Sumaiya Siddique, MBR Team

HUR Nusrat is one of the popular online clothing brand. Their goal is to bring the native cloth to everyone’s heart.

MBR: Can you please share with us how you started HUR Nusrat?

Nusrat Akhter Lopa: I started the journey with BSCIC in the year of 2013. During that period, I got chance in one of the renowned multinationals but my family did not support me to join there whereas I always wanted to do something as we were sisters and didn’t have a brother. So, in 2013, I completed a course from BSCIC on SED. After completing the course, they encouraged us to open a page. I always considered the girls as fairy and hence named it. Nusrat Akter Lopa is my name. Thus the page is called HUR Nusrat. At that time, I had neither the financial support nor the courage. At that time, my page had 12 like and most of them were my family member.

At that time, I had pocket money of BDT 1200 and I had gone for shopping on a particular day. On my shopping I found a fabric of natural dye and made a kurti of it. After making the kurti, I took some snaps and posted it on my page. And from there the journey of HUR Nusrat finally started.

MBR: Did lockdown created an opportunity for HUR Nusrat to expand further?

Nusrat Akhter Lopa: Lockdown has impacted all since it is absolutely a new thing. During the covid, maintaining the mental stability is crucial. Many people who started business with me gave up at that time and I have seen many to start business at that time because of losing job, financial crisis, and mental pressure. Women who were at home either to provide financial support or for mental stability, they started the business and most of them got engaged in online business.

People have seen my business running for almost 24 hours and it has motivated many. So, people thought if Nusrat can do this, why not me. So, many entrepreneurs emerged at that time.

MBR: The buying behaviour that people have changed amid the lockdown and people prefer to purchase online. Since, things are normalizing, what are the challenges that online business faces? Nusrat Akhter Lopa: Amid lockdown, I personally believed and tried to convince others that situation is an opportunity for online business to establish as people did not have option. So, we got an opportunity to create confidence among people.

Now, if we carry that confidence, we have excellent prospect otherwise it will be challenging. The trust and the confidence have to be maintained. HUR Nusrat has been running with stability for last 8 years which is an excellent surviving and we have the set of mind to run the business for decades not for short period of time. We have to maintain the quality, confidence and standards of online business and then people will be depended on it as we all have less time.

MBR: What are the challenges that you have faced during lockdown?

Nusrat Akhter Lopa: I did not face challenge during lockdown. Rather, we are facing challenge now when everything is open. Some people are misusing online which is imposing challenge on the overall business. So, we have to ban those things which are creating a bad impression for the platform.

MBR: What are the advices you would like to give to women entrepreneurs?

Nusrat Akhter Lopa: One thing I always believe that we cannot give up. If we land in a problem, we need to seek for a solution. If we fight then one will win and another one will lose. But we approach towards a solution we will be in a better position. We have to focus on doing business for decades and we also have to maintain the standards and do the business logically.

MBR: Do you agree with our statement of “Pandemic Induced Development of Women Entrepreneurship”?

Nusrat Akhter Lopa: Of course. Prior to lockdown, there was limited Facebook live promotion. Even many of my female customers have started their own business. So, I believe if both the men and women of a family are bread earner, ultimately whole society will be independent.