and a lot of our work, even at the execution level, is conducted in English.
Now, coming to your question about training: let’s say two or three new members are joining our Revenue Operations team this month. Typically, in Bangladesh, candidates come with some experience in running Facebook ads, Google ads, or similar marketing activities. For development roles, we look for experience in areas like DevOps or Node.js.
When they join, we clearly outline their responsibilities. For instance, if they’re joining the development team, we explain that they’ll need to work on HubSpot development. We provide a three-month training program. The first month focuses on learning through documentation and processes, including HubSpot’s own certifications. By the second month, they start working on client projects, learning through hands-on experience. It’s a trial-and-error process, but we prioritize candidates who can learn and show energy and a willingness to learn.
We don’t typically hire complete freshers for technical roles because the learning curve can be steep. Instead, we prefer mid-level professionals who already have experience in marketing or development, perhaps from reputable organizations. These individuals tend to grasp the concepts faster and adapt more quickly to our workflows. As soon as a candidate joins, we put them through our training modules and they start learning. If they come with prior knowledge, they usually do better.
Overall, our hiring process is thorough, and our training approach is designed to bridge any skill gaps while leveraging the candidate’s existing skills.
Ruhul: This is fascinating. We’ll delve deeper into your internal culture and other aspects later, but our interviews typically begin with understanding your personal journey—where you come from and how you got to where you are today. I know you studied accounting at Dhaka University. Could you share a bit about your background and the path that led you to your current role? If you could start with where you were born, and your early education, and then trace your trajectory into the technology industry, it would be insightful for our readers.
Ratul: Absolutely. I studied accounting, but let me start from the very beginning. I was born in Tangail, as my father is from there. Around 2002 or 2003, we moved to Dhaka with my father. We are three brothers and I'm the youngest.
My father was a police constable, and we’re incredibly proud of him. With a lot of struggle, he raised us in Dhaka and ensured we received a good education. My middle brother studied at KUET, and my elder brother pursued genetic engineering at Dhaka University. I also studied at Dhaka University.
Growing up, you could say we were lower-middle class, and education was a priority for us. We lived in the Kuril Bishwa Road area. I attended Uttara High School in Dhaka and later Adamjee College. From Adamjee, I got into Dhaka University. This was quite unexpected and an outcome of a lot of hard work.
My intermediate exam didn’t go as planned due to health issues. I scored 4.42 in my HSC, which was a bit of a setback since intermediate marks are crucial for Dhaka University’s admission test. However, I worked incredibly hard during those three months to compensate for my HSC result. Despite the challenge, I managed to perform well in the admission test and initially got into marketing. Later, I migrated to accounting.
During my intermediate years, I had a laptop and spent a lot of time learning online. I had a tutor, a CSE student, who taught me math. He introduced me to many new things. From him, I learned a lot during my SSC and intermediate times, including my enthusiasm for technology.
Moving forward, in my second semester at Dhaka University, I met a senior, who was freelancing at the time. He became a mentor to me for many years. I showed him some of my work—websites and projects I was building. While I wasn’t generating significant revenue, I was eager to learn. He took an interest in my work and offered me an opportunity. This was back in 2017. At the time, I was experimenting with various things but hadn’t found success yet. I was essentially self-taught in many areas.
He bhai had two companies: Shajao, a custom framing business, and 6sense bd, a software firm. After our initial conversation, he invited me to intern at both companies. He said since I was eager to learn, I could join and gain hands-on experience. I started working there in 2017 while still an undergraduate at Dhaka University. From 2017 to 2021, I balanced my studies with full-time work at these companies. I managed to maintain decent grades, graduating with a CGPA of 3.25. Originally, we were supposed to graduate in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays, and I finally graduated towards the end of 2021.
During this period, from 2017 to 2021, I played a key role in growing Shajao from zero sales to a revenue of about four to five crore taka per year. Shajao was an online-based custom framing company, specializing in wedding frames, Islamic frames, and similar products. I served as the head of sales, marketing, and operations—essentially handling all three roles. We had a team of around 20 people, and I oversaw everything. It was a transformative experience that taught me a great deal about business, leadership, and scaling operations.
