What made you want to become an entrepreneur?

Entrepreneurship became a natural choice for me.

By the grace of Allah, I had a turning point. I had just taken the plunge and left school and work to be able to wear it properly and pray on time.

Obviously, I wasn't going to do nothing and I started thinking about a way to be able to respect and practice my religion while earning a living.
There aren't 36 options available to us, so entrepreneurship seemed logical to me.
Working for myself would allow me to live as I wanted, to do what I wanted and therefore it was a huge convenience for my religion.

So that's the choice I made and al hamduLilleh when I see the path I've taken, I'm more than proud of it today.
This was and is a real ni3ma!

What attracted you to this field (char3i clothing)?

I had just started wearing the veil, so I was also very attentive and interested in cha3ri clothing at the time. I had to redo my wardrobe, so I was right in the middle of it.

I looked at what was available on the market, I looked for different models etc.

Then naturally, I got started and as soon as we started selling our first abayas, al hamduLilleh it grew very quickly and I enjoyed working in this field even more.

What is the best advice you can give to someone who wants to start out as an entrepreneur?

Firstly, as with everything, I would say that we must rely on Allah and above all ask Him. Often, we think that something can be good when in reality it is not and vice versa. So once the idea has come to us, I advise doing salat istikhara.

We must increase our supplications and ask Allah for ease.

Then I would say that you have to have the mentality.

You have to prepare yourself psychologically for difficulties, because there will definitely be some, and you have to be ready to take them and bounce back.

The relationship with failure or a problem that arises is very important to work on. It's often what makes the difference between a successful business and one that fails.

Another very important factor is to surround yourself well. Having a good entourage in general and having a good team if you focus more on the business aspect.
Being able to trust and delegate calmly to other people is, in my opinion, essential. Without a good team, it is literally impossible to last in the long term, and that has also been the strength of Oummi Muslim wal hamduLilleh.

Do you think this field is saturated?

I won't use the word "saturated," I'd say it's a market with many players. While there are large companies taking large market shares, it's possible for smaller ones to find their place as well.
The community is so large, Allahuma barik, and the creations can vary infinitely. Once these two factors are taken into account, we realize that even small businesses can stand out with innovative creations, different colors...

I think you simply have to be creative and inventive. You have to know how to reinvent yourself, always seek to evolve and think outside the box.

Above all, we should not rest on our laurels and the success of one or more models in no way guarantees the sustainability of a business.

That's the trap of entrepreneurship. Thinking you can relax after your first success. That's precisely when you need to redouble your efforts and rack up successes.

What to expect when you become an entrepreneur (difficulties and facilities)

I would say that you really have to expect anything.

You have to tell yourself that it might not work, but that it's not an end in itself. You'll have to persevere, find alternatives until you find THE recipe that will be the cause of your business's success.

There will always be ups and downs, and some models will work better than others. Sometimes a model you bet on a lot flops, and a model you underestimated is THE model that works best.

You can't win everywhere, but success is even sweeter after these challenges. You have to expect to bounce back no matter what and not let your emotions or fears dictate your behavior.

You also have to expect to make mistakes. No field is perfectly mastered, and that's also the beauty/difficulty of entrepreneurship! A clothing business isn't just about clothes. By working in this field, you become a seamstress, order preparer, webmaster, customs officer, carrier, etc.

You dabble in everything and often in areas that you have absolutely no mastery of.

So inevitably there will be mistakes, but the lessons learned will be a strength for the future and will allow us to improve!

In short, one must always rely on Allah.

If it doesn't work, it's because it wasn't planned, it wasn't your riqz, and this tawakul will allow you not to take things too seriously. In my opinion, this is the worst thing for a trader, because being too emotionally involved is the door open to failure and loss of confidence.

How do you find the strength to get started?

I don't think you have to find any strength or even expect anything to get started. When you get started, you have to do it with desire, with real motivation of course, but there is no miracle recipe, you have to go for it.

Sometimes thinking too much leaves room for waswas and that's often what leads to doing nothing.

You just have to tell yourself that you're going to have to work, work very hard and put in the hours, but that it will all be worth it. You have to be ready to work night and day without expecting instant results.

You have to put your trust in Allah and give it 100%.

You should put almost all of your energy into the beginning of your business.

I have experienced both roles: employment and entrepreneurship, and they are truly two opposing worlds.

With salaried employment, we've become accustomed to having a certain guaranteed comfort. You work X hours for a certain amount of salary, which you're guaranteed to receive every month. You have the security of knowing that you're earning a specific amount and that at a certain time when you get home, the work is done and it's over.

Entrepreneurship is totally different, there is much more risk but also more gain: you work for yourself, you are in a sense freer...

On the other hand, you have a lot of work, you never finish working because you work for yourself and your responsibilities are constant, you have no certainty, no guaranteed salary, you have to build it up yourself...

When you grow and hire, you also have the responsibility for your employees resting on your shoulders because you don't want to see them lose their jobs..., but it must be said: it brings great satisfaction, whether from a personal point of view or in relation to the community.

What do you like best about your business?

The time I save!

Time is such a precious thing and it is truly my wealth. I have the time to do so many things and especially to do what I want and I think that is the greatest ni3ma that one can be endowed with.

Since I delegated almost all of my business, I am free, I organize myself as I see fit, I can take classes, do sports, spend time with my family...

Of course, delegating is not easy, but when you find people you trust, you have to go for it!

I am thinking especially of my sewing workshop:Maison Éthique , which has made the process of making my own creations a lot easier for me. Their seriousness and professionalism, nothing to complain about, Allahuma Barik!

There are also customer feedbacks. This is one of the things I love the most because through our clothes, we share the story and life of our sisters. I am thinking in particular of this converted sister who buys her very first Jilbab from us or a future husband who buys a gift for his future wife, or even a mother who buys for her daughter who is going on a trip to Mecca… These are moments of life that we unconsciously share with our customers and it is so beautiful! Being able to be part of such important moments particularly touches us and fills us with joy.

We love filling out little love notes! 😍

Entrepreneurship, the key to hijra?

In my opinion, having a functioning business is one of the keys that greatly facilitates hijra and its preservation.

If you really want to have a stable hijra and continue in this adventure, it is strongly recommended to have your own business that you manage remotely, or even on site if you sell directly in the country.

Unfortunately, I know that this is not an easy thing for everyone. I interact daily with many sisters who would like to make hijra here in Egypt with their families, who are here only for the courses, and will have to return to France afterward, due to lack of means or lack of being able to have a stable income.

I am very very grateful for this blessing that Allah has granted me.

And I hope to develop my tijara as much as possible and be able to hire and facilitate my sisters.

May this tijara be a cause of good for many families as well.

May Allah make it easy for every family that wishes to make hijrah and grant them abundant rizq.