I am a 22 years old entrepreneur and a farmer. I spend most of my time making oil, and in my free time, I work on the farm.
My journey has been blessedly free of major challenges as I am the youngest in the family. I was treated like a princess. The only challenge I faced during my childhood was the absence of a sister with whom I could share my personal matters.
I completed my high school in the year 2019 and decided not to continue my studies after that. Financial stability was not a problem. I have four brothers who encouraged me to pursue further education. After high school, I could do nothing for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It came in between my plans to participate in training programs as my interest was in bakery. I developed a passion for baking and learned through tutorials on YouTube and opened a café in Pangbisa, which I operated for a year.
My journey took a new turn when my brother moved to Australia and recommended that I run an oil factory. I stopped the café operations to learn the ins and outs of operating machinery and equipment about the oil production.
After two months of training, I successfully managed the factory of my own. Currently, the factory specializes in producing the mustard oil. I decided to start this business since there is an abundant raw materials available in our country. My decision was also driven by my deep empathy for the challenges faced by the fellow farmers, as they lack the market for mustard seeds. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we managed to transport the machinery to our location making it possible for the production. Right now, my challenges are getting enough raw materials and involvement of the middleman in the business. This results in the increase of the price of the product, making it hard to compete with imported oils.
To fund the purchase of machineries and establish the factory, I burrowed a loan from the Bank of Bhutan. Asking for a loan as a young entrepreneur with limited experience was not an easy job, but the constant proposal and assistance from the Bank helped out approved my loan. I am deeply grateful to the Bank of Bhutan for believing in me and providing the loan because of which my efforts came into success. I am hopeful the market will grow in the future. I am determined to work hard and take my product to a bigger audience.
To everyone out there starting their own journey, I want to say this: “work hard, follow your passions, believe in yourself, and you can achieve anything.”
Celebrating humans whose dreams came true because of Bank of Bhutan