Topex has a history of worth mentioning

When most of his classmates and friends were absorbed in academic study Shafiqul Islam was running after business to support his family.

Many of his friends were preparing for job after graduation but in the meantime he began to gain ground in his business. He had failed to fare better in business for several times but he had never given up hope.

This earnest wish for business made Shafiqul a successful entrepreneur in lather industry. He is eying formal export market within next few years.

The love for business came into his mind when he attended a computer training course while he was a second-year student in Islamic History at Dhaka University. This course was a major inspiration for him to be an entrepreneur.

After completing the course, he launched a computer training business in his home town in 2012. He could not be able to make any profit and counted a big loss in his first business.

“I attended the seminar on the advice of one of my friends. This seminar was a big motivation for me to be an entrepreneur,” Shafiqul added.

In 2014, he along with his five friends launched a company to sell imported laptops, tabs and pen drives. This attempt also went in vain.

Then he launched a facebook page named Shopno Sale with a loan of TK 5,000 from a cooperative where he used to supply multi-category imported products including watch. This time he was able to make profit.

“It was the time when e-commerce was booming in the country and I was enjoying a profitable business,” he said.

Earlier several attempts for business turned unsuccessful but this business helped him to draw profit. This is why he is still with the business and wants to continue it in future as it was his first profitable business, he said emphatically.

But he was not happy as he realized that he was selling products of other brands. He was thinking of launching his own brand to represent himself in the market.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country his business was badly affected like others. He was searching for a platform to make his career in leather industry.

He attended a three -months training session of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) at Motijheel on leather industry where he learned the ABC of the industry.

But he realized that it was not enough for him to manufacture products. Then, he completed one year of training at a tannery factory at Hazaribagh where he was able to have practical knowledge of overall manufacturing.

After that he visited more than 100 factories and many showrooms of renowned brands to have an idea about product quality and design.

He understood that the products of the dominant brands were manufactured by the third party. He decided to manufacture products with his own raw materials to ensure quality.

In November 2021, he went into formal production with a contract with a factory and launched a brand named Topex.

“I had been thinking about the name for a long time and studied to find a smart name. Suddenly, the name Topex struck my mind. As I want to reach the zenith with my products I finalized the name after a discussion with my wife,” said the successful businessman.

At the very beginning he used to sell the products to the people familiar with him including friends and relatives. The consumers were amazed with the quality and price which inspired him a lot.

A significant portion of demand was made from the students of Dhaka University. Then he decided to shift his office to New Market to find more customers.

“I am providing lather products with reasonable price and this is why the customers are looking for me. I can challenge anyone with the quality and price of my products. My products are much cheaper than any other brand products,” said confident Shafiqul.

Now he has a huge number of customers and is selling leather goods including money bag, belt, and vanity bag of worth about nearly Tk10 to Tk12 lakh monthly.

His products are now available in many renowned e-commerce platforms including Wall Card, Othoba.com, Monarch Mart and Daraz.

Even, he is on his way to export his items to the global market as he has already sent samples to the UK, Qatar, the UAE and Spain.

“I have sent the samples to several countries and the review is good. I think I will find a green signal to enter into export market soon. This way I want to contribute to the economy of Bangladesh and generate employment for people,” he hoped.

As his brand has gained traction in the market his friends who are doing jobs are now requesting him to make them his business partners. Even many government officials are showing interest to become co-partners of Topex.

“I am not thinking of taking any investment currently but it will depend on my future success. I am focusing on manufacturing quality products and entering into export market,” he said.