Building products for users is tough. Building products for users who are consistently underserved, often exploited, and face unique challenges living far from home, that's a whole different ball game. Not only do you face the usual challenges of product-market fit, scaling, and regulation, but you're often dealing with users who are vulnerable, lack trust, and have needs that existing solutions don't address.
Today, we're diving into a conversation that gets right to the heart of building for an incredibly important, yet frequently overlooked, user segment: migrant workers. These individuals send billions of dollars home annually, a crucial economic pillar for Bangladesh, yet their access to easy, reliable, affordable travel and financial services is often dismal. They face unnecessary hassles, opaque systems, high costs, and exploitation when managing their travel and finances.
In this fascinating conversation, Wafiul Haque, Chief Business Officer at GoZayaan and the force behind Hometown, shares his journey and the insights gained from building a product for this segment. Hometown, an initiative of GoZayaan, is a platform specifically built for migrant workers, starting with essential services like flight bookings and remittances. Mr. Haque recounts his path from early career experiences to finding his calling in the startup world. He details the origin of the Hometown, which came from recognizing a gap in services for migrant workers. The conversation provides a deep dive into the meticulous research and empathetic approach Hometown team used to understand the daily struggles and specific needs of migrant workers in markets like Singapore. Mr. Haque explains how these insights informed Hometown's product design philosophy, prioritizing extreme simplicity, using local languages, and introducing features like partial payments for flights to directly address user constraints.
Mr. Haque shares the raw details of:
If you're a product builder, a founder, or anyone interested in building for underserved markets and achieving impact alongside profitability, this interview is packed with a ton of actionable lessons. Mr. Haque’s experience with Hometown offers a rare look into the challenges and rewards of creating a product that works and also provides valuable lessons for operators in any sector.
Enjoy!
Hometown isn't just selling tickets, it is not a service or product. We're on a mission. This is a movement.
Mohammad Ruhul Kader: Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us about your background, where you come from, your education, and your path to what you are doing today.
Wafiul Haque: I completed my early education in Dhaka, attending Scholastica for my O Levels and partially for A Levels. After my A Levels, I went to the UK to do my undergrad, a BBA majoring in Finance, from London South Bank University.
During my O Levels and A Levels, I lost track of my studies a bit and got into all sorts of mischief. Consequently, my results suffered. My aspiration was to go to a top-level university. However, I got into London South Bank; it was a good school. My undergrad experience was very good. I came out with a perfect GPA, four out of four. And then I got into the London School of Economics for my Masters in Accounting and Finance.
You can understand I was moving towards a trajectory that I'd probably work in the financial industry. My aspiration was to stay back in the UK, probably in London, work in some investment bank. But things didn't turn out like that.
Around 2015, a significant family challenge changed all my plans suddenly when my mother unexpectedly passed away. All my siblings live abroad; I was the only one who was not properly settled anywhere yet. The only other choice was for me to come back to Bangladesh because my father was alone there. So I made the decision to return home. I finished my Masters quickly, and by late 2016, I got back to Bangladesh.
Ruhul: What was it like returning to Bangladesh after being abroad?
Wafiul: Now, after coming to Bangladesh, I had no idea what to do. For the previous five-six years, I had one plan about how I wanted to move forward and then everything changed overnight.
In 2016, when I returned to Bangladesh, I didn't know anyone in the corporate world. My friends from school already had jobs, everyone was already working in some capacity as opposed to me. So I was a bit scared and lost.
I got married just within a month of coming back to Bangladesh. Now my problem increased. I didn't have a job. In Bangladesh, after getting married, if you don't have a job, then people look at you differently, like living at your father's expense, and also getting married.
So, I had to immediately get something, no matter what.
I got into a PR agency, in their accounts team. I thought something related to finance, let me get into that. And then I had a reality check that things are different in Bangladesh. The corporate world is different, your manager sees you differently. Like leaving the office before the manager, they would judge you, wondering why I had left before the manager.
These things were new to me. Because I worked in the UK as well and these were not the things I was used to. These things made me a bit demotivated. Within three months, I left that job. It just wasn't going well.
Ruhul: You then joined British American Tobacco. How did that opportunity come about? And tell us about your transition into the startup world after your experience at BAT.
Wafiul: Fortunately, right after leaving that job, I got the most sought-after job in Bangladesh for a lot of fresh graduates, which is getting into an MNC and that too, in British American Tobacco. I joined as a Territory Officer.
That was a very happy moment. My family was very happy.
After joining BAT, they assigned me to Gaibandha in northern Bangladesh. I approached it with openness, a new challenge to tackle. The work itself was rewarding and enjoyable. I connected with some wonderful people there, including the sales manager and locals from Gaibandha who I’m still connected with.
However, the cultural differences were significant for me. Despite enjoying the work, the location just wasn't the right fit. So I made the difficult decision to move on. Afterward, I faced criticism from others who felt I'd squandered an opportunity that many wouldn't have received. This feedback was hard to process, and I went through a period of uncertainty, questioning my path forward.
After that, maybe Allah likes me a lot, within a very short time I got another opportunity, I got into Pathao. It was my first startup opportunity in 2017, people knew Pathao as the bike ride service provider. If I said I work at Pathao, many thought I probably had something to do with bike riding, especially my relatives.
The startup culture was very new in Bangladesh then and not a stable place to join.
Anyway, I joined Pathao. I was in a good team—the Marketplace Team, focusing on Rides vertical. I was designing rider quests, communication, anything and everything related to Rides. I worked with the data science team and the marketplace team. And it was a very good experience.
That's when I realized that startup is the industry I am meant to be working in. Whatever I was doing, the impact was immediate. Market told me right away whenever I did something wrong. The same happened when I did something right. Market told me right away the impact of my work. It felt very good.
I was at Pathao for almost one and a half years. However, at Pathao, I wasn't able to work directly with the product, and that was something I wanted to do at that point in time. I could see there was a startup boom happening in Bangladesh, and Product Manager was a very sought-after role. Now it might be a common thing, but then it was a very sought-after role. I didn't get that opportunity at Pathao.
After that, I went to Bongo, as a Technical Account Manager, and later I shifted to Product Management.
At Bongo, I worked on core products. I was involved in Bongo's OTT platform, Android, iOS launch. There was no other Product Manager. It was just my reporting boss, Director of Product, a Canadian, and me designing the product. That was an amazing opportunity for me, so much hands-on experience, especially creating an OTT platform, a streaming service. At that time, Netflix was also very new to Bangladesh culture.
