What made you turn to entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship was an obvious choice for me. 

By the grace of Allah, I had an epiphany. I had just started wearing the hijab and had left school and work so I could wear it properly and pray on time.

Naturally, I wasn't going to do nothing, so I started thinking about a way to practice my religion and earn a living at the same time.
There aren't many options available to us, so entrepreneurship seemed like a logical choice.
Working for myself would allow me to live as I choose, to do what I want, and therefore it would make practicing my religion much easier.

So that's the choice I made, and al hamduLilleh, when I see how far I've come, I'm more than proud today.
It has been and still is a true ni'ma!

What attracted you to this field (Sharia-compliant clothing)?

I had just started wearing the hijab, so I was naturally attentive and interested in Sharia-compliant clothing at that time. I had to revamp my wardrobe, so I was fully immersed in it. 

I was looking at what was available on the market, searching for different styles, etc.

Then, naturally, I launched my business, and as soon as we started selling our first abayas, al hamduLilleh, it quickly gained a lot of momentum, and I enjoyed working in this field even more. 

What are the best tips you can give to someone who wants to become an entrepreneur?

First, as with everything, I would say that you should rely on Allah and, most importantly, ask Him. Often, we think something might be good when it's not, and vice versa. So, once an idea comes to mind, I recommend performing Salatul Istikhara.

You must make many supplications and ask Allah for ease.

Then, I would say that you need to have mental strength.

You need to mentally prepare for difficulties because they will definitely arise, and you need to be ready to absorb and bounce back. 

The relationship with failure or an unexpected problem is very important to work on. This is often what differentiates a successful business from one that collapses.

Another very important factor is to surround yourself well. Have a good support system in general and a good team if you focus more on the business aspect.
Being able to trust and delegate confidently to other people is essential in my opinion. Without a good team, it's literally impossible to sustain in the long run, and that has also been the strength of Oummi Muslim, wal hamduLilleh. 

Do you find this field to be saturated?

I wouldn't use the word "saturated." I'd say it's a market with many players. Although there are large companies that capture significant market shares, smaller ones can also find their niche.
The community is so vast, Allahuma barik, and creations can vary infinitely. Once these two factors are considered, we realize that even small businesses can stand out with innovative designs, different colors, and so on.

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

Above all, you must not rest on your laurels, and the success of one or more models does not guarantee the long-term viability of a business. 

That's the trap in entrepreneurship: thinking you can relax after an initial success. It's precisely at that moment that you need to redouble your efforts and string together successes.

What should one expect when becoming an entrepreneur (difficulties as well as ease)?

I would say you really need to expect anything.

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

There will always be ups and downs, some models will work better than others. Sometimes a model you've heavily invested in might flop, while one you underestimated turns out to be THE best-seller. 

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

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. Working in this field, you become a tailor, order preparer, webmaster, customs agent, transporter...

You touch on everything, and often in areas you have absolutely no expertise in.

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

To put it simply, you must always rely on Allah.

If it doesn't work, it means it wasn't meant to be, that it wasn't your rizq, and this tawakkul will allow you not to take things too personally. In my opinion, that's the worst thing for a business owner, because being too emotionally involved is an open door to failure and loss of confidence.

How do you find the strength to get started? 

I don't think you need to find any particular strength or wait for anything to get started. When you start, you have to do it with desire, with real motivation, certainly, but there's no magic recipe, you just have to go for it. 

Sometimes overthinking allows room for waswas, and that's often what leads to doing nothing.

You just have to tell yourself that you'll have to work, work very hard without counting your hours, but that it will all be worth it. You have to be ready to work day and night without expecting instant results. 

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

Almost all of your energy should be invested at the beginning of your business. 

I've experienced both hats: employee and entrepreneur, and they are truly two opposite worlds. 

As an employee, we're accustomed to a certain guaranteed comfort. You work X hours for a certain salary, which you're sure to receive every month. You have this security of knowing you'll earn a precise amount, and at a certain time when you go home, the work is done and that's it.

Entrepreneurship is completely different; there's much more risk, but also more reward: you work for yourself, you're more free in a way… 

On the other hand, you have an enormous amount of work, you never stop working because you're working for yourself and your responsibilities are constant, you have no certainty, no guaranteed salary; you have to build it yourself… 

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

What do you prefer about your business? 

The time I save!

Time is such a precious thing, and that's truly my wealth. I have the time to do many things and, above all, to do what I want, and I think that's the greatest ni'ma one can be blessed with. 

Since I delegated almost my entire company, I am free. I organize myself as I wish, I can take courses, do sports, spend time with family…

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

There's also customer feedback. That's one of the things I love most because through our clothes, we share the stories and lives of our sisters. I'm thinking of that convert sister who buys her very first Jilbab from us, or a future husband buying a gift for his future wife, or even a mother buying for her daughter who's going on a trip to Mecca... These are moments of life that we unconsciously share with our customers, and it's so beautiful! Being able to be part of such important moments particularly touches us and fills us with joy. 

We absolutely love writing little love notes! 😍

Entrepreneurship, key to hijra?

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

If one truly wants to have a stable hijra and persevere in this journey, it is highly recommended to have one's own business that can be managed remotely, or even on-site if one sells directly in the country. 

Unfortunately, I know this is not easy 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 studies, and will have to return to France afterward, due to lack of means or inability to secure a stable income. 

I am very, very grateful for this blessing that Allah has bestowed upon 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 facilitate every family desiring to make their hijra and grant them abundant rizq.