My Top 5 Female Entrepreneurs
We were excited to recently showcase Al Din Skin Care at the Muslim Lifestyle Exhibition. It was an absolutely brilliant event and with more than 12,000 people through the doors throughout the weekend, it was a great opportunity to meet a host of really interesting people, from customers who love our brand to truly inspiring brand founders.
I have always had the ambition to start my own business and it feels like a really exciting time to be a female Muslim Business woman. 60% of the exhibitors at the show were female and I was lucky enough to get the chance to network with some of the fabulous brand founders. The show organisers shared research statistics that show 50% of the Muslim start-up community are women and this figure is expected to grow over the next few years, as the market for Muslim-focused consumer goods grows.
During the journey of the development of my business I have looked up to a range of inspiring women. I feel passionately that it is important to have visibility of successful female role models. Seeing the success stories of other women can be so motivating and can really help to drive your own dreams and ambitions.
Vlogger Nura Afia recently made history when she was announced as the latest ambassador for Cover Girl. A practicing Muslim, she will join the likes of supermodels and pop stars to appear in commercials and on a billboard in New York City’s Times Square wearing a hijab while promoting one of the largest cosmetics companies in the US. This is such a positive message to Muslim females around the world. I love to discover positive and inspiring stories so wanted to share the tales of some of my favourite inspiring female entrepreneurs.
All of the women that I have included below are extremely hard working individuals. Despite obstacles that they have come across on their journey, they have been determined to to make their businesses a success and I find them all truly inspiring.
Amenakin - Amena, also known as Amenakin after her YouTube alias, is an ex-teacher turned entrepreneur. Married with two children, she films hijab tutorials, fashion tips, reviews and ramblings, as well as discussions on Islam and her perspective as a 21st-century British Muslim woman. She is the founder of Pearl Daisy, an online hijab and clothing store as well as Ardere cosmetics and Lashionery and has featured on a L’Oreal advertising campaign. I discovered Amena on You tube when she first started out and have always loved her videos. I admire the way she has grown into a super successful business woman whilst also balancing having a family. She’s a brilliant female role model!
Huda Kattan - is best knows as Huda Beauty on social media. An Instagram and You Tube star, she is one of the world’s best known beauty bloggers and the founder of cosmetic brand Huda Beauty. I love her brand! She originally studied finance and then trained to be a make-up artist and she is well known for her brilliant online make up tutorials. I have personally always found her videos to be really useful and have learnt lots of new skills. Not only is she a global social media star but she has developed a hugely successful global beauty brand too.
Fauzia Zafar – I’ve met Fauzia, the founder of MySisterhood, several times at events and most recently saw her at the MLE event. She is a hugely ambitious mother of three who recently started her business. Like my business and many other business ideas, her idea for her brand stemmed from a challenge in her own life.
I really admire her passion and drive and also the way that she manages to juggle her professional and family, life whilst still always being lovely and truly supportive too. I feel it is really important to be positive and to provide support to fellow-business women.
Habiba de Silva - I have followed Habiba for a while, watching her beauty and Habiba talks videos online and she has recently launched a new business venture with The SKIN collection – the first skin colour range of hijabs. As a woman who wears a hijab, her style is now popularly known amongst young hijab wearing women who are inspired by her and know the style as the ‘Habiba Da Silva style’. I love how she has had the confidence to do something completely new and different and she truly empowers all skin colour. She is pioneering and leading he way in a new area of modern fashion which is inspiring for many women.
Zukreat Nazar - I was privileged to hear Zukreat talk on the mumpreneur panel at the MLE event but I have followed her online for a long time. She has been a successful hijabi make-up artist for more than 16 years and is the founder of a brilliant make up line called Artist Of Makeup. Not only known for her celebrity clients, she is also a You Tube Sensation. Again, I have learnt a lot from her in terms of make up artistry techniques by watching her videos and seeing her launch her own brand has been a real inspiration to me. I loved hearing her talk about her path to success and love the way she is happy to share her story of success to help inspire other women.