Muslim Mums in Business – Ibox and Iwrap

My Muslim Mums in Business series focus’s on inspirational Muslim women, who are balancing the art of motherhood along with running businesses.

Please introduce yourself and your business.

Asalamwalaikum wrwb, I am Irum Irshad from India chennai. ALHUMDULILAH mother of a toddler and wife to an amazing man. I run a firm called “Ibox and Iwrap”. Basically its all about customised gifting solutions and curated packaging.

What inspired you to start working from home? Did anyone in particular inspire you?

So I got married when I was 19 and was quite jobless. My schedule would be eat sleep chit chat repeat. I felt I was totally unproductive and dint have much to do. I kept annoying my mum as I wanted some good time pass and after months of pondering I found I was inclined towards packaging and hence the journey of Ibox and Iwrap begun. My mum laid the foundation and ALHUMDULILAH I had encouraging siblings (who are always a call away) , super supportive in laws, my role model my dad and my friendly husband… these all were, are and will always be my pillars of strength.

What gave you the idea of making personalised boxes?

My siblings got married a few years after me and we found it really difficult to source gift boxes and customised stuff in my city. So I thought why don’t I start catering to these needs…? Initially there was no business competition too.. so this idea turned out to be hit.

Are your family supportive of you being a working mother?

Like mentioned above… ALHUMDULILAH I always felt that I have been blessed with bestest family and inlaws. MashaAllah. My parents mean more than universe to me and I can’t thank Allah enough for what they have done for me and are still doing. Without my parents I’m zilch. I have a lot of respect for my inlaws aswell. They are soo generous, humble, understanding and kind. My husband is more of a friend to me, and I got all my business senses from him (MashaAllah). My siblings are my helpful hand… What more can I ask for?

What are the main challenges you face as a mum, a blogger and an entrepreneur?

If I turn back and look at my life so far… I feel and realise that Allah is the best of planners. Everything happened gradually and there was no rushing ever. Blogging happened to me only recently and it was purely for the love of expressing through writing. And ALHUMDULILAH it’s all about time management… life becomes much easier when we have too many helping hands around.

Describe a typical working day. Are there specific times in the day that you work on your business?

There is no specific time or day. it’s only when I pack my daughter to school I open up my work projects. And I take up orders on my own convenience. So I end up not burdening myself.

What are the pros and cons about being a working mum from home?

ALHUMDULILAH I feel there are only pros and no cons. It’s actually fun working from home. There is no stress and home is my most comfy zone. I don’t have to rush or travel and most importantly I don’t miss out on my duties as mum, wife, daughter.

On your toughest days, what helps keep you motivated?

Sabr (patience) and salah… when things don’t work the way I plan I just leave it to Allah and make a lot of duas. Trust me I see wonders happening later on.

Where would you like to see your blog and business in the future?

Initially the business was more of a time pass but now it’s more of a passion and demands professionalism. In sha Allah I would love to see my brand being recognised worldwide in the field of gifting and customised packaging. And In sha Allah I would like to see my blog as one of the best recognised Muslim parenting blogs (this needs a lot of effort), because of my business I literally end up neglecting my blog.

What advice would you give to mums considering taking the step of being a working mum?

If u really want to do something, just go ahead and give it ur best shot. Take up challenges… and of course family comes first, I feel it becomes much easy to attain success when we have moral support from family. There are a lot of negative people too who would discourage you but just don’t take that to your head. Be confident and TRUST ALLAH. Only he knows the best for u.

Thank you soo much sis Fozia for being so generous and I enjoyed answering your questions. You have always been soo inspirational”

JazakAllah Khair to sister Irum for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions! You can find her blogging at Musings of a Mum and you can her business page on facebook: Ibox and Iwrap.

If you are a muslim mum with a business and would like to feature then drop me a message in sha Allah.