And at Bongo too, I couldn't properly explain to people what I do at Bongo or what Bongo is. The main Bongo content viewers at that time were people from outside Dhaka, because Bongo's main customer base and core products were actually with Telcos initially, BioScope, and then with Robi, Robi TV+, and then Airtel TV+, which two products I actually launched. And back then, I couldn't explain it to anyone here.
However, as Bongo started becoming popular, especially during the Covid period, people realized, 'Oh okay, Wafiul is doing this and that. And that was the peak time for OTT platforms. The whole world was stuck due to Covid. Online businesses were having their best time, especially streaming platforms because people were spending most of their time before screens i.e. laptop and TV. I had a great experience at that place as well.
And then after about two and a half years at Bongo, I went on to work for a Silicon Valley startup, Inside Maps. They had some remote operations here in Bangladesh, and I was heading the product team from here working with a Serbian team.
Ruhul: Tell us about your path to Hometown.
Wafiul: Around the one-year mark working with Inside Maps, I started a conversation with Ridwan Bhai. At the end of 2021, GoZayaan launched their Android app. Ridwan bhai is hardly active on Facebook. He posts something occasionally, comments, then disappears. He announced the launch, I commented there.
Before I go ahead, let me give a little background. I knew Ridwan Bhai from before. He had a sports cafe called Velocity. Ridwan bhai is a huge WWE fan, a fascination that we share. In his restaurant, he used to sometimes host WWE WrestleMania or other various pay-per-view shows that are not regularly seen on TV. That's where I met him for the first time. I used to talk to him there. But we never talked professionally. And then for a few years, we didn't actually talk. I was busy with my work and so on. He was doing his thing, and he had also closed Velocity by then.
And I congratulated him on Facebook that GoZayaan finally launched its Android app, 'Congrats.' He then reached out to me on Messenger, saying hey Wafi, how are you doing? It's been a long time. What have you been up to?
I told him what I had been doing all this time and that at this time, I'm working in product at Inside Maps. He then said, 'Let's meet sometime.' After a few Messenger conversations, I went to his office, our GoZayaan office, for the first time. We talked for quite some time. It was more of a casual discussion. But I was getting a sense that Bhai wouldn't waste time just chatting. There must be a reason why he called me. I was getting a sense that it might be something job-related. Because he was curious about my professional life, what I had been doing.
I asked Ridwan Bhai about this later. Apparently, Bhai was planning something to do with the GoZayaan product team. He had the idea of Hometown on his mind but he didn't think of me for Hometown initially.
After our first face-to-face conversation, he later called me to his house. The first time I went to his house, I saw all the WWE memorabilia in his room. We got into a very casual conversation. In the middle of that, he asked me, 'What do you think, what should GoZayaan do next? Which market maybe we are missing out on?’
He already had the Hometown idea in mind. I told him, 'Bhaiya, maybe we can work on something for migrant workers. Since nobody works in this space, there's no product in this vertical.' That's when it clicked that I was thinking the same thing that was already in his mind.
He said, this is something I've been thinking about for this market segment. I had this idea even before GoZayaan. He actually wanted to do something for migrant workers back when he was at Analyzen. But he didn't have the scope then. After coming to GoZayaan, in 2017-19, he didn't get a chance to explore. GoZayaan had to build a brand identity.
So finally, in 2022 he decided to work on this. When I confirmed with him, we tentatively decided that we could work on this project. We still didn't know what it would be and where it would take us. It was around April/May of 2022 when we decided, I would join GoZayaan and we would work on this.
Ruhul: The name "Hometown" carries so much meaning. How did you arrive at that name?
Wafiul: Initially, we didn't have a name for the product.
Ridwan bhai had a few other names in mind such as 'Amar Desh' (My Country). We also thought about variables suitable for other regions such as Pakistan, since GoZayaan has operations in Pakistan and we have an eventual plan to work with Pakistani migrant workers down the line. But he didn't like those names much. I didn't like them either.
He and I used to converse a lot on Whatsapp. I had already confirmed that I would join GoZayaan. I had also started doing some research on migrant workers. One day he messaged me, 'How does the name Hometown sound to you?' After receiving the message, I had seen-zoned Ridwan Bhai for a long time. I didn't reply. He still remembers that Wafi just seen-zoned me and didn't say anything.
I think the next night, I told him, 'I'm getting a hang of the name, it started to sound good.' Meanwhile, although I didn’t reply to him, I was using the name everywhere—Hometown this, Hometown that, and using it in my conversations with migrant workers. When I told him, he immediately gave me a haha reaction. And we decided, we would name it Hometown.
Later, we researched again whether Hometown would be okay. For example, whenever we talked to any migrant worker, instead of asking him about his home country, we would ask, 'Brother, where is your Hometown?' to see whether they understand the name Hometown.
Ridwan Bhai went to the Middle East once during that time, where he met many Pakistani taxi drivers or Careem drivers. He tested the name there, asking them, 'Brother, where is your Hometown?' They would understand it immediately. This validated our assumption that we could have this one name and we wouldn’t need a separate name, everyone would understand this. Finally, the name Hometown was decided.
Brother, we just want to talk to you, hear your story. We are Bangladeshi brothers. We have some businesses in Bangladesh. We don't know what we can do for you yet, but please tell us your story—how you came to Singapore, what your life is like here.
Ruhul: What happened after that? Your research process with migrant workers in Singapore sounds incredibly thorough. What did you learn from those conversations? Tell us more about that.
Wafiul: I joined GoZayaan in mid-June 2022, and within two weeks, Ridwan Bhai and another colleague of ours and I went to Singapore. Our goal was to start from Singapore because Singapore is one the smallest markets for migrant workers while being the most advanced.
After arriving, our approach was straightforward—talking to migrant workers to understand their problems. We weren't going to sell them any product because we didn't have one yet. We didn't know what Hometown would be like. There was no product.
We had to figure out how to approach them. You can't just suddenly ask anyone on the street at any time, and they aren't always available. Migrant workers do 10-12 hour shifts, and by the time they finish on weekdays, they're already exhausted. They work six days a week and only get one day off—Sunday. We had to think about the best time to speak with them.
We decided that dinner time might be when they could give us some time. So, we planned to take our migrant brothers to dinner. Gradually, we built local contacts. I made connections with many people through Facebook and other means. There are community leaders, 'Boro Bhai' (elder brother), whom the workers listen to and follow. They're like mentors. Through these leaders, we planned several dinners.
Over the course of two months, we interviewed over 150 migrant workers. Every time we took them to dinner and talked to them, we would just sit there in awe, listening to their stories. Each one had a different story, different struggles. They appreciated our approach because what other brands or companies do when they talk to them is immediately start selling something. There was always a transaction.
