Startup Story: project that was inspired by the search for a supplier

As the Startup Story section continues, we would like to introduce our subscribers to Shokhrukh Kayumov and his very own project Uzbtextile.

Shokhrukh is 43 years old. He currently works as a Managing Partner at PromoWear (uniform manufacturing), co-founder at Fratelli Casa (clothes manufacturing) and Managing Partner at Uzbtextile.

As the guest recalls, the idea to launch a startup came up due to a big problem.

“This is a very interesting case. Once I was looking for raw materials in Turkey. I was running out of time, so I would not have had time to get acquainted with the products of all factories. Turkish colleagues recommended one marketplace where I could find many suppliers in one place at once. Then I thought: how convenient and fast it was, there’s such a problem in Uzbekistan, and many foreign buyers do not know where and how to find something.”

That’s how in 2018, the textile trading platform that offers assistance to local and international customers in finding suppliers in Uzbekistan ‘Uzbtextile’ was born.

Tell us about the benefits of the project

The project, as Shohruh notes, makes the work of many entrepreneurs easier.

"What are we doing? To put it simply, we simplify the connection of buyers from all over the world with suppliers of Uzbek textiles. We want Uzbtextile to become a platform for the best solutions for the textile business in Uzbekistan.”

Now on the platform you can find the following types of services: a directory of companies (for searching for suppliers in Uzbekistan), creating export applications, requesting prices from several suppliers (quickly and easily in one click), posting ads for finding employees, as well as for buying or selling goods and services in the market of Uzbekistan.

“Our project helps even small textile producers find partners from other countries. This makes it possible in a very short time to find the right ones from a variety of competitors.”

What difficulties did you encounter at work?

As Shohruh admits, difficulties in creating the project, albeit not so significant, were still observed.

“When we were working on the project, in particular, when we were creating the website, the most difficult step for us was the choice of language. For a long time we could not decide on the main language of the site, we thought for a long time whether to introduce Uzbek or not. So far we have settled on English and Russian.”

Also, the guest complains, in Uzbekistan it is very difficult to find international SEO specialists and marketers who have experience in promoting IT products.

“We have created an MVP and are gathering a team of like-minded people. So far there are 4 people in the team: 2 developers, CTO and I - CEO. Currently looking for a Product Manager and Marketer. I hope both team and the company will expand in the future.”

How are you planning to develop the project?

According to the founder, the Uztekstilprom Association is now among the founders of the project.

“From the beginning, the team has invested its resources, the project has existed at the expense of self-financing. But now we have begun to apply for various grants, and also started looking for investors.”

But they do not want to just stop there: the startup has a huge plans.

“There is no analogue of our product in Uzbekistan, and even in the CIS countries there is none. Our plans are first to cover Uzbekistan’s market, then rebrand, then we will enter the CIS market, and then we will offer the CIS online textile market to English-speaking textile workers. As a result, we want to become a global textile trading platform.”

In addition, the team is currently working on a new website design, they will completely change the UX / UI and plan to launch IOS / ANDROID applications this year.

What would you wish for aspiring startups?

Shokhrukh tells them always to think about the big market.

“Remember the simple things: find an idea that makes your eyes light up, don’t do the work alone – it’s important to find a like-minded partner with whom you will share responsibilities and success. The help of like-minded people is very valuable. Participate in all accelerators and trainings. This will help not only to gain knowledge and master new skills, but also to find friends, colleagues and investors.”