1. Let’s briefly introduce yourself, your childhood, and your academic background.
I was born in Jessore, where my father was then serving as a government employee. After a couple of years, we moved to Chittagong, where I completed my primary educational journey. After studying there till class 7, we moved to Dhaka. I completed my SSC at New Model High school. Later, I moved to Comilla for my higher secondary education at Comilla Govt College. During my HSC, I got an opportunity to work as an intern in a tech company. After finishing my HSC examination, I got admitted to Comilla Victoria College, where I completed my Bachelor of social science and Master of social science. During my honors, I worked in a part-time position at Unicef.
However, I always looked for opportunities to do something. During my honors degree, I also got hired as a sales executive intern at a tech company. One day there was a convention at the IDB center where I participated in the fair and got a job offer as a trainee Sales executive. After gaining experience in both sales and service, I was assigned as a Sales Executive. Moreover, I was promoted to company manager for my satisfactory performance. That was one of my life’s significant moments, making it the most remarkable learning place. There I used to run and solve problems for better sales and service. Consumers were happy with the products and the service. But, the number of authentic businesses were less, and my dream was to give consumers authentic products and hassle-free service. Time passed, and my urge to do something different and give the community more ignited my entrepreneurial instinct. One day I asked myself a question, why not open a business of my own? In 2005 I started a business along with one of my friends, my younger brother, and his colleague. From then, the journey of Star Tech & Engineering Ltd. spread its wings. After just two years, we became a limited company with a satisfactory reputation and high consumer retention. Initially, we used to provide corporate services, but we gradually entered the retail business.
By the grace of the Almighty and the love of consumers, friends, and my employees, this year, I was elected Vice President of Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS).
2. What was the driving force behind choosing entrepreneurship and stepping into the tech business?
Creating a tech business was always a part of my plan; I wanted to provide convenient tech products to the customer and distribute them all over the country, ensuring essential aftercare for their gadgets. In the Mid ’90s, Such businesses did not exist in Bangladesh. Even the majority of people used to have less confidence in Bangladeshi tech products and services back then. Star Tech & Engineering Ltd. was a breath of fresh air for many consumers in the market that achieved consumer confidence and trust. My goal has always been to offer clients or Consumers the highest-quality items and better after-sales support. As I used to work in a tech-related company, I discovered that clients and consumers always wanted authentic products and swift and hassle-free after-sales service. Tech businesses failed to reach consumers’ confidence and reliability at that time. Keeping only one goal in mind, “to completely satisfy consumers and bring back their trust in the Bangladesh IT market, I took the challenge to bring back consumers’ trust vis a vis creating a consumers-friendly business”. That’s how my entrepreneurial instinct kicked in, and I stepped into the tech business.
3. Give us a short glimpse into the journey of Star Tech & Engineering Ltd. and what helped it to stand out from its competitors?
In 2007, we had a small outlet on the ninth floor of the Multiplan center. With prolonged periods of load shedding and being on the ninth floor, we had to face hardship dealing with Consumers. Also, Consumers had to take the stairs to reach our outlet on the ninth floor of the Multiplan Centre. We gained the consumers’ trust with our sheer willpower and hassle-free service. Consumers were happy, and they recommended us for tech products. After a couple of years, our fame spread like wildfire. The consumer has driven their approach to be with us, retaining the existing consumers and adding newer ones.
Moreover, people here usually trust recommendations from friends and family members more than advertisements and television commercials when purchasing any product. As a result, our approach worked like a charm. Our reputation grew solely through word-of-mouth, enabling us to achieve a stable consumer base in our early years. I will not compare us with anyone in the market, but most businesses only focus on sales and often avoid after-sales service. Here, we beg to differ as we try to focus more on after-sales service and RMA. When I used to work as a Sales Executive, I answered consumers’ queries about warranty claims and services. To me, if a consumer buys a product from us, it is our responsibility to ensure quick and proper after-sales service. This is where we are different from most of our competitors. We will always be unapologetically committed to two core principles: quality products and consumer service that make us different from our competitors. We always want to see consumers as an integral part of our business. We follow and abide by our “zero-tolerance policy” both online and offline, prioritizing even a tiny complaint and solving it with great care until it’s solved correctly. That is how we built a cooperative relationship with consumers, which helped us to thrive and gave us an upper hand over our competitors.
4. In your opinion, how has Star Tech & Engineering Ltd. contributed to the initiative of making Digital Bangladesh by its revolutionary impact on the ICT industry?
I firmly believe that Bangladesh is currently on the pivot of technological advancement and a significant expansion in this industry compared to its peers in this region. While it started its independent journey much later compared to peers in South Asia, I see that the progress is very foresighted, organized, and strategic. I think that has been the vision that has ensured that the growth in the country across various business segments and the economy, along with the socio-economic and technological development, has been very consistent and Fruitful. We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that fundamentally alters how we live, work, and relate to one another. Amid covid, initially, our operations were somewhat halted, but after some time, we ran our operations online. Our online services are known countrywide. As we have a dedicated online team only for complaints, receive, and solutions. Customers don’t need to come directly to our outlets to place complaints or suggestions. In Bangladesh, if anyone searches for any tech product online, our website ( www.startech.com.bd ) will be visible on the top, and any consumer who wants to buy any products from anywhere in the country can order them online. From regular customers to vendors, they visit our website before buying or selling products. We have reduced physical attendance by heavily relying on our e-commerce services. Rural area residents can now purchase tech products and get after-sales service with just one click. We allowed everyone from all corners of this country to buy and take assistance from us by creating a bridge that revolutionized the ICT Industry.
5. What is your future plan for Star Tech & Engineering Ltd. and its expansions?
From the beginning, our motto was to ensure authentic products and hassle-free after-sales service to Consumers. We have made all our outlets in a chain formation, and through online, our consumers can buy, get service, and claim warranty from any outlets smoothly. Our vision is to provide authentic products and services more efficiently all over the country. We have a smooth delivery system all over the country by which we send products to them. We are OEM of max green UPS, casing, adapter, and battery. In the future, we plan to manufacture these Tech products in Bangladesh. For this, we have applied for space in Hi-tech Park. We distribute various renowned brands and will distribute more famous brands soon. Star Tech & Engineering Ltd. is an authorized distributor of 24 famous computer, gaming accessories, and component brands like Antec, Asrock, Razer, Lian-Li, Noctua, Team, R&M, Palit, etc. Now our company operates business in five major cities in Bangladesh. Moreover, Our vision is to maintain the brand image of our Star Tech & Engineering Ltd.- A brand of the people they rely on and can trust regarding tech products.
6. If you had to share one piece of advice from your life experiences, what would it be?
To all the young dreamers eager to step into the tech industry, I think it is essential for a person to keep up with the current technological trend. You must adapt to this dynamic world, where technology is constantly changing. However, from my personal experience, there should be a combination of practical experience and academic knowledge as the key to success. You have to learn from experience, Be honest, Dream big and always face the problems and try to solve them. Gradually you will find yourself becoming a self-sufficient person. Moreover, always believe in yourself; not everyone is blessed with the ability to turn their vision into success. Those capable of it not only change their own fortune but that of millions of others.
