Fahim Mashroor founded BDJobs in Bangladesh around 2000 when internet was dial-up and few people owned phones. He talks about why he started it, the obstacles of building online in a place with almost no infrastructure, and why young people should act early instead of waiting for perfect conditions.
Chapters
Why exactly we started Baby Jobs? And I guess like it should be like very hard to take that kind of initiation in that time. It's like almost like in 2000. Why you take the initiative?
Question jeta common question amak asa je thake je kyana suru kollam. Eta asli ek bare ek ek dron manushe personala ek dron nek thake. To I from the childhood, I probably amon ek dron chila, ekto sabsemaye traditional jinish theke ekto non-traditional, ekto out of the trend type jinish karte pachando gortam. To sehi khan teki manarao tek tiga sabahi chakri kare आमी में क्योंना चाक्री करबो। मनी इक्टू निजेके चैलेंश करा टाइपेर एक टा नेचर थीलो। तो से ही जन्नों है थो मन होलो थे ना टीका साइंग, किछु अधर टीका साइंग ब्याप्षा करबो। किन ब्याप्षा करले, कन ब्याप्षा कर� To at that point of time, internet bepata ekhon je rakam kore, jato popular ba jato sadhan manos jehabe use kore, tokhon asli internet kub limited chilo. I am talking about almost 16 years ago. Tokhon basically dial-up chilo, log joner kub gam manos rati internet, mobile to chilo hi na. To, of course, that was a very challenging time. Toh tokhon amra mana holo za asli ki kora darkar. Amra dai koi din bondu-bando ba IBA theke, koi din bondu-bando mila, mar tik kollam je, Amon kichu kori ye to aswale young generation ke amra touch karte pari, ye young generation na internet kuch man internet ke use kala suru karche, kentu we have to, we can give them, suru sopnon dekhe besi na, manushe sahasra take aswale, to khan manushe aswale Haitho jhab dawa, akhon ho to ami ane chinta kari, tika se ekan ekta invest korbo, ekane ita lagbo, ita lagbe, ekan time dibo, whether I will fail or not. But at that point of time, amla sada ko chinta kari nahi. Amla sada chinta kari chila, just kichu karte hame. So it was much more a kind of, frankly, jatana besi Like, calculative type of business endeavour, tā tēkur turunāi much more it was ekta emotional bēpār, jenā āmādeke sārā world internet ne kāch karche, āmā kēna pichie thākbo. Tohān asle bēpsā korbo, ēta barā hābe, anek profit korbo. Frankly, trust me, bēpār tohān silo nā. Tohān silo jē kichunā-kichun karte hābe. To oi jagar theke aman kacha manohaye, jara aajke young, aneke ami dekhi je chinta kare je tiga chami, arekto wait kori, aro ekto jaani, experience gather kori. Kinto apne de eka din dekhta hobe je, boys team is very important vapar. Ami koi jake Jack Maar ekta interview dekhchilam. To se oro kum bolchelo, whatever you need to do, whatever risk you need to take, you have to take it. To e jono ame sobsemai young deloke bole je, just yodi kichu korta hoye, do it immediately. आरेक्ता भालो है जदी जा करार बीएर आगे कोरे फाले। बीएर परे मानुश डिस्सिते पारे ना। For every practical reason, you know why. तो, आजकाला वस्यो, अनेक के तरे गाल्फेर्णो बोलेरा तुम्हाँ चाक्री करती होमे। You can't be an entrepreneur. Anyway, but, से ता एक ता one kind of challenge to convince the people around you. तो, इत.
Ekta din shuru kara ar sera ke boro kara. BD jobs already like 17 years. It's a long time. So like in between like after 4 years or 5 years when you had a hard time to actually grow with the time and you even if you need like investment, se hi phase ta kya mon bhabhe parkol len? Ebong like amader ekhon jara business kotte se ba samne aspe. Tat jona apnar mon hai like main motivation ta ki hote pare? Like after some like slight success, then like how you actually move on to make something like really big?
