entrepreneur blog Archives - Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq

WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED EVERY TIME?

Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 00:58:11 +0000

So lately in Denmark there is a debate going on about social control, when the real problem is discrimination in the job market. In Denmark women with hijab have to apply to 60 percent more jobs than one without.
Yep, 60 percent more.

And our dear politicians focus is; social control, which is not even that big of a problem in our society.
I am against social control and haven’t seen it in my circle, but apparently it’s okay for politicians to make up something as long as it is against Muslims …

“What? How is that possible?!”

So me, being me. I can’t be put in one box alone.
I have always had this entrepreneurmindset for as long as I remember. Lucky me, my family has always been supportive.
Just like most of the non-Muslim and Muslim parents out there.

Often when I meet new people, they are surprised by my achievements at a young age.
(I still don’t feel I have done anything special, but let us take that up at another time.)

Hijab vs non

So when I started my first company at the age of 21, it was without hijab, back in 2013.

Trying to do something good for my business and the community I meet with many people.
A lot of them are amazing.
Really.
Everyone from boys from so called “ghettos” to successful entrepreneurs and CEOs.

People were surprised when they found out my age but … not as surprised as when I decided to put on my hijab.

Then …
I noticed a difference in people’s reactions to me being an entrepreneur.

Without hijab: Utterly amazement and recognition.
With hijab: Surprise, amazement and recognition.

Amazing right?
Putting on my hijab made such a difference.

I know, all those people meant it well and they didn’t have any bad intentions, but we have a distorted picture of women with hijab.

So much, that when one of us stands out, it becomes such a surprise, that it is all over their faces and body language.

It shouldn’t be.
Women in hijab are in every field all over the world. Be it in the police, military, medical field, business, entrepreneurs, sports etc.
How come it becomes such a surprise in Denmark, when one of us is excelling at something?

Boxing hijabi

I recently took up boxing and was looking for boxing gloves to try, before buying them. Therefore, I went into a store that sells sportswear.

Keep in mind, I was wearing a maxi dress, my hijab and a leatherjacket. I didn’t want to waste time walking around in the store to look for the gloves myself, so I went straight to the cashier.
I waited for my turn.
I went to him, asking him if they had boxing gloves.
He looked at me as if I was from Mars.
He kindly said no but the surprise was all over his face.

My sister, who was with me and I had a good laugh out of it, as we were driving home.
The friends I told, did too.

But … the question I am left with is: Why is it such a surprise?

Is it because we have such a distorted picture of Muslim women who wears the hijab? Why is that?

Why is it that especially Muslim women have such a bad image of being weak?
Why is it so unsual that I go to boxing?

In my circle. Most of the relationships I see, is where the women are tougher than the men but still the image we have, is opposite.

Why can’t we accept hijabies to be like normal women?
Why is it that, just because we choose to wear a hijab, we suddenly become less than the rest?

A person is a person.
A woman is a woman.
A man is a man.

It shouldn’t matter how we dress.
It just shouldn’t.

/Hafsah

P.S. If you want to follow my boxing, you can check out my Instagram @HafsahbintFarooq

The post WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED EVERY TIME? appeared first on Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq.

NEVER START ANYTHING, WITHOUT DOING THIS BUDGET FIRST

Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 23:58:00 +0000

I am dead serious!

When you are going to startup, you will need a startup budget. There are many templates out there but the one I use is these budgettemplates, which I have modified myself.

This is a version I used for my first online store. The numbers are fictional but I tried to make them a little realistic.

This budget is not only for when you startup a company. This is also, for when you need to start a new project, even in your private life.

For example when remodeling your old house or when buying a new one.

This ways you will get a good overview of the money going out of the company or your pocket. It is very easy to use, you just have to plot in your numbers, and it will total it all for you.

If you do add a new line, make sure to add it in the calculation otherwise, you will get a wrong total.

Importance of budgeting

It is very important to use a budget. If you don’t you, will probably go over budget and not have any idea of how you used all that money at once.

It is also a guideline for you, to make sure that you have the money, before you start using them on other things.

Never ever

Never use money you don’t have. Unpredictable things happen all the time, like …

You didn’t sell enough

You had to buy something expensive

You bought too much on credit and don’t have money to pay

You might have a break-in

Or something else unpredictable

Bonus tip

Maybe you have heard many entrepreneurs say that you should always multiply your budget with a number of times. Some say three, others five, some even ten.

I think this is a very hard thing to specify since it depends on the type, size, etc. of your company and how cost effective you are.