Our approach was different: "Brother, we just want to talk to you, hear your story. We are Bangladeshi brothers. We have some businesses in Bangladesh. We don't know what we can do for you yet, but please tell us your story—how you came to Singapore, what your life is like here."
People shared their good stories, bad stories, even personal stories about family troubles. They're sending money back every month, but it's still not enough for many families. Their relatives think, "My brother/son is in Singapore, earning in dollars. They must be living a comfortable and good life." Because when migrant brothers visit home, they always wear shiny shoes, sunglasses on their heads, or earpods.
That's the first impression their families get when they come out of the airport. They think their brother, husband, or son has come from a prosperous place. The migrant worker also wants to protect his family from upset, knowing they might have sold land or jewelry to send him abroad. So they try to make a good impression. But their family rarely gets to see their struggles and backbreaking hardwork and often misunderstand them.
Ruhul: What specific problem did you identify that became the focus for Hometown?
Wafiul: After listening to all these stories, we realized we couldn't solve everything at once, but there was a common problem: buying flight tickets.
When they first go from Bangladesh to Singapore, the agency they go through buys the ticket for them. They don't understand how much a flight ticket actually costs. When they travel home from Singapore the first time, or travel after that, they have to buy tickets themselves.
Without much understanding of the process, they don't do research. The 'Boro Bhai' might say, "Go to that agency," and they go there and get overcharged. Many people take advantage of their lack of literacy and sell tickets at very high prices.
Sometimes they're given a ticket, but when they show it at the check-in counter, they're told it's invalid. These are heartbreaking stories—earning such hard-earned money, only to be taken advantage of. These check-in issues mostly happen when they're returning to Singapore from Bangladesh.
There are also instances where the ticket is valid, but there's corruption between the check-in counter and the agency. Some corrupted airline employees have setups for extra income, saying, "Brother, give me 10,000-15,000 taka through bKash right now, and I'll fix your ticket." His family is waiting outside the airport to see him off, and he can't even tell them about this trouble—it's a matter of respect. He somehow manages to arrange the money and gets the ticket.
So we thought, this is our problem statement. This is where we need to work.
Ruhul: How did you approach designing a product specifically for this audience?
Wafiul: By July-August, we had written down all these problem statements. There was a lot of back and forth, many trips to Singapore, and numerous meetings. The community leaders helped us tremendously. We visited many dormitories and spent hours with the workers. Since they finish work at around 7 PM, we would stay with them until 11 PM or midnight, talking at length.
Finally, around late August, I created an MVP. With my product background, I could design it myself. The process was straightforward—finding the exact requirements, understanding what was needed, asking the right questions to our customer segment.
In August, we made an initial design. I showed it to Ridwan Bhai, who said, "No, make it even simpler.” So we simplified it further where every screen had just one action. A migrant worker would encounter one action per screen, then move to the next step. A tech-savvy user might want to complete transactions quickly in fewer steps, but with Hometown, we created a lengthier but much simpler journey that clearly indicated what action to take.
We designed it as if the migrant worker was communicating with the app as a person. The app would say things like, "Buy a ticket for this date," or "On this date I will go," and he would click on the calendar, and there would be a button saying, "I will go on this flight."
This matched their experience of talking to someone offline to buy a ticket. It shouldn't be overwhelming to them. That's how we designed the app.
We didn't release it immediately. We went back to all the people we had spoken with earlier and showed them, "Brother, we've made a flight product like this for you so it's easy to see the flight fares yourself, how much baggage you'll have."
After talking to the migrant brothers, we learned that the most important things they want to see when buying a ticket are the price and how much baggage they could take to Bangladesh. The flight time wasn't that much of a deal-breaker since there's usually only one flight a day between Singapore and Dhaka. They don't worry much about the time, as long as we show them the fare and adequate baggage allowance. That's how we created the product for them.
If you go to the GoZayaan website or app, you'll see much more information—flight time, fare breakdowns, and many other things. But for Hometown, the screen was much simpler.
And another convenience: we made it in Bengali. Not all expatriate brothers are proficient in English. They're not used to the language or terms used in flight booking. We translated everything into simple Bengali for the app. When we showed them the first version, they were very happy.
Ruhul: What was your testing process like, and how did you build trust with your users?
Wafiul: We recorded some sessions, studying their experience when using the first version. We observed their facial expressions as they used the app. I asked them, "Brother, use and test the app. Wherever you get stuck, I'll help you. Try to book a flight ticket on your own." And as they used the app, I watched their faces. Where did their eyebrows furrow? Where did they hesitate?
That's how you understand real user feedback rather than verbal feedback, where people might be shy or reserved.
We identified where they got stuck on different screens and fixed those issues. They also suggested payment methods, which we added within a week and showed them again. Most people were very satisfied after that.
By November 2022, we had launched the Hometown app with the flight product. Initially, our biggest challenge was establishing legitimacy—convincing users they could safely purchase tickets online through us.
At the time, several e-commerce scandals had occurred in Bangladesh. Since everyone was active on social media, people questioned: "Should we really buy tickets through an app? Could this be a scam? What if they take our money and disappear?"
When we first showed our fares, many offline agencies in Singapore took notice and began spreading rumors: "Don’t buy tickets from Hometown—they’ll shut down in a few days. Don’t trust these startups."
In response, we launched a marketing campaign centered on the word নিশ্চিন্তে ("rest assured"), with the message: "Buy tickets from us with peace of mind." We also started sharing customer testimonials—with their permission—featuring their faces and direct quotes. Over time, many users even began sending us unsolicited videos saying things like, "Brother, I bought a ticket from Hometown, and it’s very good!"
In those early days, every customer mattered; missing even one call wasn’t an option.
Ruhul: Could you share a moment when you realized Hometown was truly making a difference?
Wafiul: The first truly inspiring story involved a migrant worker whose mother was critically ill. Late one night, he received the devastating news that she was on her deathbed—he needed to return home immediately. But it was past midnight in Singapore; all the offline travel agencies were closed. How could he possibly get a ticket? In desperation, he called one of his boro bhais (older brothers), who told him, "Try Hometown."
For them, it was past midnight—10 PM in Bangladesh—and our official operating hours had just ended. But when he reached out on WhatsApp, we answered immediately. In those early days, every customer mattered; missing even one call wasn’t an option. We reassured him, “Brother, we’ll handle your ticket—don’t worry about anything.”
