Today’s Muslimah Business Spotlight is aimed at Esraa Haidar Zayour, the owner of  Consult-E, a provider of e-marketing services and consultation to businesses. Some of the marketing services she provides include website design, social media training, marketing strategies and feasibility reports.

Esraa’s inspiration for starting her own company was born from a need to improve her circumstances:

“I was being underpaid and I was really unhappy at my work. I am very passionate about people and about marketing,  so I put them together and I created my own consultancy specialized in marketing strategies for small to medium sized  businesses. It has been a year since I started it and I have got a lot of clients and I am proudly the owner of my own company with 3 employees,” Esraa explains.

Consult-E has been successfully operating for a year now, and based on the ever-increasing need for e-business support and education, this agency will continue on the path to success, insha’Allah. Learn more about Consult-E by visiting the website.

There are literally thousands of writers in various industries and specialties working at home as contract writers (or freelance writers) , but few stand out as impressively as Shakirah Dawud. Shakirah is a very successful marketing communications providing expert writing and editing services to a global clientele. She works with the majority of her clients online.

I first became acquainted with Shakirah on Twitter which led me to her website, Deliberate Ink, and blog. Many writer blogs simply regurgitate the same old information that’s  already been repeated again and again  on about a hundred other blogs and websites; but Shakirah’s perspective is fresh, straightforward and very relevant to what businesses and entrepreneurs should know about sending meaningful messages to their target market.

Shakirah has a very interesting story of how she got started working as a writer. She shares it with us in her own words:

“I’m Shakirah Dawud, owner of Deliberate Ink Copywriting and Editing. I learned to read and write at 4, and I was homeschooled until the fourth grade with several other children in the community. Although I was known as a writer (I tested for reading comprehension at the 9th grade level in 5th, I was winning writing contests, and my SAT reading score was near perfect), I wasn’t interested in writing as a career. I’d sworn my undying love to science, and decided on microbiology after 12th grade AP Biology. Then I was hired for the summer at a local medical practice and ended up writing the advertising material. Special mailing cards, a full-sized themed calendar, brochures, everything. Because typos, unnecessary commas, run-ons, and broken grammar had instinctively made me cringe all my life, I learned editing skills, took online classes and tests, joined professional associations, and established myself as an editor.

One slow day at the office, I bid on a copywriting job online. The client asked for a writing sample for a generic product. I sent it in, she loved it, and she’s been a client ever since, along with others in need of marketing copy and editing services, most of whom come back again and again. I was hired full-time as a proofreader along the way.

Now, I’ve been a marketing communications writer for six years, working online from home in most cases. My clients are all over the world, and range from the cutting-edge cosmetics manufacturer to the non-profit charity. I craft advertising, product packaging, and brochure copy that sells on facts and just the right dose of personality (not hype); come up with creative new names and taglines that make brands come alive; rewrite existing content; and otherwise make over my clients’ identities. I feel like an artist behind the scenes! I also offer varying levels of editing for fiction and non-fiction writers, academics, and others. I’m the editor behind several self-published and house-published novels; it’s another behind-the-scenes claim to fame I enjoy, secretly.”

You can find out more about Shakirah’s copywriting and editing services by visiting her at Deliberate Ink and her insightful blog. You can also connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

There are lots of sisters who want the freedom and ability to earn an income that comes with being an entrepreneur, but don’t necessarily wish to start a brand new business that needs to be built from the ground up. Direct sales is one option more and more women are turning to. You’re probably familiar with popular direct sales brands like Mary Kay, Avon and Amway.  Sisters who are serious about developing a business can do quite well selling products from these and other well known brands.

This is the route Khalidah Abdul-Muqtadir chose when she decided to start her own home business as an Avon eRepresentative. You may already know that Avon is a company that targets female consumers, selling cosmetics, jewelry, skincare products, shoes and seasonal specialty items.

It all started when Khalidah needed a job, and not just any job. She needed something that allowed her to work at home and offered the flexibility that comes with being your own boss. She had no idea where to start, so Khalidah visited Snagajob.com hoping to receive some direction. She came to the conclusion that becoming an Avon Representative was worth a try. Khalidah contacted Avon, and received a call from a Unit Leader who was able to help her get started right away. She received all of the materials she needed to operate her business, including her own website url.

