Most people know Harper as a successful electronics brand — watches, radios, fans, cassette players. But what they don’t know is that Harper was never part of the original plan. In fact, it began in the corner of a Brick Lane shop, with a stack of VHS tapes and an idea that wouldn’t let go.

If someone had told me back then that one day my brand would be stocked in shops across the country, or that I’d be invited to Japan by Panasonic — I would have laughed. I wasn’t thinking that far ahead. I was just trying to keep up with customer demand.

Here’s how a few tapes turned into a nationally recognised name — and what I learned along the way.

Step One: Find the Gap

In the early 80s, Bangladeshi and Indian families in East London were hungry for homegrown content. They wanted Bollywood movies, news from back home, music cassettes. The big retailers didn’t cater to us. So I did.

At first, I imported a few films from distributors in London. I recorded them onto VHS. Then I started flying tapes in from Dhaka — newsreels, comedy shows, classic Bangla dramas. The demand exploded.

Suddenly, people weren’t just shopping — they were lining up.

That’s when I realised: If they trust me with the content, maybe they'll trust me with the hardware too.

Step Two: Ride the Wave — But Add Value

I began sourcing cassette players and radios from importers. They sold, but the quality was inconsistent. Some broke within weeks. Customers came back — not angry, but disappointed. That hurt my brand, even if it wasn’t “my” product.

So I flipped the question: Why am I selling other people’s names? Why not create my own?

I started small. I found manufacturers in Japan and later China who would allow me to white-label products — same internals, but with my design, my quality control, my branding. That’s how Harper was born.

The name was chosen carefully — easy to say, English-sounding, but distinct. It sounded like something you could trust.

And because people trusted me, they trusted Harper.

Step Three: Package Like a Professional

I didn’t just slap on stickers. I invested in proper packaging — clean design, product manuals, barcodes, service contacts. I studied how Sony and Panasonic boxed their items and mimicked their professionalism.

I wasn’t trying to trick anyone. I was trying to tell them: We’re serious. We’re here to stay.

Even the way we displayed items — neat shelves, clean lighting, clear pricing — became part of the brand. I trained staff to treat every sale like a long-term relationship.

That attention to detail separated Harper from other import brands. And it built loyalty.

Step Four: Scale with Strategy

As demand grew, I bought a warehouse. Twenty thousand square feet — it felt enormous. People thought I was overreaching. But I knew: if you want to be taken seriously by big retailers and distributors, you have to play big.

From there, I built out the line: radios, walkmans, fans, even wall clocks and alarm systems. I travelled to Japan, struck deals with Panasonic, Hitachi, and TDK. Eventually, Harper was one of the top-selling brands in its segment across the UK’s immigrant-owned retail spaces.

But even as we scaled, I kept our focus tight: good quality, fair pricing, fast service. No shortcuts.

Step Five: Own the Customer, Not Just the Channel

One mistake many entrepreneurs make is obsessing over wholesale numbers while forgetting the end customer. I never did. I always asked: What does the customer need next?

When tapes faded out, we pivoted to DVDs and digital accessories. When mobile phones entered the scene, we sold chargers and headphones. When Harper products broke — rarely, but it happened — we replaced them fast, no questions asked.

I wasn’t just building Harper as a brand. I was building a relationship.

What I Learned

• A product is not a brand. Trust is.
  I didn’t invent cassette players. But people trusted Harper because they trusted me. That’s the real brand.
• Start from service, not ego.
  Harper was born because customers wanted something better. I didn’t create it to see my name on packaging — I created it to solve a problem.
• Invest before you scale.
  I didn’t go big until the demand was real. But when I did scale, I made sure the systems, stock, and support were ready.
• Consistency will carry you further than hype.
  No one shouted about Harper in the beginning. But word-of-mouth? That built an empire.

Final Thoughts

Harper wasn’t just a business move — it was a belief: that we, as immigrants, could create something trusted, respected, and proudly our own. We didn’t have to sell someone else’s name. We could build our own — and wear it with pride.

What started with a few tapes on Brick Lane became a symbol of dignity and ambition.

And all it took was one question: Why not me?