This is also a very difficult question and depends on the particular case. আমি আসলে মনে করি বাঁগাদেশের বেপসা বাই স্টাটাব জারা আমাদের মতো মনে বিজনেস বেকরাউন থেকে আসে নি লাই বিজনেস ফা� very challenging ebong ekto unique. Particularly, āmi yudhi compare kari like you have been into Silicon Valley, āmāre ekhāna anekhi ātini jā Silicon Valley teke chene. Tādar jonno jai context of business and growth āmādar jonno kintu is absolutely different. Because we don't have any, we have some VCs now, but...
Not in that time.
No, not in that. Even bortomano jā anekhi VC niye ekhāne bose āche, tāto nā. Particularly, āpi yudhi India te ākhon thāken ba Silicon Valley te... There are people like who will be looking for like good young entrepreneurs. But Bangladesher mato jayegaye, trust me, getting a VC fund, amyo toh ekhon bidi jobs teke, basket deals te VC pete pari, by at least I can talk to, because they know my background of 10 years, 15 years. But ame judi, mani, first venture kurtam when I was young, toh kon kintu keyu amar pichane taka invest kor bene. Very difficult actually. Unless you are very lucky, toh se hi arte, amader ecosystem ta very different than other ecosystem, je gudine amla onek kete onek. My background of 10 years, 15 years. But ame judi fast venture kartam when I was young, toh kon kintu keo amar pichone taka invest korbene. Very difficult actually. Unless you are very lucky, toh se hi arte, amader ecosystem ta very very different than other ecosystems, जगरुण ने आमना ओनक खेट, ओनक किछु आमी अच्छोला सबसे मने करें जर बाँगनादेशेर खेतरे पर्टिकुलरली पुथम 3-4 बचर is very important एइ शमयतते you need to actually hold on एइ शमयतते जड़ा आमी बिबिनो जागे बोली रासल का भी बलतेशी सुनेची which he had the same शुनी। माने दुड़ा माने पार्थो कोता आपना जाने, जे इस्प्रिंट माने होच्छे, खूब धूतो, खूब कुइकली, जतो धरने शक्ति आछे, खूब अलपा समाय, 10-15 seconds, I will actually kind of apply that and I will actually reach my goal. But, आपने जुदि... Bangladeshi startup korte chaan in a sprint mode, like Hussain Bolt type er matto kub dora-dora abein, taholi you'll very soon actually kind of eat away your resources. Apte kub tagatagi burn out hoi jabein. E jorno amra jita kore sila abe mungi, it actually worked for us. Mane jakun BD Jobs chalo kore silam, आम्रा इक्टू Marathon टाइपर एक टीस्टर जे निये छिलाम, जे आमना जाने जे आमादेर We have very limited resources एबों आम्रा इताओ जाने जे आमादेर एक टा जागाई परस्थ होले We need not even one or two years. We might need five years to ten years time. Toh sehi jagah ta ta amade growth ta habe, khub incremental growth. Poti bachar hao ta amra ik tuk tuk kare barbo. Amon na je ame ek kichu kollam, there is a kind of WhatsApper mato ame 14 jon log niye suru kollam, 2-3 bachar pare amake Facebook will acquire me at few billion dollars. Bangladeshi it's not going to take place. Trust me. Toh sehi arthe, amar kache mana hoi ja apneke khub mati akre pade thakta hobe. Jeh bhabe ekta marathon race har jeh bhabe ik tuk tuk तर जाने जे ताके 26 माल दोराते होबे, ताके अनक बिछी quick दोराले तार energy exhaust होई जाबे, उइ भाबे आपने के जार limited resources से तक आस्थ आस्थे, खुब judiciously बयबोहर करे-करे, अपने के goaler देके जेते होबे. What you need is huge amount धोज्योना थाकला अशले बांगलाशेर टेक एंटर्पेन कराता, एंटर्पेन होर बहुत दिफिकल। So, I'm here to answer your question, जे कैमान कोरे ग्रोथ ता कुला। अमरा अक्योली जानता मझे ग्रोथ is going to be very slow. एबंग that's why we are prepared to kind of take the time and kind of conserve kind of our own energy and.
