This Entrepreneur Interview and Inspiring Ummah Interview posts
will be a series of interviews with entrepreneurs and social campaigners who
are making a difference in the world. I find that Muslim women are particularly
interested in both of these areas: becoming entrepreneurs or doing work that
benefits society, often both at the same time. These interviews will help to
shine a light on the motivation and inspiration behind creating your own
product, service, social outreach campaign or charity, how to get started and
some of the challenges you may face.
As an introduction, can you please tell us about
yourself, your background, and what lead you to create Mini Muslim Playground?
My name is Allya I’m
31 years old and happily married and also have a gorgeous cat called Patchy. I
have been running various businesses for the past 10 years. My main back ground
is Digital Marketing and selling Home Wares online. Me and my husband set-up
and successfully run a digital marketing agency and we are also setting up a
new online homewares business. However my happiness comes from working on the
Mini Muslim Playground. It has been an idea of mine for around two years but
other things got in the way and the idea had to be put on hold. Then in 2016 my
niece and nephew were born and it just gave me the motivation to really push
this idea and make it a reality. Islam is very close to mine and my husband’s
heart and it’s a beautiful religion, and we just wanted to do something that
made learning about Islam fun for both parents and children.
What made you choose to become an
entrepreneur?
I always wanted to be
my own boss ever since I was little. I’ve had jobs were I did the 9-5 but I was
never happy and wanted more for myself. My parents were very supportive and
encouraged my entrepreneurship. 15 years ago my dad had a stroke and seeing how
he got himself better and how he came closer to Islam over the years inspired
me to follow my heart. So I quit my job and took the plunge. I started my first
business selling party favours, décor material, and other decorative pieces,
the business was called Wedding Walkway. It was fun but it was also my first
business. Soon after that I started my own homewares business where I learnt
about digital marketing which I found really fun, I then went out and got a
Google certification and started Pear Digital Marketing which is still going
strong today Alhumdulillah. When I got married 2 years ago, my husband
supported me and my crazy business ideas and he grew Pear Digital. Being an
entrepreneur has its challenges but it is very rewarding especially when I see
pictures of Muslim Children praying on the prayer mats I sent or reading books
with their parents. It’s nice to see Islam entering into their hearts from such
a young age.
What is the overall aim of Mini Muslim
Playground? What problem are you setting out to solve and how?
I’m not setting out
to solve any problems. I’m in fact hoping that through the Mini Muslim
Playground I can supplement traditional methods of learning and teaching about Islam.
When I was little I’d go to the madrassah and was told to learn the Quran,
which I did but the imam never really explained the meaning or the reason
behind a particular verse or Surah. I only started to learn the meanings
recently, and looking back I wish I had the resources we have today so that I
could appreciate our religion even more. There are so many wonderful books,
toys and games available today at the Mini Muslim Playground that teach about
Islam in a fun and inspiring way that were not available when I was a kid. So in
short the aim of the Mini Muslim Playground is to help parents teach their kids
about Islam though fun, interactive means that really sparks the child’s
curiosity about Islam and Insha Allah nurtures a love for Islam from a young
age.
What were some of the biggest
challenges for you when you were starting your business?
Everything.
LOL. From the branding, to the logo, to what products we wanted right down to
what platform the website should be. But being digital marketers and website
developers we managed to get it right and then came the hard task of getting
stock. My husband has to keep me grounded as I have a million ideas and want to
do all of them all at once. There is so much I want to achieve and do with the
Mini Muslim Playground but can’t find enough hours in the day to do everything
I want. I’m launching the first of my own product range in a month or so InshaAllah
and that in itself is very challenging as a lot of energy has gone into it and
I don’t know if it will work or not. All I can do is make dua and carry on.
What do you wish you had known before
you had started your business?
That’s a tricky one.
Having run my own businesses before I know that setting up any business is
hard, risky and comes with its own unique challenges. Some would say that they
wish they had known how much effort is involved in running your own business or
wish they did better market research etc. But hindsight is a beautiful thing
and looking back the past month or so with Mini Muslim Playground I wouldn’t change
a thing, and if there is one thing I would like to have known is how happy this
business makes me so that I could have started it earlier.
What is the most satisfying aspect of
running your own business?
Being your own boss
is a dream come true. I work to my own schedule, I create my own ideas and
launch them I sometimes work from my home. There are challenges of running your
own business such as making sure you’re doing everything properly from paying
invoices, to making sure your finances are in order and so on, and there are
times where I do get a bit scared and think ‘am I doing the right thing’? But
Alhamdulialh I have my level headed husband who helps look after Mini Muslim
Playground whilst running his own business and he constantly motivates me and
challenges me when I have a down day. The most satisfying aspect of being
your own boss is that no two days are the same. Your free to do whatever you
want, when you want. Also seeing my customers leaving kind comments and posting
their kids using our products on social media is a big boost to my confidence
and always makes me really happy.
Where do you see your business in the
future?
I hope to launch my
own range of physical and digital products in the future and really make the
Mini Muslim Playground the go to place for Islamic toys, books and games. A lot
of people assume that you should grow your business into a global success
and make millions (which is fine for some and work for some). My dreams for
this business are humble and I don’t aim to become a global leader. As long as
parents and kids want to learn about Islam, be inspired about Islam and have
fun while doing it then the Mini Muslim Playground will always be around to
help with that Insha Allah.
What words of wisdom would you give to
aspiring entrepreneurs who may be hesitant about taking the first steps towards
starting their own business?
Just do it. It’s
scary, there is a lot of hard work involved, long hours and sometimes you will
feel like giving up. But if you stick at it and pray to Allah for guidance you
will succeed. Make sure you get your branding and product choices right.
Research your competition but be different from them. Drive traffic through
your social media because that’s where your customers are and get your website
right. If you don’t know about websites or social media get someone to help
you. I can’t stress enough how important this is. Be open to constructive
criticism as what you may think is a brilliant idea your target market may not
agree. Usually the first year is the hardest but once you get past that you be
will on the way to success. Keep a level head and complete one task at a time.
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