Despite having the opportunity to work in a multinational company after completing his MBA, Rabiul Alam Biplob chose journalism and is now a small entrepreneur. He currently works at the daily Kaler Kantho newspaper and has young Bangladeshi journalist Rabiul Alam Biplob established himself as a successful freelancer. Alongside journalism, he began working in affiliate marketing and Google AdSense in 2009. His freelancing career started with just $100 in 11 months. Now, he prefers to introduce himself as an entrepreneur.
Rabiul Alam Biplob graduated from Carmichael University College with a BBS (Honors) in Management in 2008 and completed his MBS in 2009. He obtained an MBA in Human Resource Management from Dhaka International University in 2010. Throughout his student life, he worked as a journalist for various local and national newspapers. Despite the opportunity to work in a multinational company, he did not join, aiming to become an entrepreneur alongside journalism.
He joined local newspapers Daily Ganalo and later the Daily Mayabazar as a staff reporter. While working at Mayabazar, he launched an outsourcing column and received encouragement from the then executive editor, Abdur Rauf Sarkar, to establish an IT firm. He founded the BPEUS IT Center, initially employing 30 unemployed youths. He later established two more IT firms in Pirgachha, Rangpur, and one in Sundarganj, Gaibandha, to create employment for rural unemployed youths. He overcame the barrier of broadband internet connectivity in rural areas by setting up a 120-foot-high tower for radio link broadband internet.
With the earnings from outsourcing, he started Biplob Travels and founded Biplob Rural Development Organization, a private development organization registered with the Department of Social Services. Biplob shares that his journey to becoming a successful freelancer required patience, taking 11 months to earn his first $100. He believes that those choosing freelancing should be patient and skilled, as success in this field requires perseverance. He emphasizes that experienced freelancers should assist newcomers and that aspiring freelancers should build their skills and begin working patiently.
Discussing the challenges of freelancing in Bangladesh, he notes that the absence of PayPal poses a significant problem, and the quality of internet services is inadequate. Mobile operators sell megabytes on a pre-paid system instead of offering unlimited monthly connections like broadband. Additionally, international credit cards are not easily accessible to the general public, which hampers online purchases of domains, hosting, and other services. Biplob believes these issues need to be addressed to advance freelancing in Bangladesh further.