During that period, from 2017 to 2020, I was learning step by step and began diving into Node.js development. Even though I was an accounting student, my early exposure to coding during my intermediate years gave me a foundation in languages like C, C++, and HTML. I still retain that knowledge, though I do not actively practice it now. Back then, this background helped me pick up Node.js relatively easily. I worked on an app called Thamao while simultaneously focusing on growing Shajao.
To help the company scale, I had to learn a variety of technologies, particularly in marketing. I taught myself how to run Facebook ads, use tools like Asana, and set up integrations with Zapier. I managed the entire operational workflow—from receiving orders on the website to overseeing who handled them and how. Essentially, I planned and executed the entire process myself, learning a lot through YouTube and hands-on experimentation.
This period was a massive growth phase for me. Around 2019, I also got introduced to HubSpot, which I found fascinating. However, at the time, Shajao didn’t need HubSpot because it was expensive and not a good fit for their needs. Instead, I built systems using other tools. To summarize, between 2020 and 2021, I was pushed to learn a wide range of skills, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I continued learning more.
Around 2021, Shajao had to shut down due to a lack of funding. As a product-based company with significant sales, it required substantial manufacturing capital, and one of the founders wasn’t willing to invest further. Then I shifted my focus to 6sense bd, the software company, where I handled software marketing and sales for about six months. During this time, I continued working with HubSpot and other technologies, managing a team and juggling multiple responsibilities.
Towards the end of 2021, I decided to make a change. I got married in 2022, and after that, After gaining extensive experience at various companies, I decided to pursue my vision in the CRM industry. This left me feeling a bit lost, as I had been working with these teams for nearly five years and had learned so much. It was a transformative period. After leaving, I wasn’t sure what to do next.
In 2022, something interesting happened. When I was learning HubSpot a few years back, I connected with Alex, a founder based in Florida. In 2022, he reached out and asked, “Ratul, would you like to work with me? I’m starting an agency.” I agreed and worked with Alex from 2022 until April 2023. His marketing firm gave me the opportunity to implement HubSpot solutions, and during this time, I delved even deeper into HubSpot and automation technologies.
By early 2023, I felt confident in my skills, having worked with HubSpot for nearly two years. I told Alex that I no longer wanted to work as an individual contributor and was ready to take on more risks and grow. I had some capital saved up, so I decided to explore entrepreneurship. From 2022 to early 2023, I took on individual HubSpot projects to gain more experience and understand the platform in greater depth.
Let me clarify the timeline a bit: at the end of 2021, I left 6senseBD and Shajao. From early 2022 until April 2023, I worked with Alex, Founder of ScaleArmy. In between, I also took on independent projects to expand my knowledge of HubSpot and work on bigger projects. I worked with well-known companies like Fuzzy Clinic and Mobile Action for their HubSpot and CRM needs.
In April 2023, I decided to start my own venture, marking the beginning of my main entrepreneurial journey. By then, I had extensive experience with HubSpot, felt confident in my abilities, and had already been managing teams and projects. I realized I wanted to take an early risk—instead of taking a traditional job, I chose to start my own business and see where it would lead.
Interestingly, while I studied accounting and have a solid knowledge of tools like QuickBooks and Zoho, I never worked professionally in accounting. At Shajao and 6senseBD, I handled accounting tasks as part of my broader responsibilities, but it was never my primary focus. Throughout my journey, technology has been the constant thread, shaping my career and leading me to where I am today. That’s the long story of my path into the tech industry.
Ruhul: This is a fascinating story, and there are many directions we can go from here. Going back a bit, I’d like to ask you a few questions. One is about the lessons you learned during your university years. When young people enter university, they’re often introverted, sticking to their close circle of friends. Building connections with seniors, turning those relationships into opportunities, and doing meaningful work from there—these things aren’t common for everyone. At Dhaka University, I’ve seen many students, but only a few manage to do this. You, however, worked with seniors for years, built international connections, and collaborated with someone like Alex. These are very specific skills. I believe one of the most important skills for entrepreneurs is the ability to build relationships, gain trust, and confidently leverage those connections. But trust is a two-way street—if I’m going to work with you, I also have to trust you. You had to trust Alex to work with him from America, despite the uncertainties. That trust requires courage. My question is: when you started collaborating with seniors at a young age, what was your mindset? How did you approach working with someone more experienced or from another country? Looking back now, how do you see these events, and what lessons can others take from your experiences?