He said, “There’s a US-Bangla flight in three or four hours, around 5:30 AM. I have to be on it.” Time was critical. Booking last-minute tickets is always risky—seats sell out, or prices skyrocket. But that night, luck was on his side: the fare was reasonable, and we secured his ticket just in time. Within minutes, we sent him the e-ticket via WhatsApp.
But I won't be able to print it," he said. Yet by then—trusting our word—he was already on the MRT to Changi Airport. Over the next ninety minutes, as he traveled from his dormitory to the terminal, we completed every step of the transaction right there on his phone. By the time his train arrived, he got his ticket. My operations team, after we gave him the ticket, finally closed their laptops and went to sleep.
The next morning, a message lit up our screens: "Brothers, I can't thank you enough. Because of you, I made it home in time to take my mother to the hospital myself." His gratitude was overwhelming.
That morning, I gathered our tiny team—just five of us back then, though it had started with only me months earlier. "Hear this story," I told them. "Remember: Hometown isn't just selling tickets, it is not a service or product. We're on a mission. This is a movement."
That moment changed how we speak to customers forever. You'll never hear us say "Sir"—only "Bhai" (brother). We realized something powerful: while "Sir" creates distance, "Bhai" builds trust. We noticed that they hear 'Sir' everywhere, but when someone calls them 'Bhai,' they enter a different comfort zone. They express their needs in a much more relaxed way. It transforms conversations. Now when expatriates open our app, the first thing they see is "Assalamu alaikum, Bhai".
Ruhul: How did you expand beyond your initial offering?
Wafiul: After a year of operation with flight booking, we began receiving countless requests: "Brother, add mobile top-up to Hometown, bring this service to Hometown, add that feature." One feature request stood out above all—sending remittances: "We need to send money home, brother. Don’t want to stand in lines anymore. Please create something simple for us."
This overwhelming feedback ultimately led us to work remittances—a far more complex product than we'd anticipated. For our parent company GoZayaan, launching flight booking was easy thanks to our existing expertise in that business. Remittance services presented an entirely different challenge. The learning curve was steep, requiring months of intensive research and preparation before we could even begin development.
We made many mistakes and learned on the job through trial and error, but we never lost sight of our mission: to bring a solution that our expatriate brothers truly needed. The path was riddled with numerous challenges: being held off for apparent server issues with the local banks, NPSB system issues, and multi-layered distribution challenges.
Customers see they've entrusted their hard-earned money to Hometown. When delays occur, even during the final leg when beneficiary banks distribute funds, we bear the full brunt of their frustration. This baptism by fire forced us to become problem-solving experts in real-time. We learned to identify and address these challenges on the job. Every day still brings new lessons.
Every holiday season brings new challenges. During last Eid-ul-Fitr, most banks in Bangladesh were closed for seven/eight days. Even on those days, we ensured that Hometown's transactions went through quickly. If you send money through Western Union, Ria, or any other offline channel, it might take a day or two to reach legally, whereas Hometown delivers it within minutes.
Similarly, when our users send through MFS, they expect it to happen instantly—when delays occur, they rightly question us. What many don't realize is that in many instances expatriates sending money through MFS from Singapore or other markets were actually using hundi, the informal transfer system. Here's how it works: an MFS agent here (Singapore) collects the money, messages a counterpart in Bangladesh via WhatsApp, and the funds appear immediately in the recipient's account in Bangladesh.
During my research, I posed as a customer to understand this better. I handed $100 to an agent to send to a MFS account. He simply texted a contact saved as "Bhatija" (nephew) on WhatsApp, and within a minute, the money arrived. While fast, the sender missed out on the 2.5% government incentive available through legal channels. Yet this experience revealed why our users expect instant transfers - they've learned that money sent through MFS should arrive instantly.
We faced a dual mission: not just building financial products, but teaching our expatriate brothers about these issues. For many, digital transactions and using apps were unfamiliar territory. We designed the Hometown app with embedded video guides at every step, creating a visual hand-hold through each step.
This journey spanned nearly three years of continuous iteration. Each product launch came with its own learning curve—not just for our team, but for our users. We not only released products but also had to teach people how to use them.
Because of our approach, two official payment channels in Singapore, PayNow and NETS (Network for Electronic Transfers), noticed us. They reached out to us to integrate into Hometown. They wanted migrant workers to use their payment methods. This was a huge support for us. When we show migrant workers that we have PayNow and NETS in our app, they trust us even more: "These big organizations are connected with Hometown." We no longer need to emphasize 'নিশ্চিন্তে' (rest assured) as much; instead, we focus on how quickly transfers can be completed.
Now migrant workers have many more expectations.
Alhamdulillah, at the beginning of this year, we launched in Malaysia with flights and hope to launch remittances soon as well. In Malaysia, we don't need to build initial trust as much because we're leveraging our Singapore experience. We can show that we've been operating in Singapore for the last two and a half years with excellent results, which reassures people.
In Singapore, we didn't have any physical location in the first year. After a year of operation, we installed a help center in a dormitory where expatriate brothers could come and learn how to use Hometown. For remittances, if someone needs to complete KYC verification, which is mandatory to send money home, we helped them do that. It was not a store and no transaction took place there.
Last month, we opened a store opposite Singapore's most popular spot—Mustafa Centre. That has been a game-changer for us. Now no one asks where Hometown's office is or if Hometown would disappear. It's a prominent location. Every expatriate brother has visited Mustafa Centre on a Sunday—it's their common gathering place where they socialize, enjoy jhalmuri (spicy puffed rice), fresh coconuts, and more. On Sundays, the center transforms into something reminiscent of Motijheel.
We now have a good presence in Singapore. Alhamdulillah, we're growing every month. Malaysia has also started to pick up. It's a much bigger country than Singapore—almost 12-15 times larger in terms of migrant workers. After Malaysia, we plan to expand Hometown to other markets with migrant workers.
Ruhul: This is a fascinating solution and very important one for our migrant workers and for Bangladesh. This is also relevant to many other countries that have large migrant worker populations living abroad. I want to dig a bit into your remittance product. How does it work? How is it different from other available options?
Wafiul: When expatriate brothers use other services—typically offline—they often visit Bangladeshi exchange houses or local banks. On Sundays, they wait in line, approach the counter, submit their work permits and beneficiary details, and transfer the money. However, if the recipient’s bank isn’t part of the NPSB network, the transfer can take more than a day or two to complete.
Alternatively, they can use the "ready cash" option, where funds deposited here trigger a physical cash disbursement in Bangladesh. The recipient receives a PIN code to collect the money from the designated bank branch in Bangladesh. However, this method comes with a less favorable exchange rate.
