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.
It’s such an honour to be a part of your site sis fozia… much love n dua 🙂
I think there are a lot of these in my country. I always wished I was more crafty a person. I’m taking my chances on geeky. Like what Irum said, take the challenge! When there is a will, there is a way.
I agree, it’s all in the way you look at it and prioritise. Wishing you every success in your creative endeavour inshaAllah.
This was so beautiful to.read. I love reading qbout people whose family supports their dreams. Apart from the freedom to do what I want through my blog I have literally zero support from family! So whenever I read posts like this my eyes tear up instantly.
I totally agree with her regarding the pros of working from home. I too am a Work from home mommy and I love being there 100% for my children, while still doing what I love for myself.
Her professionalism is seen n read on websites….n truly appreciated but I feel it’s a blessing to have known her….firstly as my hub’s cousin and then the cherry on d cake….becoming my co sis…truly a rare gem among d best treasure…certainly younger than me in age yet greater in terms of knowledge.. got to learn so much from this young talented multi tasking personality striking a perfect balance between family n her business is commendable.
Wishing u loadzzz of success ahead in both the worldz….
When I got married, I was stunned at the variety available in my city. The prices of some designs was really high and some was reasonable. Since we needed many boxes, we decided to get the reasonable ones and glam them a bit ourselves at home. It was great reading about sister Irum’s business and the name is really creative too!
Mashallah..! Truly inspirational.. I’m more than happy to read your blog, see your success as an entrepreneur…..
Alhumdulillah.. Blessed to be your sister… You’ve been a friend, supporter, n more of a guide to me.. You have always made your family proud..
Wishing you lots n lots of success in every step of ur life n hereafter..
Inspirational post alhamdulillah
Such an inspirational sister. Really it made my hopes high. I also got married and had to keave my engineering university. I was really ambitious and wanted to be successful. I got a private bachlors degree and now studying Msc Mass Comm and also taking care of my 3 month old baby. After compeleting my studies I intend to start my own business inshahAllah. 🙂
Lovely read thanks for sharing
Truly sabr takes us through all the rough days! Just heading off to check your work!
so good to see mums discovering to work with what they love!