Ratul: That’s a great question. To be honest, from the beginning, my life was shaped by struggle. There was a time when my mom would cook egg curry, and we’d split it between lunch and dinner. Having overcome that phase, my personal goal was always to rise above our circumstances and uplift my family. I wanted to take responsibility by the age of 25 so that my father's hardships would be reduced. I was determined to succeed.
My father was a traffic constable, and he did his best to provide for us honestly. In 2007, he had an accident—a car ran over his leg—and since then, he’s been unwell. He retired in 2008, and our family went through a period of crisis that we had to overcome. By 2007, my father wasn’t working, and those years were particularly challenging. Even during my college and university days, managing expenses was incredibly difficult.
My father is healthy now, Alhamdulillah. He has a pacemaker now. But those years were very challenging, very difficult.
From a young age, I wanted to achieve something significant. I didn’t know all the steps to get there, but I was determined. When I entered university and a senior offered to join his company, I took the opportunity. I realized that if I took this opportunity, my studies might be affected, but I also knew that even if I ranked at the top of my department, the best I could hope for was becoming a teacher. I wanted more—I wanted to step into the business world. That desire drove me to be open to learning and taking risks.
My senior offered me a salary of 5,000 taka, which I received for about two years. The money didn’t matter to me at the time. I wanted to learn and grow. At home, I was often scolded: “Why don’t you do tutoring? You’d earn more.” However, I was convinced that the lessons I was learning from this work would take me to the next level. I was focused on growth, not immediate financial gain.
When I started building connections internationally, my mindset was clear: I wanted to grow, no matter what it took. I knew that the experience and knowledge I gained would be invaluable, even if I didn’t see immediate returns. I still have a very good relationship with Alex—he refers clients to me, and we stay in touch on WhatsApp. I understood early on that these connections would be beneficial in the long run. I was willing to take risks because I saw them as opportunities to learn and grow.
I believe that the ages of 20 to 30 are for learning. I’m still learning now, and I expect to continue learning from 30 to 40. The real work, I think, will happen between 40 and 60. With that mindset, I dedicated my time to personal growth and learning during university. I didn’t spend much time on campus—my friends covered 80% of my attendance. While some teachers weren’t supportive, there were a few who were genuinely good. I was clear that the practical experience I was gaining would yield far greater returns than just academic success. I took every opportunity to learn without thinking whether what I was learning would be useful or not.
Now, if you ask me whether studies are necessary, I’d say absolutely. But if a student can combine their studies with practical experience during university, it will pay off many times over. They’ll enter their early career with a significant advantage over their peers. There’s no doubt about that. My advice to everyone would be to seek out opportunities for practical learning and experience—it’s an investment that will set you apart.
Ruhul: That’s beautifully put. Let me ask you another question. You mentioned your spirit and ambition to do something meaningful—when did you first feel that drive? If you go back to the earliest moment when you realized, “I have to do something,” what was the source of that feeling? I can relate to your story because, although I grew up in a village, the financial struggles you described resonate with me. I still remember when I came to Dhaka for university admission.
I stayed at the place of an older brother from our village, and I had to go out to eat every night. With the money I had, if I ate out every night, it would run out in 15 days. So, I’d often eat something simple like a bun to save money. The brother would invite me to eat with him, but I’d politely decline, saying I’d already eaten outside. This financial hardship was a constant feature of my early life. That experience gave me a strong sense that I needed to do something, to earn and contribute to my family.
From the second semester, I started working and earning. Things happened almost miraculously—like getting an internship despite not having many skills. I had a survival instinct, a drive to do something, though I wouldn’t say I had a specific ambition. I just knew I wanted to do something different. I’m curious—what was the source of your drive to do something big? Was there a role model or a specific inspiration that fueled your ambition?
Ratul: It’s hard to pinpoint a specific moment when this drive began. It seems to me this didn't happen at any particular time. For me, it was more about growing up surrounded by hardships and realizing that I didn’t want to live like that forever. I didn’t want my next generation to face the same struggles. That’s where my ambition to grow and achieve something significant came from. I’ve always had this desire to grow much bigger than the people around me. It wasn’t about competing with others, but about pushing myself to rise above my circumstances.