With Hometown, expatriate brothers don't need to waste their Sundays waiting in line. They avoid the hassle of rate checking through calling around or scrolling Facebook pages where 20-25 different sources post different rates.
They simply open their Hometown app, tap "Send money home," and instantly see the current rate with a transparent breakdown: total amount they'll receive in Bangladesh including incentives, the exact BDT amount that will be deposited into their beneficiary account, and our flat service fee. Unlike other services with variable charges based on transfer amount, Hometown charges a single fee of three Singapore dollars—regardless of the transfer amount or destination bank.
After reviewing this transparent breakdown, users become interested in sending money through Hometown. Right on the same screen, they'll find a prominent "Send Money" button.
For first-time users, a one-time KYC verification is required by submitting their valid work permit and basic residential information. This mandatory verification process only needs to be completed once. Once approved, they're immediately able to send money home through the platform.
Users can send money to Bangladesh through two trusted methods: direct bank transfer or bKash. Our bKash integration offers a unique safety feature - when entering the recipient's number, users instantly see the registered account holder's name, just like in BRAC Bank's Aastha app. Senders can confirm they're transferring funds to the right person - whether it's their wife, brother, or other family members. This verification makes bKash transfers completely secure, eliminating any risk of sending money to the wrong recipient.
For bank transfers, users simply select their bank from a dropdown list, provide the account number, branch details, and account holder's name. With these three details, they can proceed to payment.
The payment option is equally simple—PayNow, Singapore's trusted QR payment system. Money goes directly from their bank account. Scanning the QR code in their banking app automatically displays our transaction amount. No manual entry required - the amount matches their original transaction exactly
Once they approve, funds are immediately transferred to Hometown. Users receive real-time app confirmation of our receipt. Just like any financial product, full transaction tracking is available. They can monitor the money’s progress until it reaches the final destination.
For first time users, the entire process takes about 10 minutes. For regular users, it takes just two to three minutes max. In contrast, sending through an offline channel or Western Union might take half a day. Many of these people live in remote areas of Singapore, in dormitories almost one-and-a-half hours from the main city center. With Hometown, they can do everything in minutes sitting in dorms.
I'll share a simple story. We had an expatriate brother who sent his wife to stand in front of a bKash agent in their village. He called us, "Brother, I've sent money using Hometown, will she receive it now? She's standing there and needs to do her shopping." Within two minutes, the money reached her. He stayed on the call with us while also speaking with his wife, asking, "Did you get it?" When she confirmed, he was very satisfied. This was his first transaction with Hometown. He expected that when his family needed money, he could provide it immediately. He could do it sitting in his dormitory, something impossible with any other money transfer services.
You might ask why other financial organizations with apps can't do the same. They have apps, but they're not designed for migrant workers. We do everything in Bengali. Our processes are broken down into simple steps. We offer the payment methods that migrant workers prefer. We are designed for migrant workers.
Ruhul: This sounds very interesting. To understand the technicalities and backend of the remittance part, you aggregate several financial service providers on your platform that users would otherwise have to access individually or offline. Do you operate like an aggregator?
Wafiul: PayNow and NETS are payment methods, like Visa and Mastercard. NETS is a card payment, a local payment gateway of Singapore. It's a cheaper and easier alternative. The NETS network is used by the three major banks in Singap. So, NETS is there for flight booking. And PayNow is also such a network, completely dedicated to Singapore. It's a payment method.
Our users use this local method to pay Hometown, or Hometown's remittance partner, and Hometown collects the money from them using this payment method. But before making the payment, the user decides how they will receive the money in Bangladesh. We ask them exactly like if they went to any other place and said, "I want to send money to Islami Bank or Agrani." For this, they wouldn't have to go to another Islami Bank branch. They could just go to Western Union and say, "I will send money to Islami Bank or Agrani or Brac Bank."
We do the same thing. We first ask them, "Do you want to receive the money in a bank account or a bKash wallet?" They choose their preferred method. And at the end, we ask them to give us the money through PayNow. They choose PayNow and give us the money. And we then send the money through their preferred receiving method.
In terms of API connectivity, we support disbursement to every major bank in Bangladesh covering both NPSB and BEFTN methods.
Ruhul: We talked quite a bit about Hometown. Give us an overview of Hometown today? How big is the team? How does it work within GoZayaan? What are your numbers in terms of users and growth and any other metric you may be tracking?
Wafiul: When we started Hometown, it was just me. So I had to first create a product team for Hometown, which has since moved to the central product team of GoZayaan. GoZayaan has a central product team that manages all its products similar to its tech team, which has always been central. The product experience is still the same, simple, but it has evolved in UI/UX perspective based on the feedback we have gathered over the years. Initially, Hometown had a dedicated product team.
Besides that, we have an operations team, which operates from Bangladesh. This team handles calls from expatriate brothers, responds to WhatsApp messages, and manages all our communications and operations. All our communications are in Bengali, which our users appreciate a lot. Something that they don't get anywhere else.
We have our own brand team, who worked dedicatedly on our recent OVC. Some of our brand team members came to Singapore to do official shoots, visiting dormitories and interviewing expatriate brothers. That's how our OVC was created. That has also been greatly appreciated by the community.
Besides that, we have a small data team. Overall, Hometown is now a 35 people team, including operations, brand, data, and support to the central product team. Initially, I used to look after everything. Gradually, the team grew. I was able to let go of a lot of the responsibilities. While Ridwan bhai and I still make the majority of decisions, the team plans and does a lot of things on their own.
In terms of users, our app's penetration is actually 100% in Singapore, if we consider the official Singapore migrant workers number. The number of migrant workers officially is one lakh twenty to thirty thousand [120,000-130,000]. We have already surpassed that number in downloads. Of that, our active users are more than 65%, who actively use the app.
Downloads tell you the awareness of the app or service. Active users tell you about how many people really use the service, which is something that we track. And we are seeing excellent month-on-month growth.
Hometown has reached profitability as we had planned and this only tells us more that profits can be made without ripping off fellow migrant brothers. That's simply ethical business.
Ruhul: That’s remarkable growth, reaching 100% penetration in Singapore. How did this happen?
Wafiul: We initially connected with many community leaders in Singapore—those "Boro Bhai" (elder brothers). Singapore being a small market, these people are closely connected to each other. Moreover, they live in dormitories and stay together. Word of mouth spreads quickly, whether you do good or bad.