I think multiplying first year’s budget with five to seven and then later years with two to three gives a good overview.

Again, it does depend on how many expenses are connected to your type of company.
After doing a startup budget, you should do an operating budget for the first three years. It will give you a goal and an overview of the company. Read more about it why and how on X2Writers blog.

Sincerely,
Hafsa Farooq
Freelance Copywriter
Digital Marketer

P.S. Want to get to know me personally? Follow me on Instagram @HafsaFarooqX2

P.P.S. Here is the link to my budget templates. Get to it, now!
No strings attached!

The post NEVER START ANYTHING, WITHOUT DOING THIS BUDGET FIRST appeared first on Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq.

BACKSTAGE PART 2: UNHEALTHY ENTREPRENEUR LIFE, REFLECTION

Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 00:50:00 +0000

You might wonder, why I wrote those two scenarios.

If you do not know what I mean, you should read my post:

Backstage Unhealthy Entrepreneur Life, Story, first.

On both scenarios

You might be single or with someone. It makes a difference.

If you are lucky enough to be with someone who understands you and you are able to talk to, but you are still going down the wrong path, you need to take a step back and figure out, if you keep want to hurt yourself and your loved one.

If you are single, you need someone in your life to tell you to take that step back; otherwise, you are going on hurting yourself.

I will be that person, at this moment.

For both of you.

Breakdown, stress, heart attack and worse

There are many examples that living can be stressful.

Some people, need a job, but cannot get one.

Some people, struggle all their life with money.

Some people have deadly diseases.

Some people, are under so much stress, that they breakdown.

Some people get mental issues.

Some people work so hard, that it becomes the end of them.

We all react differently to different kind of pressure.

And we all have different issues.

That is why it is important to know yourself and your body.

Know your limits.

And don’t cross them.

I do not remember the name, but he is a very successful Danish entrepreneur. My guess is he is in his forties.

He has a pacemaker.

I do not think that needs a comment. You know why one gets a pacemaker.

Cherish life

Life is a fragile thing and it is our job to make sure we make the best of it.

Enjoy yourself.

Enjoy the small wins.

Enjoy your surroundings.

Enjoy the things to come.

Do not run so hard for a while, that you collapse right before reaching your goal.

Lift your foot from the gas pedal and put on the cruise control.

Taking care of your loved once, starts by taking care of yourself.

Sincerely,

Hafsa Farooq

Freelance copywriter

Digital Marketing Consultant

P.S. Signup to my private newsletter, and get what is going on with me, first!

The post BACKSTAGE PART 2: UNHEALTHY ENTREPRENEUR LIFE, REFLECTION appeared first on Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq.

ALWAYS THINK OF HIM

Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 21:39:00 +0000

It is not a secret that I am a Muslim entrepreneur. So sometimes, my understanding of a situation or reaction is different than you would normal think.

As an entrepreneur is it hard to always keep the same motivation, even when you are winning.

For me, it is important to stay humble and stay focused, so this is something that helps me.

Instead of writing a long post, I decided just to sum it all up in a small poem.

By ‘Him’ I mean Allah ﷻ (The most High), God that is.

Think of Him

When in doubt, think of Him.

When in pain, think of Him.

When successful, think of Him.

When in bankruptcy, think of Him.

When happy, think of Him.

When sad, think of Him.

When scared, think of Him.

When in peace, think of Him.

When full of life, think of Him.

When lost, think of Him.

When in love, think of Him.

Always, think of Him.

– Hafsa

P.S. Get updated by me, by signing-up to my newsletter.

The post ALWAYS THINK OF HIM appeared first on Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq.

I KNOW, YOU WILL NEVER LIKE ME

Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq — Sun, 09 Apr 2017 19:53:00 +0000

Since I was little, you didn’t like me.
I don’t know why.

You would always say something to hurt me and my parents.

Many times did my family leave crying, from your house.

At one point my sister didn’t want to visit you anymore.
She didn’t like it.
You would always say something to hurt us.
She is the oldest, so she understood more than I.

My parents had to pay her to visit your house.

It’s just me you don’t like.
Everyone else you are fine with.

You don’t like the way I speak or the sound of my voice.
The way I walk.
The way I dress.
The way I think.
The way I breathe.

I remember once.

It was some time after I had finally finished high school after such a hard battle with many school changes and many teachers who were just like you.

My parents were so proud.
So were my siblings.

The whole family was together at your house. – This was sometime after my celebration. We were talking and you said “That’s not a real high school.” My cousin asked why and you said “It’s just not real high school in my eyes.” – Even when it is.