I can’t say there was one particular person who inspired me at a specific time. Even now, I get inspired by seeing people’s achievements and technological innovations, but it’s not tied to a single role model. My ambition grew gradually over time, shaped by my experiences and the challenges I faced.
That ambition is still very much alive in me. I often joke that even if the entire technology world disappeared and everything was gone, I could start over the next morning. I’d go to Natun Bazar, where daily laborers are hired for 800 taka a day, and I’d start from there. I’d work for two months, save money, and then start something new. I mean the desire, strength, and energy to keep going are still there. No matter what happens, I’ll start again and see how far I can go. That’s the mindset I’ve always had, and it’s what keeps me moving forward.
Ruhul: Have you ever experienced moments over the years where you felt like you were trying really hard, but things were just difficult and overwhelming?
Ratul: Yes, almost always.
Ruhul: Was there ever a particularly long period, say a year or so, when you felt it was an especially tough time? You mentioned earlier that your relationship with your university senior, with whom you worked for years, didn’t work out, and you felt lost for a while between 2021 and 2022. Can you tell us more about that period? How did you navigate through it and find a way to restart?
Ratul: That was a very, very difficult period for me. When I was working with Alex in 2022 and early 2023, he paid me very well, and financially, I was stable. But emotionally and mentally, I was deeply frustrated and depressed.
At the time, I was working from a co-working space in Dhaka’s Notun Bazar called Collab. My work hours often stretched late into the night, sometimes until 11 or 12 PM, but there wasn’t much pressure. Alex handled most of the responsibilities, and I managed a few clients. From a professional standpoint, it was an excellent experience.
However, my frustration and depression stemmed from the fact that I no longer had a team to interact with in person. When I was at 6senseBD and Shajao, I had a team that felt like family. We spent time together, hung out, and even went out during floods to provide relief. I missed that sense of camaraderie and shared purpose. During this period, I was working from home a couple of days a week, going to the office, getting paid, and supporting my family—but that was it. There was no risk, no adventure, no deeper fulfillment.
These things were missing from my life, and it left me feeling empty. I was deeply depressed. Eventually, I reached a point where I couldn’t keep myself calm anymore. I realized I needed to start something of my own. It wasn’t about financial necessity—I was very comfortable at the time, and my financial stability was even better than before. But I felt unfulfilled. I knew I needed to take a leap, to create something on my own, because I believed it would bring me the happiness and purpose I was missing. That’s when I decided to start again.
Ruhul: That’s very interesting. I want to ask you another question related to your upbringing and the experiences you’ve shared. I believe that the difficult upbringing we’ve both experienced has some upsides. While challenges can break us, they can also ignite a drive to overcome them and push us to do better. As I listen to your story, it reminds me of my own childhood. My father had a lot of debt for no good reason, and our situation was so bad that he couldn’t even go outside. I had to handle things like going to the market. I had a cousin’s son, about my age, who was like a friend to me. I used to take him everywhere and tell him that someday I’d go to Cox’s Bazar or Chittagong—it felt like Chittagong was the ultimate destination. That drive to escape from a difficult, almost hellish life was always there.
But difficulties also come with costs. They can leave psychological scars, and you end up paying the price for those throughout your life. Insecurities, growing up with fear—these things can limit your potential. For example, I only overcame my own insecurities last year—things like worrying about what I said to someone or whether I upset them. My question is: how has your upbringing and the challenges you faced shaped you as an individual? How has it changed your view of the world and your approach to work?
Ratul: I forgot to mention this earlier, but your question reminded me of something important. A significant part of my mental development actually happened in hospitals, which is a bit of a sad story. Let me explain. As I mentioned, my father had an accident in 2007, and after that, he struggled with mental health issues, heart failure, arthritis, and other physical ailments. From 2007 to around 2018-19, my father underwent a lot of treatments and spent a lot of time in hospitals. Since I was the youngest child, I often stayed with him during those times.
