From Customer Support to Strategic Partnerships: My 8-Year Journey at PriyoShop
Today marks 8 years since I joined PriyoShop. Eight years! Sometimes it feels like just yesterday, and sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago. As I sit here reflecting on this milestone, I can't help but think about how much has changed—in the company, in my role, and most importantly, in me.
When people hear my story, they're usually surprised. "Wait, you started answering customer complaints and now you're doing partnerships with Unilever?" Yes, I did. And honestly, I wouldn't change a thing about that journey.
Let me take you through it.
Where It All Started: Customer Experience Executive
I'll be honest—my first job at PriyoShop wasn't glamorous. I was a Customer Experience Executive, which is a fancy way of saying I dealt with angry customers all day.
And trust me, there were a lot of angry customers. Late deliveries, wrong products, payment issues—you name it, I heard about it. Some days were exhausting. There were moments when I'd go home completely drained, wondering if this was really what I wanted to do.
But here's what I didn't realize at the time: I was learning something incredibly valuable. Every frustrated customer taught me patience. Every complaint showed me what matters to people. Every difficult conversation made me better at problem-solving.
I learned that if you truly listen to someone, if you genuinely care about solving their problem, they notice. And that changes everything.
Looking back, those tough days in customer service built the foundation for everything that came after.
Moving Up: Issue Resolution Team
After about a year, I got promoted to the Issue Resolution Team. This wasn't your regular customer support—this was the "last resort" team. We handled the problems that nobody else could solve.
Missing shipments worth thousands of taka. Payment disputes between customers and vendors. Damaged products with unclear liability. The kind of issues that required me to coordinate between five different departments just to figure out what went wrong.
It was intense, but I loved it. I started seeing patterns in the problems we faced. I'd think, "Why does this keep happening? What can we fix upstream so it doesn't reach us?" That's when I really started thinking beyond just my immediate task.
I also learned something crucial during this time: nobody can solve problems alone. The issues I handled required finance, logistics, warehouse, vendors—everyone working together. I became pretty good at getting people to collaborate, even when their priorities didn't align.
A Complete Shift: Supply Chain Senior Executive
Then came something unexpected. PriyoShop offered me a role in Supply Chain. Completely different from what I'd been doing.
Instead of dealing with customers, I was now working with suppliers—the people who provided products to our platform. I had to onboard new vendors, negotiate with them, manage their performance, handle disputes, and make sure products were in stock.
I won't lie—the first few months were tough. I was learning an entirely new side of the business. But you know what helped? All that experience dealing with people. Whether it's a frustrated customer or a supplier worried about payment terms, it comes down to the same thing: listen, understand their concerns, and find a solution that works.
I learned so much about how e-commerce actually works. How products move through the system. How pricing is negotiated. How one delay in the supply chain can mess up everything downstream.
This role taught me to see the bigger picture. I wasn't just solving today's problem—I was building relationships that would create smoother operations in the future.
Getting Into Growth: Assistant Manager, Business Development
My next move was into Business Development as an Assistant Manager. This is where things really started to change for me.
I was now responsible for onboarding new partners to the platform and managing existing relationships. It wasn't just about operations anymore—it was about growth. How do we bring on better partners? How do we help them succeed? How do we grow the business?
I learned to think commercially. Every partnership had to make sense financially and strategically. I started creating proposals, giving presentations, and negotiating agreements. I was building business relationships, not just operational ones.
This phase taught me something important: people don't partner with companies—they partner with people they trust. Every successful partnership I built came down to one thing: did they trust me to deliver what I promised?
The Big Pivot: Deputy Manager, Brand Partnership
And then everything changed.
2021, PriyoShop decided to pivot from being an e-commerce platform to becoming a B2B marketplace and smart distribution model. It was a massive transformation—new strategy, new operations, new everything.
I was promoted to Deputy Manager in the Brand Partnership department, and suddenly, I wasn't dealing with small vendors anymore. I was sitting across the table from people at Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, Grameenphone, Marico, Square Toiletries, ACI, TK Group, PUSTI, Banglalink—some of the biggest companies in Bangladesh.
I remember my first meeting with a major FMCG brand. I was nervous. These were companies that had been working with established distributors for decades. Why would they trust a platform like PriyoShop? Why would they trust me?
But here's what I learned: preparation beats nervousness every time. I did my homework. I understood their challenges. I came with solutions, not just pitches. And slowly, we built trust.
I also worked on onboarding retail distribution partners, expanding our reach beyond just the digital platform. Every partnership required patience, persistence, and a lot of follow-up. There were deals that took months to close. There were setbacks and rejections. But there were also incredible wins.
This phase pushed me more than anything before. I was learning on the fly, making mistakes, figuring things out. The business was transforming, and I was transforming with it.