My older sister heard it all but she was scared to say anything, so there wouldn’t be a new fight.

Why so much hate?
Why so much hurt?

You did a lot of hurtful stuff to us.
But now, before anyone can do it to your children, you stop.

You spread false rumors about my siblings and I.
Fill our ears against each others.
Say you will help if needed.

When my sister asked you for help.
You didn’t.

I know what you are.
We know what you are.

I know you hate me.
I know you will always hate me.

Just remember.
The only reason I see you is because we are family.

It is supposed to mean something.
Something you haven’t shown me.

I am sorry.
Sorry for not being perfect.
Sorry for you too.

– A letter

P.S. My life is not as lonely as you would think.

The post I KNOW, YOU WILL NEVER LIKE ME appeared first on Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq.

STOP YOU ARE STEALING!

Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 14:53:00 +0000

Seriously, it is not funny.
You have done it and you now it!

What I am referring to is stealing pictures, music, artwork, text and more from others.

I know you are guilty.

How? You have taken something from the internet for your school project, your own website, company, commercial use, using it in a banner, texting your friends that funny picture you just saw on Facebook or whatever.

See? I was right.

Especially pictures on the internet, are at great risk.

Most do not have the knowledge about what copyrighting is and others just do not respect other peoples work.

1. Is copyright really a law?

Yes, it is.

It is the law that protects certain kinds of work, from the moment it is done. You do not need to register it anywhere, except in some countries if you are going to sue.

Some of the work that are protected by the copyright law are:

Pictures, whether they are digital or printed.
Text, even if it is a school project, on a private website or a public website.
Videos, including homemade and professional videos, -movies, -dramas and the likes.
Paintings and artwork, even if the artist, is a non-famous street artist.
Music, and it does not matter it the artist is known or unknown.
And much more.

By publishing any kind of work you have not made yourself, you are breaking the law and it does not matter if you know it or not!

Yes, it is illegal!

You can read details about the law at Rights Direct.

2. Is it really stealing?

Absolutely, it is 100 percent stealing, if you take someones work and use it or publish it, as your own.

For the record it is not stealing, if you get inspired by a particular piece of work. You are allowed to produce your own, using the same idea. – Unless it has a patent. Then you cannot.

It is the expression which is protected and not the idea.

Let us go through a couple of examples to make it perfectly clear.

You may not:

Find any picture and post it all over your social media accounts.
Take a beautiful photograph, taken by a normal person and post it as your own on a blog.
Find the perfect picture and put it on your blog, even with a link to the original source.
Take any kind of text, which you just copy-paste.
Use your favorite music piece in a video you make.
Download a movie and upload it on Youtube.

You may:

Find a piece of text you like and use it as inspiration to write your own, then publish it on your website.
See a picture of a motive and take one just like it, to put it everywhere you like.
Upload a karaoke song to Youtube, which you have sung.
Like a movie so much, that you make your own, which is inspired by it.

3. What should I do, if I really want to use the picture?

Ask for permission to use it. – And with that are two possibilities:

The owner will say, no. – Meaning you will have to find a new picture, pay someone to take one or take it yourself.
The owner will say, yes. – They might just ask for a link and others will ask for a price and add some conditions.

4. I have been a victim too

Once I discovered that two of my competitors had stolen pictures and some text from my online shop, X2Nails.

One took a picture and used on their Instagram account.
And the other one took four product pictures and a text I had written for the products.

At first I could not believe that a company would steal something from mine. Fortunately, I knew the copyright law. I gathered all the evidence I could and contacted my lawyer. We sent a letter of removal and later an invoice for the violation.

The first case was solved fast and they paid as sum we both agreed on.
The other case went to court and was ruled in my favor.

5. What to do if you are a victim?

First of all, you need to gather all the evidence you can get against the thief. Take videos of the material and screenshots.
Back the evidence up in more than one place. For example in any secure cloud service, on an external drive, in an e-mail or another computer. – It it best to have more than one back up.
Now you need to prove that the work is yours. Find the original picture or what it is, which is dated. If you have had it edited or made by someone, find the invoice, e-mail and more. – Save that by filming it and take screenshots.
Now seek help from someone professional or someone who has a lot of experience with these types of cases. If you have a case in Denmark you can get professional, cheap and great help from Not Allowed. They will even take your case for 35% of the settlement amount, with the “no cure no pay”-principal. – For your own sake, do not use anyone who has not done copyright cases before.
Have the lawyer send them an e-mail or letter and ask them to remove your work. Also make a claim for the violation. The amount you can claim is different, depending on the type and amount of work which has been stolen.
If they do not want to pay, there is always a choice of suing them. It can be difficult if you live in different countries but it is possible. – Although it is best to settle outside of court, since it can be time consuming and expensive.