I remember being in the police hospital when I was in class five. I missed my class five exams because I was in the hospital with my father for about two months. I can still picture the scenes—people coming and going, sleeping on the veranda, and the overall environment. Over the years, I stayed at Holy Family Hospital, Dhaka Medical College Hospital, BARDEM, Evercare, Bangladesh Adhunik Hospital, and Square Hospital—basically, almost every reputable hospital in Dhaka. Seeing so much suffering, both from my father and others, made me realize that I had to step up. There was no other option. I had to take responsibility.
While my brothers were doing well in their studies, achieving conventional success through education is difficult. My middle brother became a teacher and is now an engineer at PDB (Power Development Board). My elder brother also entered government service. Both are in stable positions, but in Bangladesh’s context, government jobs don’t always provide the financial flexibility to take care of a family the way I wanted to. From a young age, I felt a deep sense of responsibility to support my family, not just financially but with love and care.
From childhood, my father has been my inspiration. My father’s struggles were a huge inspiration for me. Seeing his suffering and the financial challenges we faced left a lasting impact. Spending so much time in hospitals gave me a fair amount of knowledge about medicine and healthcare, but more importantly, it instilled in me a deep sense of purpose. These challenges shaped my worldview and my approach to work. They taught me resilience, the importance of stepping up when needed, and the value of taking responsibility for those you care about.
Ruhul: This is such a profound experience. Moving forward, let’s talk about April 2023, when you finally decided, “I want to start my own.” What happened after that? Can you walk us through how you made that decision and what followed?
Ratul: At that point, I felt I had learned enough to start something on my own. I had been working individually with HubSpot and collaborating with big agencies from the U.S. I could see the potential to build a large agency around HubSpot. While I had a big vision, I realized that jumping straight into a software business might not be the best fit for me. Instead, I decided to start with what I knew best and felt confident about. I thought maybe we could branch into software development or web development later, but for now, I wanted to focus on what I was good at. This was my plan.
However, I had some doubts about how big a HubSpot agency we could build from Bangladesh. Since it’s a service-based business, I was concerned about the challenges. I had seen the downsides of service businesses during my time at my previous software company. The quality of service is directly tied to individuals, and no matter how many SOPs or processes you create, it’s still dependent on people. My main concern was whether I could consistently deliver high-quality service at an organizational level. I was confident in my own ability to deliver, but scaling that across a team was uncertain.
After a lot of thought, I decided to make the leap. I brought on two team members who had worked with me previously and were technically skilled. We started in a very informal setup—out of a tiny office space where we could experiment and see how much work we could handle and how far we could expand.
2023 was a year of exploration for us. We didn’t take on a HubSpot partnership right away. Instead, we focused on providing HubSpot execution support. Whenever a client came to us, we took on the project and executed it to the best of our ability. This helped us gain confidence that there was a demand in the market. We realized that if we could deliver good work, there was potential not just in Bangladesh but internationally as well.
By July 2023, we felt ready to take a bigger step. We hired two new team members, which was a significant milestone for us. We spent the next few months onboarding them, and by the beginning of 2024, they were delivering solid work. This gave us confidence that we could maintain a high level of service as an organization.
Now, in 2025, our company is still relatively young—just about one and a half to two years old. But we’ve scaled significantly. We’ve onboarded many clients, implemented numerous projects, and expanded our team. What started as a trial—a small office we took without much planning—has grown into a structured team of about 23 to 24 people.
This is our journey so far. Looking back, 2023 was our early startup phase, where we were just dipping our toes in the water to see how deep the pool was. It was a year of learning, experimenting, and laying the foundation for what we’ve built so far in 2024.
Ruhul: When you started in 2023, you quit your job and ventured into starting your own business. You must have needed some capital and resources to get things off the ground. How did you put those resources together? What you’ve shared is interesting. I think starting with an experimental mindset and flexible determination is a better approach than rigidly sticking to one idea from the beginning. It allows you to adapt, pivot, and find what works within a short period. When you took this approach, what was your thinking? How long did you plan to experiment before settling on something concrete? I’m asking two questions here: how did you gather the resources, and what was the thought process behind your experimental approach?
