How It Started
HisabPotro is the brainchild of Mr. Md. Abdul Hakim Bhuiyan, a professional accountant and entrepreneur by choice. Mr. Bhuiyan is the Chairman and Managing Director of Kichai IT Services Ltd. The initial concept of HisabPotro emerged from customer feedback gathered at various events, including:
- SME Fair in Bangladesh
- BASIS Software Fair
- Business Finance for the Poor in Bangladesh project by DFID, UK
This idea was further strengthened while launching the premier product of ERP2ALL.
Self-employed individuals, cottage industries, micro, and small businesses (CMSEs) are key drivers of growth globally. In Bangladesh, approximately 8 million small businesses:
- Employ over half of the country’s workforce
- Contribute to a quarter of the GDP
These businesses, also officially recognized as self-employed, cottage, micro, and small enterprises, form the foundation of the country’s private sector.
Access to formal financial services is one of the major growth drivers for micro and small businesses, as highlighted by the World Business Environment Survey and Investment Climate Surveys. However, CMSEs face significant barriers, including:
- Lack of written business transaction records
- Incomplete or single-entry accounting methods
- Poor infrastructure, lower education levels, and limited training facilities
These challenges make it difficult for CMSEs to access finance. In response, DFID UK launched a project to support small businesses in Bangladesh. However, Mr. Bhuiyan found the initiative to be politically motivated and decided to take an alternative approach.
He envisioned creating HisabPotro—a user-friendly and affordable software solution for self-employed individuals, cottage industries, and small businesses. His goal was to empower CMSEs by providing them with the tools to:
- Maintain accurate transaction records
- Make prompt decisions and run more cost-effective businesses
- Increase profitability and improve their ability to access microfinance, banks, and non-bank financial institutions
By bridging the gap between small businesses and financial institutions, HisabPotro aims to enhance the financial inclusion of CMSEs, improving their access to finance and enabling sustainable growth.
