“I always wanted to do this business,” says Malika Saidova, an entrepreneur from the Shahritus region. Malika began her activities in 1995 when she first sold her products at the market in the Balkhi region. She made various flour products and sold them. She even rented a room and made her own small table, where she prepared dishes and baked goods. However, unfortunately, after the death of her first husband, all responsibility for the family and for the big candle fell on her shoulders. Thanks to her activities, Malika overcame difficulties in the hope of a brighter future. As fate would have it, she married a second time, and since her husband worked in the military, they settled in the city of Istaravshan.
In this city, Malika worked in a military unit as a cook and taught soldiers how to cook various dishes, but her childhood dream of opening her own business still haunted her. After moving to the Shahritus region, this desire became more and more intense, and with recommendation of her close friend, who was engaged in trade, Malika received a loan from FINCA and finally decided do what she loved.
“I clearly remember this day when I first came to FINCA for a loan and thought that my registration in another city would prevent me from getting credit, but fortunately the employees of this bank greeted me warmly and gave me sound advice, which cleared up my doubts. Two days later I received my first loan in the amount of 4,000 TJS and immediately started my business.” Malika began making various delicious salads from fresh vegetables and opened her first outlet in the market of the Shahritus district.
At the moment, she already has a lot of clients and even from nearby areas they come or order her salads for their events. What is the secret of your success, we asked Malika. “I order special seasonings for my salads from Uzbekistan every 3 months for 3,000 TJS, because only these seasonings add even more taste to my products and I have special suppliers from whom I purchase fresh vegetables. But my most important secret is that I prepare all this with love and pleasure because when a person works and does his work diligently and from the heart, his work is valued and he receives respect. I also named my business after my granddaughter “Yosuman Delicious Salads.”
Malika has been working with FINCA for three years now and currently has a loan of 40,000 TJS to equip her home and expand her business. She now has 3 retail outlets in the Shahritus district itself, where in addition to her, 2 more of her assistants work. But she doesn’t want to stop there and in the future wants to open 2 more points in the Kabadiyan area. Malika is an active participant of the FINCA Women Club and every time she takes an active part in trainings and events organized by the club.
Malika adds: “Thanks to the training in FINCA Women Club, I turned my business into a family one and now my family members help me, and my daughter makes various canned food for the winter and sells it at our retail outlets, and my husband and son sell these products during the watermelon and melon season. And now we have our own family budget and we have learned to properly distribute our income and reduce unnecessary expenses. Also, I want to open a deposit account for the future of my grandchildren. I allocate 100 TJS daily from our trade to repay the loan and pay it on time”.
Malika’s hard work and dedication have helped her achieve her goals and we wish her success in the future.