Khalidah explains, “… I do have my own online store. They give you one when you sign up, and that makes you an eRepresentative. The great thing about Avon is that you get whatever you put into it, but you’re not losing money if you take your time in order to build up a good customer list, so no there aren’t any monthly goals to reach, but if you have the where with all, there are personal goals you can reach. You can try to make President’s Club, which comes with cool perks and bonuses, and you can try your best to become a Unit Leader by recruiting and helping others to become Representatives. ”

There are many misconceptions, but put them out of your mind. There’s nothing better than paying only $10 to start being your own boss. Like I stated before, you get what you put into it, and that’s what having a business is all about. You are responsible for building it and making it what you want it to be.

You can visit Khalidah’s website to order your own Avon products. Visit Avon.com to learn more about becoming an Avon Representative.

Photo credit: Avon via Khalidah Abdul-Muqtadir

Today’s Muslimah Business Spotlight profiles a creative, stylish sister successfully operating two businesses simultaneously. Lakisha “Belle” Bellamy is the owner of iStyle.Modesty, providing wardrobe consultation. Her website slogan, “Modesty with Style” says it all.  Her wardrobe services and consultation services are exclusively for women for women seeking style solutions but who are also dedicated to maintaining modesty. She also operates www.IslamicDesignHouse.com/USA  which is a distributor of Islamically inspired fashion collections, including the popular Silk Route clothing line.

Belle has been operating Islamic Design House USA for three years now, while iStyle.Modesty is a newer venture she launched earlier this year. She was kind enough to share the very interesting story of how she got started.

To live life with style has been the primary motivation of iS.M founding stylist, Lakisha “Belle” Bellamy.   She has over 15 years of experience in the fashion industry.  Her career started in New York City as an assistant buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue and transitioned to Tommy Hilfiger as a sales rep.  Her true talent for fashion styling and events blossomed when she became an artist agent for the music and entertainment industry’s top freelance artists for hair, makeup, wardrobe and photography.

She has coordinated the glam teams for celebrities, models and music artists for their fashion shows, book signing parties, test shoots, award shows, tours, music videos and public appearances.

Belle is very quick to explain to her clients, “Style is not determined by a budget.  I can work with any budget and get fabulous results. Book an Initial Style.Meeting for free to find out which services will best fit your needs.  I also offer resources and package deals for clients who have the interest to learn how to style themselves under the iStyle.Myself page of my website. iStyle.Media links will feature all things modest, stylish and the fundamentals of wardrobe development, insha’allah.

For sisters interested in Silk Route Clothing, they can order from IslamicDesignHouse.com/USA or they can book a Style Date with me in our Atlanta showroom or become a Savvy Sister by booking a Silk Route Social event at their home in Atlanta.  Savvy Sisters get a short Style Seminar & great savings for themselves and their guests by shopping at IDH USA during their event.  We are in the process of making Silk Route Socials virtual, insha’allah.”

Belle now resides in Atlanta with her two beautiful children, making motherhood look stylish. Currently she coordinates Silk Route Social and Style Date events for Silk Route Clothing available from Islamic Design House USA.

•  Style Date calendar link: http://www.bookfresh.com/profile/853992316

• Initial Style.Meeting calendar link: http://www.bookfresh.com/profile/227568335

You can visit Belle’s websites for iStyle.Modesty and www.IslamicDesignHouse.com/USA to learn more about the products and services she provides.

The service Amal Stapley provides for her clients is a unique one. Her business, CoachAmal: SuperMuslimah Project, specializes in life and confidence coaching for Muslim women.

As more people strive to achieve personal growth and spiritual fulfillment in their lives, the demand for life coaching has boomed. Life coaches guide their clients and help build their confidence so their clients can get past common roadblocks and trials such as feeling stuck in an unsatisfying career or navigating relationship issues or managing a major life change. Amal takes the life coaching she provides a step further. She has aptly recognized a need for her services within the ummah. Beyond her skills and coaching experience, she is a Muslimah so she understands the challenges and needs of her Muslimah clients. Amal is based in the UK, but works with Muslim women all over the globe guiding and encouraging them to make the changes they need.

Amal has been providing coaching services since 2008. She kindly shared how her business got started:

“I had had a successful career working with people with learning difficulties, and then went to live overseas for 20 years working as a volunteer, graduating in Islamic studies and Psychology from Malaysia and then working for Islamic organizations in the US and Egypt.

But I eventually reached a point in my life where I felt totally stuck and empty. I’d lost loads of confidence in myself, felt totally alien in the place I was living and was getting no pleasure from the job I was doing, and the thought of living the rest of my life like that was pretty scary! I felt like the proverbial square peg in a round hole! But there was something inside that kept on telling me that I shouldn’t give up. So I kept on looking and praying, and, alhamdu lillah, Allah started opening doors for me.

