On Saturday, January 18, a meeting was held between new entrepreneurs and the Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House, Jamuna. The meeting was attended by 15 male and female entrepreneurs who shared their stories of struggle to become financially self-sufficient and sought advice from the Chief Advisor on various matters.

During the meeting, the entrepreneurs talked about how the investment received from Grameen Telecom Trust, established in 2010 for the promotion of social business, helped them rise from nothing to become financially independent. They expressed their gratitude to Dr. Yunus for the support.

Most of the entrepreneurs attending the meeting were beneficiaries of investments from Grameen Telecom Trust and Grameen Trust, with some having received funding for the sixth and fifth times. Their success stories deeply impressed Dr. Yunus, who expressed enthusiasm and asked the entrepreneurs for suggestions on further steps that could be taken to help other entrepreneurs.

Dr. Yunus said, "Your life stories are incredibly inspiring. I am very happy to meet you. You have said many positive things, and I appreciate your feedback. Please continue to advise us. Let us know what more can be done for entrepreneurs."

The entrepreneurs recommended increasing the outreach of the programs initiated by Grameen Telecom Trust and Grameen Trust to promote social business. They noted that many people are unaware of these initiatives, and that increased promotion could help many poor people benefit from them.

They also urged the Chief Advisor to ensure that, in addition to investments, suitable training programs are provided to the entrepreneurs. Many of them mentioned that a lack of skills hindered their ability to expand their businesses, and they suggested organizing workshops in districts to develop more skilled and successful entrepreneurs.

Dr. Yunus responded, "I have learned a lot from your discussions and suggestions today. Our goal is to build a poverty-free Bangladesh. We want to ensure that new entrepreneurs do not face problems with investments and can work safely. From today’s discussions, I have gathered ideas on how the future path might look. Please stay in touch with us."

The meeting was also attended by Lamia Morshed, Chief Coordinator for SDG issues in the Chief Advisor's office, Tasmina Rahman, Managing Director of Grameen Trust, and Ashraful Hasan, CEO of Grameen Telecom Trust.