Muslim Women In Business

"My name is Şeyma. I graduated from Industrial Design with an honors degree. After graduation I started working on an industrial estate as a designer. After working there a couple of months I started to question my life choices in general. It was a tough environment and I was spending very long days working with men I didn’t know. I was very unhappy. I decided to quit my job, and I enrolled at a Quran memorization course for a year. I didn't have any intention to go back to that kind of working environment. I prayed and prayed for a job that would be good for me. One day, I came across a bakery account (based in Korea) on Instagram, with picture of all kids of cakes and desserts decorated with beautiful flowers made by cream. I fell in love. I always wanted to study Gastronomy in University but neither my family nor our education system allowed it. When I saw them pretty cakes on Instagram, I just wanted to go for it. I worked as an apprentice at a florist for 4 months....

“My name is Meryem Demirbaş. When I couldn't complete my Quran memorization, I wanted to find a new hobby, something to get busy with. I was always interested in design and sewing. I was sketching bags and dresses all the time so I decided to register for a sewing course to go further. The course was awesome and I haven’t stopped sewing since. At the start, I tailored clothing pieces for people around me, mostly for family members. They loved the clothes I made, and they always encouraged me to purse this full time. Back then, I didn't want to take it full time as I was already sewing for my daughters and relatives and that was enough. But then I got into bags and never looked back since. I knew, that this was something I could do full time. Each bag I create is very special to me. It’s a magical feeling when I see customers carrying my bags that I spent hours making. Money isn't the reward for me. Because no money could buy my time and effort, but customer satisfacti...

“My name is Sümeyra Teymur. I graduated from Ankara University with a degree in Theology. I then did my masters at Marmara University and my PhD at İstanbul University. When I finished with school, I continued working in the digital publishing sector, where I was working at, part-time, as a student. I worked in different positions on Haberler.com. Now, I'm the CEO. I also started a textile brand called QRAS. We produce dresses for women who love social life and take an active role in it. We're selling in both domestic and international markets. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had something to do, I keep myself busy. I love working and constantly improving myself. I’ve attended various seminars and conferences in different countries. The reason I tell you this, is because my entrepreneurship journey began while I was doing all these things. Learning, seeing, and improving myself. I’ve been working in the digital publishing sector for 12 years now. You have to know a...

“My name is Zeynep Tunç. I'm a mother of a 4 year old daughter and she really is a big part of my success. I’ve been making hair accessories for babies, children and grown-ups since 2017. I actually started in 2011 with my interest in ribbon embroidery. I made my first hair accessory that year. I made some pieces for my niece while I was still working in my sales and marketing job at that time. When I got pregnant, I decided to take a break from work and I made hair accessories for orpan children. After I had my daughter I started to make hair accessories for each outfit. I watched tutorials in a language I didn't know and learned it by trial and error. After a while, my accessories started to get attention, people were interested. In 2017 I opened my "Minminik Dükkan" Instagram page. All those photography classes finally came in use. The toughest part of this job was the fact that I didn't have a budget to start with. I was purchasing materials, turning th...

"My name is Salsabil El-Awaisi, I'm an interior designer and the founder of Salsabil El-Awaisi Interiors. I'm also a wife and a mummy to my little boy Adam. I was born in a town called Hebron not far from Jerusalem but I grew up in Scotland. I grew up with two different identities which I struggled with growing up, but I have learned to accept them both and I believe this is what makes me unique and different today, both in my personal and professional life. Since a young age, I always knew that I wanted to have my own business and be my own boss. But I understood that I needed work experience in order for me to be successful. After graduation, I took on a few roles in my design field to gain that experience. However, I had my little boy Adam and went on maternity leave thinking I would return back to work after he's one. Little did I know that my maternal instincts would be strong and I couldn't even think of leaving Adam in a nursery or with a childminder...

"I'm originally from a small city called Manisa in western Turkey. We had no Internet growing up and I was nine years old when I first watched TV. We had alot of time to think. From a young age I had already decided what I wanted to do with my future. I wanted to become an academician. You might find that strange but it was my dream. Hijab in Turkey was banned in schools and universities in the 90s & 2000s. I was home tutored during the high school period. When the time for university enrollment came along I was faced with a difficult decision. I rang countless universities, asking if they'd allow me to wear my hijab. No Universities agreed. None. It was an overwhelming and exhausting process. Sometimes in life you have to compromise, but I was adamant on wearing my hijab. "To my relief, Bahçeşehir University allowed the girls to wear hats, or some kind of head covering and so 4 years later I graduated with a Business Administration-Economics degree. Hijab was...