Before launching the product, we worked with community leaders—sitting and talking with expatriate brothers, taking them to dinner. Many people were expecting Hometown to arrive. We didn't spend much on promotion or marketing. These community leaders have their own Facebook pages, through which we promoted Hometown's launch.
We had a modest download target and low expectations when we launched. To our surprise, we had more than 4,000 downloads in the first seven days. Within two weeks, it crossed 10,000. We were surprised to see the growth.
One key thing that helped was connecting with the community and its leaders. They spoke on our behalf, saying, "You should check it out," rather than us promoting our product on Facebook where no one would take it seriously because they didn't know us. Trust was an important factor. Since the recommendation came from their community, one of their voices, they trusted it. This was a huge boost for us.
As people gradually started using our product, and since there was a huge void in the market for this kind of service, many expatriate brothers tried it. We were completely transparent, and we were solving many of their key problems. Combinedly, these factors have contributed to the adoption.
Additionally, with each passing year, a new generation of migrant workers arrives—smarter, better at using smartphones. Maybe if we had done this five or six years ago, our response wouldn't have been as good because smartphone penetration wasn't as high then. The new generation of migrant workers are more tech savvy.
Then, this Bengali aspect, all our communication is in Bengali, has also contributed to the growth.
Every Sunday we try to do an activation. What is the activation? We send some of our volunteer brothers, who are expatriates themselves, or we ourselves go to the places where people gather. I remember on the first activation day, I stood for nine hours straight without noticing it. Later, Ridwan bhai came and told me, "Did you notice you’ve been standing for nine hours? I was so excited. During these events, we would help expatriate brothers to help download the Hometown app and show them how to use it. These activation campaigns encouraged more people to download our app. We noticed that on those days, our transactions are higher, our downloads and even remittances sent are higher.
These things have helped us a lot. Gradually, we have grown.
Our marketing spend on media is miniscule—a few hundred dollars and the whole of Singapore is covered.
We also don't always bombard our users with messages because they don't like this. Initially, we tried it and we saw that migrant workers don't appreciate it when they are bombarded with marketing communication. They uninstall the app. When we noticed this, we made major changes in our communication. We worked our hours when they like and don’t like to get notifications. They hate it during prayer times and love it on various special occasions. They like it when we start conversations with "Assalamualaikum”.
We have been strategic and discrete about Hometown in the early days. Hometown was very hush-hush. Only recently we became public. Before that, hardly anyone knew that I was working on Hometown. They all knew I was working at GoZayaan. In fact, my many GoZayaan colleagues didn't know when I initially joined that there was something called Hometown. In our town hall, we used to say I was working a “new business”. We only told everyone at GoZayaan in November 2022 when we launched the product.
Ruhul: Now you are in Singapore and you have just launched in Malaysia. You have flights and remittance. In terms of products, what are some of the short and long term plans? And in terms of markets and other areas of operations, what are some short and long term plans? Future plans on the product and operations end.
Wafiul: For Hometown's flight, we knew that we would launch with flights. However, for remittance, it was driven by our users—what our users wanted, the problem we needed to solve for them. It was a user-driven solution.
On the product and service end, we are already planning a few things in financial tech around credit facilities. This is something we might work on next.
That said, our guiding principle is that whatever product we launch going forward, it will be based on what our customers want. We don't want to plan too far ahead and think, "This must be in Hometown." We don't want to do things for the sake of doing them. We will bring what our customers want to solve their problems.
In terms of market, we plan to cover the Middle East next. That's probably the holy grail of blue-collar migrant workers. However, we don’t want to jump into a big market straight away. KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] is definitely our ultimate goal in the Middle East. We will definitely go to Saudi Arabia. Before that, we might test some other markets within the Middle East to gain more confidence.
The Middle East has many kinds of rules and regulations. At Hometown and GoZayaan, everything we do, we try to do it in a compliant manner. Since we have now entered the financial industry, we are more careful about all regulatory policies. The markets that are easier to crack first with friendly regulatory environments, these things will dictate where we go next.
Maybe down the line, when we have covered the blue-collar migrant workers, we might test out other western countries as well.
Ruhul: What are your thoughts on the future of the migrant worker market, especially with changing politics and policies worldwide? You have been working in this space for a while, how big is the market, what are the opportunities and challenges, and where do you see the market going in the next five to ten years? Please also tie in how you see the current change in sentiment and policies around migrants across western worlds as politics move to right-wing and conservatism. This is happening in some Middle Eastern countries as well where rules around migrant workers are more stringent now than anytime before.
Wafiul: The migrant worker issue has always carried political influences. Apart from the local political forces, it also depends on our relations with other countries. A lot of these depend on these political calculations.
And yes, you are right, the perception towards getting foreign workers in the country to build all the fancy buildings, businesses, and boost up the economy, is now frowned upon.
Many countries are imposing restrictions. Dubai did this for a while. Currently, Saudi Arabia has restrictions. Last year, Malaysia had them. I think this will continue happening. These political changes happen instantly and occurred in the past as well. We have social media now, so news travels very quickly.
It seems these challenges will always exist, but at the same time, the countries that take the most foreign workers do so for a reason: locals don't want to do those tasks. A construction worker, a plumber, an electrician—maybe a local Singaporean won't do that work, and even if they do, their wages will be much higher.
These countries will continue to take foreign workers, but we need to focus on building good relations so they don't exclude Bangladesh and choose workers from elsewhere. Bangladesh should always be in consideration.
The government has a significant role to play here. They need to control illegal immigration. The expatriates who go abroad and stay illegally create problems. Because of this, Malaysia frequently shuts down immigration, sends back 50,000-60,000 expatriate brothers, keeps borders closed for a few days, then reopens them.
Here, our government actually has a lot to do.
For a long time, as a nation, we've sent migrant workers to these countries and then forgotten about them. They need more support after going abroad—support that should come from high commissions but isn't being provided properly. This is one of their biggest complaints.
Since I work with this community, I sometimes communicate with high commissioners at certain events. I hear about common pain points: they can't do their IPA attestations, it takes a long time to renew passports, many can't return to Bangladesh when their parents are dying or their families have problems. And if they come like that, they have to leave permanently. We have to do a better job supporting these people.
When we send someone abroad, we also need to ensure they're treated well in that foreign country. We must show this commitment to the governments of these foreign countries so they're more comfortable accepting Bangladeshi migrant workers.
If we maintain these relationships, I believe the demand for Bangladeshi migrant workers will always exist because we excel in certain areas—construction being one of them. Singapore has a huge shipping industry where Bangladeshi workers play a significant role, and they don't want to lose them. We don't want to lose these opportunities either.