I found a Muslim coach, who helped to give me a new perspective on my life and work out what was important to me. I also gained the courage to massively step out of my comfort zone to make some real bold changes in my life; one of which was to travel to Canada to be trained as a life coach, with Muhammad Alshareef from DiscoverU.

After that everything seemed to fall into place; it felt like I was pulling all the threads of my life and experiences together and that was what I was meant to be doing. So I started up the CoachAmal life coaching service in 2008, which has now recently developed into the more comprehensive SuperMuslimah Project.

It’s been an exciting journey developing the business and I’ve learned so much and am continuing to do so. And I feel honoured to have worked with so many amazing women who’ve grown and blossomed over the time we’ve worked together. That’s the best part of doing this job; when I start, I’m speaking to a lady who’s confused, down and feeling very lost about what to do next and within a short period of time I see them grow and develop in self-esteem and confidence and make amazing changes in the way they live and perceive their life. It really is true that Allah is the best of planners!

As mentioned previously, the coaching services she provides are quite unique to the Islamic community:
“I work with Muslim women from around the world who have come to a point in their life where they feel stuck and unable to move forward. It may be because they have lost confidence in themselves and their abilities, due to their life experiences; they want to do something different with their lives, but have no idea what it is they want to do or what they would be good at; they have come to a crossroads and they’re not sure which direction to take or they just need someone to support and motivate them to make the changes in their life they want to make. And they want the support of someone who understands where they’re coming from in terms of their deen and culture.

Through coaching by phone or Skype, I give them the space and encouragement to look inside themselves and rediscover their self confidence, uncover the natural skills and inclinations that Allah has blessed them with, and find their direction in life. I also share with them tools and techniques that they can take away and use to plan and develop themselves after we have finished working together.

Through my CoachAmal Blog and SuperMuslimah Project Facebook page, I regularly share advice and tips on a range of coaching subjects that include: assertiveness, anger management, confidence development, goal planning, relationships and personal development, and change, combining modern coaching ideas with Islamic teachings.

The next stage I am working on is to develop online and offline courses in the following areas: Confidence, Personal Development, Spirituality, Relationships, Work/Career, Lifestyle Change, as these are the main areas of focus of my coaching. “

Amal finds operating a home-based life coaching business suits her personality and lifestyle perfectly. She says, “The massive advantage of working this way is that it is so flexible. I can work from home and adjust my hours to suit myself and my family, and even though I’m based in the UK, I can also make myself available to work with a sister who lives on the other side of the world by adjusting my working hours. Even if I travel, I can still work if I chose to, or not, as the case may be.”

You can learn more about Amal’s coaching services for Muslim women by visiting www.coachamal.com.  You can also connect with Coach Amal on Facebook, Twitter and her blog.

Mona Ishmaeil owns Modern Hejeb, an online boutique specializing in the sales of colorful, fashionable hijabs, unique abayas and hijab accessories. Modern Hijeb is based out of Edmonton, Canada, but the online store serves customers globally. You can find casual hijabs pefect for exercising or running errands, to more glamorous designs suitable for formal, upscale events.

Mona’s business started from a genuine desire to inspire other Muslim women to wear hijab. She had only been wearing it herself for a short time; but  she wanted [them] to understand that they could follow Allah’s command for modesty and “appropriate Islamic  mohijabat”  and still present a modern, fashionable image.

In the beginning Mona planned to keep things small, “I had planned for it to just be a home-base business I ran out of my basement.” With some help, it became an online store.” Mona has been successfully operating her business since October 2010.

Mona’s mission is clear: My goal is not only to provide mohajabat with beautiful hijabs but also to give them the tools to wear the hijab with pride and confidence so they may inspire another beautiful woman to also follow and wear the hijab.” She goes on to say, “I try and do this through:

• Discussing issues about hijab
• Providing fashion advice
• Offering religious encouragement
• Sharing tutorial ‘must-haves’”

You can visit  Modern Hejab at www.modernhejab.com. You can also connect with Mona Ishmaeil on Facebook, Twitter and her blog.

Kristina ElSayed is the owner of My Islamic Life, an Etsy.com provider of handmade, one of a kind Islamic prayer garments and gifts. Kristina has been in business since January 2010, masha’Allah. She provides a variety of Islamic-inspired items including one piece pull on style hijabs with coordinating skirts and tote bags for girls of all ages, I also make one piece adult prayer outfits, two piece adult prayer outfits and hand stamped jewelry that is religiously themed.

