Youth Entrepreneurs: Advice to Other Youth

By Anisah Muhammad | Last updated: Feb 10, 2015 - 8:05:26 AM

The seed of “do for self” has taken root in a lot of youth, and that seed has grown to produce fruit. Sister Naeemah Muhammad, Brother Ayinde Muhammad and Sister Kiana Muhammad are youth entrepreneurs in the fashion industry. They offer sound advice to other youth.

On April 5, 2014, Sister Naeemah, Brother Ayinde and Sister Kiana were on Chicago’s Black Business Radio Network hosted by Sondra Perdue.

Sister Naeemah is the owner of a fashion line called Qweens. She creates designs and sells her customers clothing fit for a queen.

Brother Ayinde has a bow-tie business called Family Ties. He does for self by making handcrafted bow-ties.

Sister Kiana Muhammad had a business called Kreative Krafts. She used to make hats, scarves, gloves, jewelry, bags and other accessories. She is now in college furthering her education.

On the show, the question was asked of Sister Naeemah, “What advice would you give to those who think their ideas won’t work?”

“Honestly, it’s ok if you ever thought your idea wasn’t going to work. I think it comes naturally, because your idea is like your baby. You’re giving a part of yourself to the public, and you don’t want it to be scrutinized. It can mess up your mind a bit. I originally thought my idea wouldn’t work, because there’s a lot of fashion designers and fashion places. I would think, ‘What is going to make people buy my product?’ I just had to do it,” she responded.

“Even though I say just do it, it may take you years to do that. It takes time. It takes time for a flower to become a flower. It took me years to finally start my business. I had the idea since I was 12, but I had to learn to ask myself questions that wouldn’t lead me to doubt myself. Ultimately, God will give you the tools to succeed when you’re ready, but you have to believe that He will and you can.”

Brother Ayinde was asked, “How can you encourage others to do for self?

“I would encourage others to do for self by finding something that you enjoy to do or interests you. If you believe that you are consistent in making high quality products, then go ahead and make it a business. When I started Family Ties, I was interested in how to make bow-ties and how to put them together. The first bow-tie I ever made took a couple of hours due to the fact I had to figure it out. I enjoyed making it. However when I decided to make it a full-fledged business, I couldn’t make a business until I first perfected my craft and learned the best way to make them a product,” said Brother Ayinde.

“If your heart isn’t in it, most likely you won’t do well in your business. But, it is doable. If you desire to do something, you have a passion for it and you put your mind to it, then you can make it happen. Also make sure that whatever you do, business-wise, is from your heart and high-quality. Those two together would definitely make it go far.”

Similarly, Sister Kiana answered the question, “How can the youth inspire themselves to do for self?”

Tools of the trade for Ayinde Muhammad who has a bow-tie business.

“Once you have your mind on a certain gift, then the rest just flows. You have to have confidence. There are going to be letdowns, so you can’t be bummed out about not getting something or if someone’s not happy about your product. Letdowns are definitely going to be there, but at the end of the day, it’s what you want to do with your creativity, your passion, your gift. If you put that to work, everything else is just going to roll into place. It’s just a wonderful experience,” said Sister Kiana. You can contact Sister Kiana via Twitter: @Assata_Shakir.

To patronize Sister Naeemah’s business Qweens, visit her website, www.qweensfashions.com, send her an email, [email protected] or contact her via the Social Media platforms Twitter and Instagram, @Qweens_Fashions.

To support Brother Ayinde and Family Ties, visit his website, http://ayfamilyties.com, send him an email, [email protected] or contact him via the Social Media platforms Twitter and Instagram, @AYFamilyTies.

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