Ratul: We faced a lot of challenges when we started. Initially, our resources came from personal connections. I teamed up with people I could trust and rely on. For example, our current COO, Fazle Rabbi, knew the basics of HubSpot, and I groomed and trained him to learn, grow, and take on more responsibility. In 2023, there were about five or six of us working together—people who had previously worked with me, got a preference. It was a tight-knit, internal team.
In 2023, my wife completed her graduation in HR from East West University and joined us to oversee the HR department. I was the founder, Rabbi handled operations, and we brought in a couple more team members who had experience in execution and technology. This was the core team we built.
From a capital perspective, I started with about 10 lakh taka. The initial costs included office rent, advance payments, and salaries for four or five team members. I took a calculated risk to get things going.
One of the biggest challenges was training the team on HubSpot. I wanted to focus specifically on HubSpot-related work because I knew from my experience that it was a niche market with growth potential. I didn’t want to spread ourselves too thin by taking on every type of project. For instance, we often received offers for general marketing work, but I consistently turned them down. Alex, who referred clients to us, would sometimes ask if we wanted to take on marketing projects, but I politely declined. My goal was to rise by focusing on a niche, at least temporarily. That was the whole plan.
There was always pressure from the team to diversify—to take on app development, WordPress projects, or other types of work. This is common in startups, especially in the early days. But I discouraged these temptations and stayed focused on our initial plan. My strategy was to stick to our chosen path for six months. If it didn’t work out, we could pivot, but I didn’t want to change our strategy every day.
Staying focused was a challenge, especially since we were targeting a specific niche. Finding clients was also difficult because we didn’t have a dedicated business development team. We were all individually trying to secure work. Despite these challenges, we managed to generate enough revenue to sustain ourselves in 2023. It wasn’t a huge success, but it was enough to keep us going.
By the end of 2023, we started gaining traction. At the beginning of 2024, we took the HubSpot partnership, and within the first four or five months, we became a gold partner. This achievement was recognized at the Singapore event, and we're one of the fastest partners to become Platinum, in just 7 months. . We’ve done a lot of work with HubSpot, and now, there’s no shortage of projects for us. It’s been a rewarding journey so far.
Ruhul: Your decision to focus on niche work is fascinating. Can you elaborate more on that? Also, tell us more about the kind of work you were doing during that period. Earlier in our conversation, we discussed how talent is a significant challenge when it comes to working with HubSpot, given its technical complexity. How did you build the initial foundation of the company? I’m still referring to the period up until early 2024 at Hubxpert.
Ratul: Let’s start by talking about how we navigated this challenge in 2023. When it came to building our internal team, the key factor was trust. The people who joined me did so because they believed in me and were open to learning what I asked them to learn. Many of them came from a CSE (Computer Science and Engineering) or tech background, so grooming them technologically was relatively straightforward. However, there were challenges when it came to training them in marketing skills. Fortunately, we had one team member who had previously worked in the marketing team at Shajao and already had a solid understanding of marketing.
We took a very hands-on approach to training. We groomed them personally, assigned them small client tasks, shared tutorial videos, and instilled in them a vision: “You need to become better than me.” This approach worked because they had strong willpower and a genuine desire to learn. They were committed to the process, often working not just eight hours a day but 12 to 14 hours to keep up with the demands.
When I saw their dedication and ability to handle the workload, I gained confidence that we could develop the necessary resources internally. I can proudly say that now, some of our team members are even better than me in certain areas. But in 2023, it was all about trust, their commitment, and their willingness to work hard. That’s how we laid the foundation.
Ruhul: I want to dig deeper into something you mentioned earlier. You said that initially, marketing and finding clients were challenging. How did you solve this problem in the beginning, before you became a Gold Partner?
Ratul: We tried to solve this challenge in several ways. Since I had a good relationship with Alex, who runs his own agency, I reached out to him and said, “Look, we’re starting out—can you support us?” He was incredibly helpful and provided a lot of support.
We also explored other avenues to find clients. We made cold calls, sent out emails, and checked platforms like Upwork for potential opportunities. We actively reached out to prospects on LinkedIn. Given my background in marketing, we didn’t struggle too much with the marketing side of things. We developed various strategies and ran outreach campaigns to attract clients.