The industry will likely become more regulated in the next five to ten years, but our government should focus more on supporting these workers. In recent months, some positive developments have occurred, we have seen some migrant workers friendly initiatives. As a result, last month, we received the highest amount of remittances in Bangladesh's history.
This builds confidence for migrant workers. If they feel positive about the country, they'll send more money through legal channels, believing their money will be better utilized in Bangladesh. People send money every month—$3.3 billion came legally, but much more comes through illegal channels.
Ruhul: One final thought you'd like to share about the treatment of migrant workers. This is such an important issue, and you've mentioned points that I think our government should pay greater attention to. Remittance is a critical pillar of our economy. Unfortunately, the way our migrant workers are treated at airports and every step of their journey is absolutely despicable.
Wafiul: When these workers first go to the airport to check in, that's where the bad behavior toward them begins. Every time I travel, I see this. It's very sad. These people bring money into the country and contribute so much. And when they return, they immediately face problems at immigration, which upsets them.
I think as a nation, we should be better about these things and show more respect. Obviously, sometimes our expatriate brothers get involved in issues because they lose control due to frustration. But when they see us setting a good example by treating them well, they'll respect us in return and follow the rules.
Whenever I see them entering Singapore, they immediately follow all regulations—standing in line, not overtaking anyone, not talking loudly, being polite, not littering. But when they return to Bangladesh, they become more relaxed. That respect for their country would increase if we treated them better: "I will also keep my country beautiful."
Ruhul: Exactly. I think there is a lack of trust. People don't actually have faith that if they stand in line, they'll be able to go home. If there's trust in the system—that it's working and will take care of their rights—then they won't have that urgency. That's something you've rightly pointed out. This is a topic we could discuss at length, but let's move on to our next question. You're operating in a challenging market from a regulatory perspective. Building a product for this segment must also be very challenging. What have been your lessons from building a product for migrant workers?
Wafiul: Until now, we've built just two services: flight booking and remittance. Whatever changes or decisions we make for the Singapore market or the Malaysian market—even a normal feature change—we have to research how it fits within local regulations. When we upload our app to the App Store or Play Store, they only accept it against their local rules. So we always need to stay educated about what's happening in Singapore and what we should or shouldn't be doing.
When sending remittances, we need to verify we have all the necessary licenses. Are we using the right keywords when submitting the app? Are we communicating transparently with local authorities?
There have been many startups in the past that weren't transparent. There have even been a couple of Bangladeshi-founded startups that launched from Singapore but weren't forthcoming enough, and those businesses had to shut down.
In Singapore, there's an authority called ACRA through which you register your business, file who your investors are, who sits on the board—all that information is public. When we initially applied for licenses, they would see our founder is Bengali and look at us differently, scrutinizing us more carefully because there's a lot of hundi [informal money transfer] between Bangladesh and Singapore.
Singapore is a huge hub for hundi because it's a free trade market where you can open bank accounts easily. It's very open to businesses. KYCs are required, but it's still very business-friendly, which enables a lot of hundi transactions.
We had to overcome many challenges. Even now, our remittances sometimes get delayed because of regulations or because we don't fit neatly into certain regulatory categories. Hometown's remittance approach is a bit unorthodox compared to Western Union, Ria, or other services. We currently operate through a local remittance partner since we don't have a direct license. We had to explain this structure to local regulators and obtain their permission.
It was also difficult to explain our operation to users initially. When we first launched remittances, people would ask whether we had a license in Facebook comments. We had to post our licenses in our help center and even created QR codes so users could scan them and go directly to the license page.
There are many authorities in Singapore. Since we work with migrant workers and have them as volunteers in our store, there's sometimes fear that the MOM (Ministry of Manpower), which oversees labor, might visit to check for illegal activities or undocumented workers. We have to ensure we remain compliant and don't break any laws.
Ruhul: You've been working in product for a long time across different companies and verticals. What's the art and science of creating products that work?
Wafiul: First, I never had any formal education related to product management. It all came through trial and error—learning by doing, understanding what works and what doesn't, how to approach things, what's right and wrong.
I faced many setbacks initially at Bongo when designing their products and planning around our user base. That's when I realized: the more I talk to users and understand usability, the easier my product design becomes. I develop a better sense of which user experiences are right for the product.
Many people just sit on their sofa watching TV and think, "Oh, we can start a startup with this, make an app," but it's not that easy. The screen-to-screen transitions need to be very well thought out. Something I like, you might not like. I have to see what the majority of people prefer and what's easy for most users. Then those who initially don't like it will eventually adopt it—it becomes a habit.
You need to make hard calls like, "We'll do it this way, not that way." Sometimes you have to take risks. When we started our flight booking with a broken-down approach—one action per screen—it was a significant risk. We wondered if anyone would book a ticket through such a lengthy process when simpler options existed elsewhere. But this worked for migrant workers. We understood their thinking process, and this approach made it much easier for them.
I did the same thing at Bongo and Inside Maps—understanding the customer, how they behave, what they want. Once you do that, designing a product becomes much easier.
Even our business decisions reflect this approach. At Hometown, we're the only platform allowing partial payments for flights. I once asked an expatriate worker, "Brother, why don't you buy a ticket from Hometown? Why don't you go home?" He replied, "Brother, flight tickets are very expensive. My salary is 800 dollars a month. My return ticket costs over $650. I also send over 90% of my earnings home, so I have no savings. How will I buy a ticket? With one month's salary, it's impossible. I need to save for two to three months first."
That conversation sparked an idea. I approached our operations and supply teams to determine the minimum amount needed for a ticket reservation that wouldn't result in a loss if refunded. We found a sweet spot—initially 30%, then 40%, now 50% down payment. With this approach, users can book a ticket and have until seven days before travel to pay the remainder. Until then, they lock in the price, and it won't increase.
If a worker calls seven days before departure saying, "I couldn't arrange the rest of the money" or "I didn't get leave," we cancel the ticket and refund any money due without incurring losses. We're enabling them to lock a price far in advance. Booking months ahead for occasions like Eid allows them to save significantly. We encourage advance booking with partial payment—with a smaller amount upfront, they can still secure their travel.
This approach is entirely driven by their needs. No other booking site offers this payment model, where users can complete payment up to seven days before departure.
Another product decision: migrant workers typically work 10-12 hour shifts and don't have much time during the day to book tickets. So we extended our payment window—if they find a good rate, they can book it and have until 11 PM to make the payment. Most platforms give 40-50 minutes to hold a price, but we give users until the end of the day. We understand they're busy working all day and can pay with a calm mind when they return home. These decisions are based on understanding users' needs, which makes product design much easier.