Kristina ElSayed is not Muslim, however her husband is a practicing Muslim and her children are being raised as practicing Muslims.  “I am the mother of  [three] Muslim children [and] wife to an Egyptian Muslim,” Kristina explains. “I have been a SAHM (stay at home mom) for 11 years and have been sewing off and on just as long. When my girls started learning how to pray, I asked many women from the masjid and my husband’s family about getting hijabs for the girls to practice with and kept hitting brick walls. My mother and sister-in-law helped us track down little girl hijabs to buy, but it wasn’t an easily found item because most mothers just make them for their daughters. In countries and families where you grow up practicing Islam, it’s just something you know how to make.”

Kristina shared the incident that led to her home business venture: “I went to my [halaqa] on Friday night and was venting about this problem. A dear friend offered to bring me some outfits, trimmed in lace and ribbon. They were so dainty and girly and pristine that my ladies didn’t want to use them. They were afraid of ruining something so special.
I though, if I’m struggling so hard with this hurdle, I know I’m not the only one! I want to be supportive of my daughters and teach them the proper way to pray, but why is it so hard to find the support I need? I saw the need for prayer outfits for little girls who love colorful, fun, soft clothing.

Growing up Christian in America, I took for granted that I could find inspirational and devotional gifts and trinkets everywhere. In just about any store you go to, you could find some little something with a cross or Christian saying on it to remind yourself of your belief, or gift to someone who was having a bad day. I have started making Islamically themed jewelry to fill this void. I use English letters, and I stamp phrases and words on silver, brass and copper shapes, making necklaces and, Insha’Allah, bracelets. I have also been creating pendants, bracelets and earrings from Islamically and Middle Eastern themed clay beads.

In addition to sewing and crafting prayer outfits for little ladies, I make one and two piece prayer outfits for adults. I spoke to many women who were mending their one piece outfits in desperation because they could no longer buy them overseas. I take the time to make the outfit the way it should me made and in the fabric and colors specifically requested.”

Kristina provides her customers with custom work. She explains, “If you have a piece of fabric that you want made into an outfit, that’s no problem, I will shop for your fabric or you can ship it to me.  If you are a special size, I’m happy to customize my patterns to your measurements.  If you have an idea for a special piece of jewelry for yourself or a gift, I will work with you to see that your vision becomes a reality”

Kristina also has a blog where shares various excerpts of her life. She says, “In my blog, I talk about challenges that come up in my life as a mother to Muslim children.  I have been actively learning about Islam for over 5 years now and I talk about where that journey takes me.  I share recipes and resources as I find them, hoping to reach out to women and men who, like me, are finding it challenging to raise American Muslim Children with a strong sense of their beliefs.”

You can visit Kristina’s online shop at MyIslamicLife.Etsy.com and follow her experiences as a a non-Muslim in the U.S. learning about Islam, raising Muslim children, running a business and her other daily adventures at My Islamic Life’s Blog.

Photo credit: MyIslamicLife.Etsy.com

Yesterday I talked about my struggle to get back to a normal schedule after moving my family to a new state. Now that my office is finally unpacked, and the kids can locate their own things and move about their rooms without bumping into boxes, I can get back to working on Muslimahs Working at Home. I have so many great things planned for the site. For instance, I’d originally planned a big contest following the launch of the newly designed site, but have decided to wait until the end of Ramadhan for the kick off. Understandably many will be spending a lot less time online during Ramadhan (myself included), so I want to make sure everyone has a chance to participate and win prizes, insha’Allah. The contest will officially kick off after the Eid celebration, insha’Allah. I’ll be keeping you posted here, on our Facebook page and via Twitter!

Normally I reserve Saturday posts for Muslimah Business Spotlight, a profile of Muslimah-owned home-based business owners and their businesses. These posts are meant to help promote and spread the word about Muslimah-owned businesses.

Moving has left my working schedule topsy turvy, but I’m slowly getting back on track, masha’Allah. If you would like to have your business profiled, or know of a Muslimah-owned home-based business we should feature here at Muslimahs Working at Home, by all means let us know!

Cjala Surratt is the creative designer and owner of Muslamb Letterpress Stationers where she creates beautiful, one of a kind letterpress products like Ramadhan and Eid greeting cards, buttons, stamps and much more at her online shop at Etsy   www.muslamb.etsy.com. Ramadhan is right around the corner and Sister Cjala has generously offered the readers of Muslimahs Working at Home a 10% discount off all her products through August 31, 2011, insha’Allah (details at the end of this post).