6. Protect your work

This is important!

Especially since it is such a common crime to steal someones work. The tings you can do to save your work and easily prove that it is yours, are as following:

Send an e-mail to a secret account, which only you know about, before publishing it.
Back it up i an online service, which can save webpages with dates.
Always have it saved somewhere else. For example on an external hardrive or a cloud service.
Put a logo on your pictures.
You can make sure your website does not allow anyone to copy the material.

7. What to do, if you have violated someones copyright

Simply, pay the owner.

You have committed a crime and you need to pay for it.

If you do not want to pay, then the owner will probably sue, costing you much more than the original claim. You will also waste a lot of time.

8. How to get amazing pictures without stealing

Since pictures are the most commonly stolen ting on the internet, here are some great ways to get amazing pictures:

Take and edit them yourself.
Take them and have someone edit them for you.
Buy pictures from a stock-site.
Get a photographer to take them.
Find royalty free pictures, but it can cost a lot of time, to find the right one. Here is a page, where you can find 73 pages with free pictures.

9. Would you like it if someone stole your work?

Probably not.
So do not steal other peoples work!

– Hafsa

P.S. Sign up for my newsletter about my entrepreneurial journey and let me write to you directly.
Yes, thank you! I would love to follow your journey!

The post STOP YOU ARE STEALING! appeared first on Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq.

3 REASONS TO LOVE AND ASK FOR CRITICISM

Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq — Fri, 27 May 2016 20:29:00 +0000

Criticism is something you might see as a tornado coming but cannot stop or hide from it.

I have always been able to take criticism but it does not mean that I do not care or think about it. I will actually think about it a lot.

Sometimes even for days.
I might not show it.

It is not a bad thing.

It is not like I will have evil thoughts about this person.

Sometimes I will actually ask one or two persons to criticize me. Especially when I am doing speeches because I want to better myself.

Here comes the three reasons for you to love and ask for criticism.

1. Just because you are doing great
This criticism is the kind you get, when you are doing great and have reached a point where you now have haters.

Haters who does not have anything else to do than hate on you, your work and everything that has anything to do with you.

You should love this.
Even if the are saying mean things about you.

Why, you might think?

Well, look at it from this perspective.
They are jealous of you.
They secretly want your things.
Want your job.
Or whatever you are doing.

Do not take them seriously.
Do not remember the things they say.
Do not let it effect yourself or your work.

Just love it because you have reached so far, that you now have hater-fans.
Hater-fans who secretly wants your life.
Awesome, right?

2. Better yourself and your business
This one is used commonly among businesses.
They call it customer feedback.

It just sounds more friendly than criticism but is the same thing.

You can choose to ask for it or you can get it when you flop big time.
We can both agree on it is best to ask for it, right?
Then you are also prepared.
And do not feel like you were just found with your pants down.

When I have received some criticism I will look into what made the person say it and use it to better myself.
Then I will ask myself these following questions.

How can I use it?
What can I do to better myself?
What should I do next time, so I do not make the same mistake?
Is it something I can fix right now?

We often only look from our own perspective and that results in very slow or none growth at all. That is why it is important to get someone else to criticize you.

Always use the results wisely.

3. They want to help
These can be people you know or do not know.

We can divide these in two groups.

In the first group are the people who does not know anything about running a business but they think they do.

Or they have a great idea for you.
Or they think you are selling the wrong products.
Or you should just close your business and find a regular job.
Or you need to listen to all their ideas and do what they tell you.

You should probably listen and then ignore it if it is not something you can use.

In the second group are those who does know a lot about running a business.
They are busy themselves and cannot see your problems until you put them in front of them.
But they would love to help you.

They might just refer you to someone.
Even help you out.
Criticize you.
Or just give you a tip.

The thing is, that the words that come out of their mouths will probably help you more than the first group.

You just need to ask for it.
And you need to listen.

Tip
If you need to criticize someone then do it in a way so the person won’t feel hurt or attacked. – Always give an explanation.

Criticizing right is not an easy job.
Criticizing wrong is easy.

Until next time!

– Hafsa

P.S. Follow me on Facebook for updates Entrepreneur: Hafsa Farooq.

P.P.S. Criticism is actually a great motivator. Did you ever think about that?

The post 3 REASONS TO LOVE AND ASK FOR CRITICISM appeared first on Hafsah Fatimah bint Farooq.