The Story of Belal Ahmed
Belal Ahmed grew up in a small village in Lokkhipur, Bangladesh, in a family of five. His father was a sharecropper, working on rented land and earning barely enough to feed them. During bad seasons, when floods ruined crops or prices dropped, Belal’s family had to skip meals to survive.
At just 10 years old, Belal started working in a local tea stall after school to support his parents and two younger sisters. When his father fell ill during Belal’s college years, he had to drop out of school and move to Dhaka in search of a better life. There, he joined a book publishing house, selling books door to door during the day.
But at night, Belal chased a different dream. Using a secondhand computer and free YouTube tutorials, he taught himself video editing with Adobe Premiere Pro and Photoshop. Within two years, he began freelancing online and eventually founded Tech Empire.
Background
Tech Empire is a small digital company from Dhaka that earns money through YouTube videos, brand sponsorships, and Amazon affiliate marketing. In 2019, they had 50 employees and a growing international audience.
But in 2020, a new Google update and a change in Amazon’s payment rules suddenly stopped their income. Their website traffic fell, affiliate earnings stopped, and brands no longer reached out for collaboration. Within months, they had to let go of 40 team members, keeping only 10 to survive.
“It felt like watching a family break apart,” said the founder. “We didn’t know how to start again.”
The Turning Point
Startup Aid stepped in and connected Tech Empire with Taposh Ghosh, a digital marketing and SEO expert. Taposh didn’t just give advice, he worked with the team every week for four months to rebuild the company from the roots.
- Finding the real problems:
He found that their content was aimed at U.S. audiences, but since they were not registered or paid from the U.S., Amazon stopped their affiliate income. Their website also lost visibility because of weak SEO.
- Fixing the basics:
- Rebuilt website pages with the right keywords and structure.
- Updated old YouTube descriptions and blogs to match what people were searching for.
- Partnered with a trusted U.S. associate to legally register and verify their affiliate account again.
- Added clear policies to meet Google and Amazon rules.
- Sustainable strategy:
Instead of depending only on one platform, Tech Empire started diversifying their content and income sources, combining ads, brand deals, and affiliate links so that one policy change could never destroy the whole business again.
Results After 4 Months
- YouTube traffic grew 50% compared to the lowest period.
- Affiliate income restarted, reaching 85% of their old level.
- They signed 5 new brand sponsorships.
- Rehired 10 employees, focusing on young talents and training them in SEO and content marketing.
Long-Term Sustainability
Belal’s journey reflects the heart of what Startup Aid stands for nurturing hardworking, talented individuals who simply need the right guidance to transform struggle into opportunity. Through mentorship, access to experts, and practical support, Startup Aid doesn’t just help businesses recover it cultivates people who can create more livelihoods within their own communities.
By empowering entrepreneurs like Belal, Startup Aid is breaking the cycle of unemployment and fear of failure that holds back so many in developing economies. Each person it supports becomes a ripple of positive change hiring others, training new talents, and bringing financial stability to families who once lived on the edge.
Today, Tech Empire’s revival is more than just a business success story. It’s a testament to how sustainable economic growth begins with empowering one person at a time giving them the tools and confidence to build, teach, and uplift. Startup Aid continues to uphold these grassroots talents as the true builders of a resilient and inclusive digital economy.
