IDA Success Story

Sayed and his family of 7 came to the US when the Taliban took over in Afghanistan in 2019. When he first arrived, there were many things to consider. He had the option of being resettled in California or Washington. While California has more resources for new arrivals, he knew that he wanted to work and be a contributing member in his new community. So, he and his family decided on Washington.

Before they put down roots and bought a house, they did a tour of the US, traveling to California, Utah, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York to see what life is like in different areas of such a large country. Ultimately, they settled on Washington State since it has good schools. Originally, Sayed is from Badakhshan Afghanistan, where he says the schools are not great. He moved his family to Kabul in order for his children to get a better education and have more opportunities.

Now that they are in the US, his children are in school and attending university. One of his sons loves playing soccer and has traveled to Florida and Idaho to compete with his school’s team. Another son is in 8th grade and received top scores at his school. All of his kids now have the opportunity to follow their dreams and he is grateful for this. Additionally, he helped many of his friends and family from Afghanistan resettle in the US by serving as a US tie for 76 families. US Ties help house recent arrivals until a home can be found for them and teach them how to get around in their new community.

After they got settled in, Sayed asked his family, what is the next step? He asked them, should we buy a house? After deliberating, they decided that it would be best to invest in a business. With experience as a veterinarian in Afghanistan, Sayed started looking into buying a farm. They settled on a 10-acre farm south  of Seattle in Enumclaw. About 6 months ago, Sayed started his own business, Badakhshan LLC, that provides halal meat. He travels around Washington and Oregon to animal auctions and bids on animals, then brings them back to his farm. He processes the meat at a local farm with a processing area, then delivers orders all over the Puget Sound region. He’s hoping to build his own processing area at his farm soon so he can be self-sufficient.

One of the most challenging things for him conducting business is his limited English skills. He is worried that he has missed out on opportunities to grow his business since he cannot speak English well. This does not stop him from succeeding though! He has taken friends who do speak English to auctions to show them how it works and they shared that they cannot understand anything the auctioneer is saying since they talk so quickly. I think many of us would feel the same! This doesn’t stop Sayed from conducting his business and he asks his children for help interpreting when needed.

His business had been doing well, but he says business is down in the last few months and believes it’s due to the uncertainty sown by our new government. He is hoping to learn more about marketing his business to increase his profits and grow his business. He is currently working with the New Roots Fund to secure a loan to grow his business. If you are shopping for Halal meat, give him a call for your order at 206-880-9779.