Today: Manager, Growth & Strategic Partnerships
Today, I'm a Manager in Growth & Strategic Partnerships. My job is to drive company growth through strategic partnerships, identify new business opportunities, and make sure we're delivering value to both our partners and the organization.
I have the privilege of working alongside my colleague Rozibul Islam (Senior Manager) and reporting to Md. Ehasanuzzaman (Sr. AVP). I’m truly grateful for their guidance and leadership. I continue to learn every day from every member of Team PriyoShop, including our Founder and Managing Director, Asikul Alam Khan.
Over these 8 years, I've received some recognition that I'm really proud of—Unstoppable Performer awards in 2023 and 2024, Growth Driver Award, Best Improved Employee, and a few others. Those awards mean a lot to me, not because I need validation, but because they represent moments when my hard work made a real difference.
But here's the thing: I don't think of myself as someone who's "made it." I see myself as someone who's still figuring things out, still learning, still improving. The day I think I know everything is the day I stop growing.
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What I've Learned Along the Way
Looking back on 8 years, here's what really stands out to me:
Your starting point doesn't define your ending point.
I started answering customer complaints. Today I'm building partnerships with multinational brands. Don't let anyone tell you where you're supposed to stay.
Every job teaches you something if you pay attention.
Customer service taught me empathy. Supply chain taught me operations. Business development taught me strategy. Everything built on everything else.
Relationships matter more than anything else.
Every success I've had—every partnership, every promotion, every opportunity—came down to relationships built on trust and respect.
Growth happens outside your comfort zone.
Every promotion scared me. Every new role felt like jumping into the deep end. But that's exactly where I learned the most.
Stay humble, stay hungry.
Awards are great, but they're just moments. What matters is showing up every day ready to learn something new.
Be patient with yourself.
Growth takes time. I didn't go from customer support to strategic partnerships overnight. It took 8 years of consistent effort, learning, and improvement.
Why I Stayed
People ask me this a lot: "Why stay at one company for 8 years when everyone else is job-hopping?"
My answer is simple: I stayed because I kept finding new challenges.
Every time I thought about what's next, PriyoShop gave me something new to work on. A new role. A new challenge. A new opportunity to prove myself. I was growing faster here than I would've anywhere else.
I also stayed because I believe in what we're building. PriyoShop's transformation from e-commerce to a B2B marketplace and work for Bangladeshi retailers, the retail ecosystem is exciting. Being part of that transformation, contributing to it, shaping it—that's meaningful work.
And honestly? I stayed because of the people. Great colleagues, supportive leadership, and partners who challenge me to be better. That's hard to find.
What's Next?
As I step into year 9, I'm excited about what's ahead. There are bigger partnerships to build, new opportunities to explore, and more challenges to tackle.
But more than anything, I want to keep learning. I want to keep improving. I want to look back a year from now and see that I've grown, not just in title or responsibility, but as a professional and as a person.
8 years down. And honestly, I feel like the journey is just getting started.
A Few Thank Yous
To Asikul Alam Khan, Founder and Managing Director: Thank you for your vision, guidance, and for inspiring me every day. Being part of the journey you’ve built is an honor and a privilege.
To Team PriyoShop, PriyoShop HR, all colleagues, and seniors: Thank you for taking a chance on me 8 years ago and for continuing to invest in my growth. You've created an environment where people like me can transform their careers, and I continue to learn from each of you every day.
To Md. Ehasanuzzaman: Thank you for your leadership and guidance. I've learned so much from you about strategy, partnerships, and what it means to think long-term.
To Rozibul Islam: Thanks for being a great colleague and teammate. Working with you makes the tough days easier and the good days better.
To all the partners I've worked with—from small suppliers to major brands like Unilever, Reckitt, Grameenphone, and others: Thank you for trusting PriyoShop and trusting me. These partnerships have been the highlight of my career.
To my family: Thanks for putting up with the late nights, the stressed-out days, and the moments when I brought work home (mentally, at least). Your support means everything.
Final Thoughts
If you're reading this and you're early in your career, here's what I want you to know: where you start doesn't determine where you finish. Focus on learning, building relationships, and doing great work wherever you are right now. The rest will follow.
If you're mid-career and feeling stuck, ask yourself: am I still growing here? If yes, maybe it's worth staying. If no, maybe it's time for a change. But don't leave just because everyone else is. Leave when it makes sense for your growth.
And if you're thinking about joining PriyoShop or any company, look for more than just salary and title. Look for a place that will invest in you, challenge you, and give you room to grow. That's where real career transformation happens.
Thanks for reading my story. Here's to the next chapter—wherever it leads.
Md Shakil
Manager, Growth & Strategic Partnerships
PriyoShop
8 years. 5 roles. Countless lessons. Still learning.