A sister contacted me via our Facebook fan page and instisted that I visit sister Cjala’s Etsy page to take a look at her beautiful creations. I immediately contacted her to ask to profile her home business, masha’Allah. Sister Cjala explains more about her business and how she go started in her own words:

My name is Cjala Surratt I am a designer, printer and stationer of letterpress products. I worked for 10 years in marketing and public relations for various arts & cultural organizations. Feeling stifled by the confines of my client work, I started Muslamb as a means of exploring my creative voice.  In 2009 I left my position as the Managing Director of an art gallery and shifted Muslamb from a side venture to full time focus.

Muslamb Letterpress Stationers produces greeting cards and stationery and are available to clients for custom and semi-custom work. We handle a diverse swath of customers but the primary thrust of the business remains production of goods for the Muslim community. When I established the online presence for Muslamb in 2005 the bulk of my orders came from the U.S, but I have seen a marked increase in orders from Canada and the U.K. I am also thrilled to have filled orders from Italy, Chile, Spain, Malaysia and Australia.

Early on I became enamored with the deep impression or “bite” of the letterpress printing process. Letterpress is one of the oldest and most beautiful printing techniques and dates back to the invention of the movable type by Johann Gutenberg in the 15th century. It began as an alternative to laborious hand-written calligraphy. Because the paper is run through an antique press dating back to the 1900s, each pieces is subtly unique. Designs appear crisp on the heavy cotton paper and you can feel the recessed texture around the type. This is a distinctive characteristic of letterpress.
Attracted to the intimacy of engaging the process of conceiving, creating, packaging and bringing goods to market on my terms, I set a goal of opening my own print shop.

December 2010, I opened the industrial orchestra that is my print shop; my refurbished press built in 1916 comes alive with a cacophony of clinking, clunking, and whooshing. I find the racket and scent of rubber base inks in my shop absolutely preferable to the whisper of recycled office air, impeccably carpeted cubed spaces, imagination quashing banal eggshell white walls and the constant pinging of incoming email alarms cuing me into yet another meeting. I am sure hindsight exaggerates this perspective and I know that without those years I would not have honed many of the skills that were imperative to moving my business forward.

The workhorse at the shop is Luzetta, the hand-fed 8×12 Chandler and Price, New Style, clamshell press. Luzetta’s unique characteristics are her plain cast body and heavy construction throughout, yep she weights in at approximately 1200lb (and proud of it!).

In today’s society where people simply “inbox” congratulations, condolences, greetings and words of adoration, I am proud to be part of a community of printers who continue this tactile and tangible tradition. I am still a novice in this craft, insha’Allah I will continue to learn and become a more skilled press operator and expand my understanding of all aspects of the process. My other goals include expanding my current retail line and pursuing more wholesale opportunities.

Al Hamdulillah I am most appreciative of my journey to-date and to the clients that have entrusted their business collateral, aqiqah, nikkanama, walimah and wedding invitations to my company. To get a gander of what’s new at Muslamb Letterpress Stationers visit our online shop at www.muslamb.etsy.com.

Attention Readers: Sister Cijala is providing the readers of Muslimahs Working at Home with a 10% discount off her products through the month of Ramadhan. Go to her online store to order your Ramadhan cards and “I’m Fasting” buttons at: www.muslamb.etsy.com and use the coupon code: MWAH10 at checkout, insha’Allah. Offer ends August 31, 2011.

Photo Credit: Muslamb Letterpress Stationers

Ramonda Diaz has used direct sales to build two profitable businesses: One with Amway selling a wide variety of products which include beauty, nutritional and cookware items. The other business through Stream Energy where she provides energy resources (electricity and gas services) to Texas residents that are less expensive than many local energy providers.

Building a business through direct sales offers those seeking entrepreneurial opportunities a chance to build a profitable business selling someone else’s products. Companies like Avon, Mary Kay and Amway already have well established reputations, so your customers are confident when making purchases through you.

According to Ramonda, both Amway and Stream are referral-based businesses, meaning that in order to become a representative and sell their products a representative who is already active with the business must provide you with a referral. Ramonda has been successfully selling Amway products for about a year, and Stream Energy services for close to six months now.

To order Amway products, or learn more about how you can build your own business selling Amway products, visit Ramonda Diaz’s web page www.amway.com/rdiaz.

Texas residents can learn more about lower cost electric and gas services available through Stream Energy by visiting www.rdiaz.mystreamenergy.biz.

Muslimahs Working at Home was created to provide women with an alternative to earning an income outside of the home. Our objective is to share resources and tools necessary to operate a successful, profitable, home-based business.