For example, we identified five companies that were already using HubSpot and sent them well-crafted emails in English, explaining our services and what we could offer them. The response rate was quite good. Upwork also turned out to be a valuable source of work for us, especially through our agency profile. We gained a lot of traction through these efforts.
One advantage we had was that I already had a strong portfolio from personal projects, official work, and collaborations with agencies. We leveraged this by showcasing our capabilities: “Look, we can do this. I have 30 certifications, and my team is also certified. Here’s the work we’ve done.” We created demo videos and used tools like Loom to visually demonstrate our expertise and the value we could bring to potential clients. This approach helped us build trust and credibility early on.
Ruhul: What was your initial thesis when you started? What did you want to build? Even though you were exploring in the beginning, you must have had a vision or an idea of where you wanted to go.
Ratul: Our main vision was to develop high-quality technological products from Bangladesh that could serve a global audience and allow us to grow as a company. We wanted to explore a wide range of technologies and invest in research. That was the overarching goal.
Since HubSpot was the tool we were already using, we decided to start with it. Initially, I thought broad branding might not work, so we chose to focus on HubSpot first. We planned to gradually expand our branding as we grew, and if necessary, rebrand the company later. From the beginning, we wanted our brand name to reflect a HubSpot vibe because we saw significant potential in this space. We noticed that HubSpot firms in the U.S. were generating substantial revenue, which indicated a large and growing market demand. We realized we hadn’t even tapped into 5% of our potential, and given the global and local growth of the CRM market, there was an immense opportunity to scale.
Our thinking was to start with a specific focus on HubSpot and see where it took us. If we became hugely successful and expanded, we could create a parent company or rebrand later. Time would tell what the best path forward would be, but at the start, we wanted to stay mission-focused.
Ruhul: Now, let’s talk about 2024. You became a Gold Partner. Can you walk us through your journey from 2024 to early 2025? How has the company evolved in terms of the products and services you offer, as well as other areas? Tell us about the growth and evolution of the company.
Ratul: In 2023, we made two key external hires. One was a senior technological hire with a diploma and a CSE degree, and the other was a junior hire, a bright student from BRAC. We brought them on board towards the end of 2023, and by 2024, we realized that our approach was working—we could train them to meet our service-level standards. The senior hire is now our CTO, and he’s grown tremendously over time.
In 2024, we structured the company more formally—defining roles, teams, and reporting lines. We established three core service teams.
RevOps (Revenue Operations). This team handles everything related to revenue generation, including marketing, sales, design, sales assessment, customer lifecycle journeys, and lifetime value. RevOps is a growing field internationally, and we wanted to align with that trend.
DevOps (Development Operations). This team focuses on CRM development and other technical aspects. We weren’t initially offering web development but concentrated on CRM-related development, which required highly skilled individuals.
WebOps (Website Operations). This team manages HubSpot-related websites, which are highly functional and popular worldwide.
We built these teams based on my experience, which taught me that startups grow when roles are well-defined. The clearer the roles and responsibilities, the better the company performs. Internally, we focused on creating a strong structure to support our growth.
As we built these teams, we started receiving requests from clients for development work and HubSpot websites. We realized there was significant demand in these areas. By mid-2024, we had hired and trained team members for these roles, and we even developed an app that now lives in the marketplace with over 100 installs and paid users. We’re also creating themes and modules for HubSpot, which we’re selling successfully.
Towards the end of 2024, we decided to expand further. We added Odoo services and became an Odoo partner. We also ventured into custom website development and UI/UX design, essentially operating like a full-fledged software firm. By this time, our team was well-organized, and we delivered projects to a few small clients in these areas.
You could say that in 2024, we understood what services we wanted to provide, and where we wanted to expand, and we did all the hiring and firing against that.
In terms of revenue, 2024 was a good year, though our costs increased due to expansion. One challenge we faced was the need to build teams three months before securing projects. While projects eventually came, the upfront investment in team-building increased our operational costs.
By October 2024, we realized our small office was no longer sufficient. We decided to move to a larger space—a 2000-square-foot office on the seventh floor of the same building. We finalized the interior design and made the move, officially opening the new office in 2025, though the decision and planning happened at the end of 2024. This marked a significant milestone in our growth journey.
