The Art of Muslim Women's Entrepreneurship
When I think about women in business, I always go back to the Muslim leader Khadija Radia Allah Anha. She was the first wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as well as a successful businesswoman who controlled one of the most important caravan trades in her time. She was knowledgeable, respected, and business-savvy.
Although there were many obstacles for women business owners during that time, Khadija shows us that achieving financial independence and self-sustenance is a real possibility.
Today, Muslim women all around the world are starting their own businesses. We see it at the Karmel Mall, where “what began as a warren of stalls and storefronts in an old machine shop has grown into a second, four-story building along the Midtown Greenway. Inside are 175 clothing shops, hair salons, henna shops, restaurants, and even a mosque. All but 25 are owned by women.” Many of these women are not considered “legitimate” business owners, but they bring their own business acumen, ambitions, and successes that we can learn from. As female entrepreneurship grows, it’s important to appreciate the achievements of our own community in business ownership, financial independence, and beyond.
Since I was very young I dreamed of owning my own business. Watching so many Somali women back home in Yemen and in the U.S start businesses and succeed motivated me to consider starting my own. But the question was: how?
I was so excited to plan and host one of Reviving Sisterhood’s Economic Empowerment events for Muslim women, where the topic was How to Start a Business. As I thought about my business idea, I came to the session with lots of questions. What are the first steps to opening a small business? How will you know when you’re successful? How do you manage failure?
The event speakers offered so much experience, advice, and wisdom. Anisa Haji started her own business fighting the skin-lightening industry, where dark-skinned women are always told that they aren’t beautiful unless they’re “Fair & Lovely.” Anisa’s skincare products are aimed at caring for melanated skin and inspiring Black and Brown women to appreciate their natural beauty. Annie Qaiser’s story is another example of passion guiding entrepreneurship. Her business is about embracing her South Asian heritage and its healing traditions in order to create natural wellness products. I loved learning about Anisa’s and Annie’s businesses. To see their creativity and their business outcomes was so impressive. And sisters who attended the event were adding their experiences, giving advice, and asking questions along the way.
One of the things that Anisa said was: “Remember what motivates you to start a business.” What is the spark that pushes you toward entrepreneurship, and what is your end goal? These questions are important in keeping business owners aligned with their intentions. Although we want to earn money and become financially successful, what often motivates an entrepreneur most is a personal mission or passion.
Especially for Muslim women business owners, community, awareness, changing narratives, or giving back may be just as important as profit. And that is what I call the art of entrepreneurship.
I had to ask myself, beyond starting a business, what do I really want to accomplish? What are my entrepreneurial goals and dreams? I realized that I am most interested in getting my own food truck so I can cook Yemeni food in Minnesota and introduce my Yemeni culture to my fellow Minnesotans. The thing that motivates me is my love for sharing a meal and connecting with people. I love cooking for others and building community over a warm meal, and I want to do that through this business. My next step after this event is to talk to owners of restaurants or food trucks so I can learn more about their journeys and the steps that I need to take to start my business. I am planning to find a small group of people from the office that I can cook for from my home and get feedback before starting big.
I encourage every Muslim woman to think about how their passions and their talents align and how they can turn that into a business.
We’ve been taught that a business market is a competitive place that we should stay away from, but there are so many examples from our own communities that show us the possibilities of overcoming business challenges.
We see women entrepreneurs develop a sustainable income from another source where they can help their family and their community. We need to follow the lead of these women and start our own businesses. Even if your business starts small or experiences failure, you are still uplifting yourself and your family financially, and you are becoming the next example of an entrepreneur for the next generation.
As Leadership Development Coordinator, Zaynab Abdi supports Reviving Sisterhood's leadership programming and helped develop our Economic Empowerment series to increase financial literacy and build wealth among Muslim women. Before joining the RISE team, Zaynab worked as an Immigrant and Refugee Youth Ambassador at Green Card Voices. She graduated magna cum laude from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN with three bachelor’s degrees in Political Science, International Studies, and Philosophy. Zaynab was appointed by Governor Tim Walz's office to serve in the Young Women's Cabinet, where she advocated for young women in Minnesota and took leadership roles within the organization. She is also an advocate for girls’ education and spoke at the United Nations about the importance of educating girls in countries where they are disadvantaged.