Hi everyone, welcome to my blog. Today I want to share with you a story about how I started my first business when I was a teenager. It was a simple but profitable idea that taught me a lot about entrepreneurship, marketing, and sales.
The idea was to sell underwear. Yes, you heard me right, underwear. But not just any underwear, cheap underwear that I bought from Pettah Market, a wholesale market in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pettah Market is a place where you can find anything and everything at bargain prices. I used to go there alone, to just talk with some trading people, and buy boxes of underwear for Rs.80 per box. Each box contained four pairs of men’s underwear in different sizes and colors.
I then bought 10 boxes of underwear to Wellawatta, a busy area in Colombo where many people lived and worked. I chose a nice spot in the pavement area and spread a sheet on the floor. Then I unboxed the underwear and Spead wide nicely and started to sell. I would say something like “Sir, do you need new underwear? I have good quality underwear for only Rs.50 per pair. You can choose any size and color you want”. Sometimes I would show them the underwear and let them feel the fabric. Some people would ignore me, some would laugh at me, but some would buy from me. I usually sold two or three pairs to each customer, sometimes more if they wanted to buy for their friends or family. I was a little shy and didn’t want my parents, family friends or my friends to see I was selling things outside. So I decided to speak with a salesman nearby who was selling purses and wallets and made a deal to sell my stuff too on my behalf. I just sat into some trishow with known trishow drivers and I kept watching the sales.
I did this business for about a year, from 2008 to 2009. I made a decent profit (Approximately Rs.95,000) in 1 year since I bought the underwear for Rs.20 per pair and sold them for Rs.50 per pair. I used the money to buy myself a mobile phone, which was a big deal for me at that time. I also used the money to treat myself to my favorite food, such as Pizza & Kottu.
I enjoyed doing this business because it gave me a sense of independence and achievement. I learned how to negotiate with suppliers and customers, how to market my product and how to handle rejection and competition. I also made some friends along the way, both among the sellers and the buyers.
However, my business ended after a catastrophic event that changed my life forever. I do not want to disclose what exactly happened in this blog. I may reveal it later but not anytime soon. Because I feel like this is not the right time to let everyone know why my business ended. But I can clearly say it’s because I was not able to continue buying & selling.
That’s how I started and ended my first business as a teenager. It was an unforgettable experience that shaped me into who I am today. Thank you for reading my blog post. If you liked it, please share it with your friends and leave a comment below.