Speak to the market you're designing for. You might have an initial idea about what you'll do for a particular customer base, but you need to talk to them and understand their problem statement rather than assuming you already know the solution.
Ruhul: Could you provide a checklist of things one should think about when designing a product?
Wafiul: First, speak to the market you're designing for. You might have an initial idea about what you'll do for a particular customer base, but you need to talk to them and understand their problem statement rather than assuming you already know the solution.
Second, study users' current behavior—their existing experience, where the loops and problems are. This is where you can add value. Then you won't need to sell users on how you differ from their current experience; they'll understand immediately, "Oh, this doesn't happen in Hometown. Hometown is easier for me."
Third, go back and forth with a sample group of your user base. Test your MVP in multiple sample groups —as large a sample size as you can manage—and test the product before launching it. What users tell you sometimes gets lost in translation. They might describe their problem one way, and you might understand it differently. You need to validate whether your solution actually addresses their problem.
This is exactly what we do at Hometown. We validate before launching every feature. We know what will work or not. Even for small changes, we consult with users beforehand to avoid usability shocks.
Another aspect is considering how the product will impact your business. One dimension is the business aspect, another is the social aspect. Will what you're building generate revenue? Sometimes we get excited about features thinking, "Oh, this will be great," but we need to ask if it's driving ongoing revenue. You need to distinguish between 'nice-to-have' and 'must-have' features. Your investors will appreciate this perspective.
For instance, with our partial payment idea, some investors initially asked, "Isn't this risky? Are you being too kind to your users?" When we showed them the math behind it, they appreciated the approach. Now before every Eid, partial payment is always a hit.
Ruhul: How do you operate as an operator?
Wafiul: I get asked this a lot. When I started Hometown, it was fun and easier to manage many things myself—designing the product, being involved in all interviews while building the team, even replying to customer’s messages to understand what was happening. I made frequent market visits to understand users. I couldn't initially bring many people from my product team to Singapore, so I recorded videos of user interactions to ensure my UX designers could see each user's expressions. After talking with users, I would relay their entire stories to my team.
That's how I tried to give them an idea of what Hometown needed to be.
As we grew, it became impossible for me to do everything. As I've matured in my career, I've understood that as we climb the ladder, it can't be "I" anymore—it becomes "we," and it has to be "we," otherwise the product and organization won't scale.
I can't have all the responsibilities. I try to empower my team so they can handle many functions while I oversee, help, and guide them in the right direction.
For example, in brand and marketing, someone else might be better suited to handle execution. I hire good people who can help me, and I steer them in the direction Hometown needs to go or how Hometown should be perceived by customers. Beyond that, I let them do the work.
Same for operations. Initially, I established a culture of treating migrant workers with respect and kindness—never being rude. I demonstrated sample calls and proper ways to talk to them. As our operations system grew, this approach spread among everyone. Early on, I listened to all phone calls with users daily. It consumed a huge amount of my time, but it was necessary to understand user perception and give feedback to my operations team: "You're being too loud here" or "You're losing patience, this shouldn't happen." Now I don't need to do this regularly—others handle it. I just periodically check that things are moving in the right direction.
The same applies to product development. Now that we've established good flows and practices, I've been able to let go of many things I handled initially. It wasn't easy for me at first to think, "I won't work on the product anymore; another team will look after it." Now GoZayaan's central product team oversees Hometown's product. They still consult with me when implementing decisions to ensure they align with Hometown's direction. They come up with ideas, freeing my time to focus on expanding the business, entering new markets, and growing our current business rather than micromanaging. This approach greatly increases others' motivation—they feel trusted with significant responsibilities.
Ruhul: Again, just to distill the lessons, can you offer a checklist to become an effective operator?
Wafiul: First, be flexible with your team. It shouldn't always be, "Whatever I want needs to happen."
My product team once told me, "Bhaiya, whenever we share an idea with you that you don't like, you don't immediately reject it. You say, 'Let's test it out, let's see whether it works.'" I give that flexibility to my team. This encourages them to bring more ideas. If I immediately shut down their suggestions, they'd feel discouraged and assume future ideas would be rejected anyway.
Even when I have late-night inspiration, I don't simply tell my team in the morning, "You have to do this." I believe every manager should give their team the flexibility to hear ideas and evaluate them: "Listen to what I think and see if it can work. I might be wrong—what do you think?" When you open up the conversation and see how they react, those on your team feel more comfortable working with you.
Communication between everyone should be very clear. If I say one thing to one colleague and something different to another, they'll have two different perceptions and make conflicting decisions. Communication has to be transparent.
Regarding hierarchy, there are times when we need to maintain it and times when openness is more important. Anyone from an intern to any team member should feel they can come to me with ideas, thoughts, and feedback. This encouragement builds good morale.
Show your team that you're continuously learning as well. When I learn something new, I share it: "I learned this, and here's what I took from that learning." Now they share many things with me too. It's about showing, not just telling. When someone on our team learns something new, they present it to the entire team, and it's greatly appreciated.
These practices create a healthy environment where people feel valued and motivated to do even more.
Whoever manages or operates needs to show this enthusiasm to their team: 'Look at the product we're building—try to have the same passion for it as I do. It will make your work easier. You'll enjoy what you're doing and see the impact.
Ruhul: This is beautifully put. At the end of the day, an organization is all about people. If you have good chemistry with your people, the rest of the things should take care of themselves. This was the last question. It took a bit longer than my allocated time. However, this has been an enlightening and educational conversation for me. Thank you so much for taking the time and being generous with your stories and ideas. Any parting thoughts?
Wafiul: Thank you for listening through this. I am sure I missed out on a few things. Hometown is an extraordinary project that I deeply cherish as a product and as a business. I remember telling Ridwan Bhai when we started building it that on my tombstone, when I die, it should read: "Builder of Hometown." That's how passionate I am about it, and I still am.
This passion is important. Whoever manages or operates needs to show this enthusiasm to their team: "Look at the product we're building—try to have the same passion for it as I do. It will make your work easier. You'll enjoy what you're doing and see the impact."
Last, I want to mention one thing: I try to keep the team entertained. When Hometown wasn't known to everyone at GoZayaan, I intentionally named our room "Area 51" so that the sign outside the door suggested we were cooking up crazy experiments, perhaps working with aliens. It became a conversation starter when investors would visit, asking what we were working on.
Thank you so much for listening.
Ruhul: Thank you again. I think this is a good place to end today's conversation. Hopefully, we will get to talk again sometime soon. Thank you again.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
