MWP Spotlight – Sana Mahmood
Sana Mahmood, Founder and Owner of Veiled Beaut
One look at Veiled Beaut’s Instagram page was enough to get me excited. However, chatting to founder Sana Mahmood, I quickly realized Veiled Beaut (VB) is more than a well branded hijab company.
VB offers a wide range of beautiful, high-quality hijabs at affordable prices. Sana has ingrained charity, inclusivity, and outreach into her brand’s core principles but with the pandemic and growing social justice awareness, Sana, like many, had to reflect personally and professionally. I sat down with Sana to learn more about her life, her take on these issues as a MWP, and VB’s present and future.
August 26, 2020
Tell us about yourself and your journey to creating VB
I’m a mother to an adventurous 9-month old boy and a wife to an equally adventurous man. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, I’ve always been passionate about business. While other kids were busy playing video games, I was busy planning my future in business. I received my double bachelor’s in Information Systems and Operations Management & Marketing from the School of Business from George Mason University – the home to the start of Veiled Beaut.
I started VB as a junior in college and took plenty advantage of the services my business school offered. I entered business competitions, attended summer entrepreneurship programs. Honestly, even though I found a group of mentors who didn’t share the same background, they believed in me and my idea.
How have you balanced VB and your own personal life?
I got into business for this exact reason. I wanted complete control over my life, my time, and my efforts. I knew I wanted to be present for my family, but I also knew I wanted to make a difference so running my own business was really the only solution.
As far as balancing the two: scheduling, scheduling, and scheduling! I’m a very big advocate for planning and scheduling – it’s the one thing I get super excited to do on Sunday. I use my trusted planner, to-do list pad, and Google Calendar daily to ensure none of my responsibilities go neglected. Another thing that really helps is waking up early! Trust me, your day will have so much barakah (blessings) in it.
Have you faced any personal obstacles as a Muslim woman when starting your business?
Personally, I battled a lot with the responsibility of being a visible Muslim woman in business. As mentioned earlier, I was heavily involved in my business school. So, bearing the burden of representing an entire religion and its religious garment was tough. This is something I’m sure many Muslim women can relate to – but, I’m grateful for the growth that came with it.
How has your business grown since its founding in 2016? How has COVID-19 affected it?
When I first started VB I had no idea where this road would take me, so when I look back I can’t help but to smile. I can certainly say we’ve come a long way since our inception, but we do have a long road ahead of us, and for that, I’m truly excited.
We had many plans for growth and expansion this year, but we’ve had to put a pause on them. and that’s perfectly okay. In the beginning it was quite difficult to come to terms with the effects of the pandemic, but I believe in looking at the positive for every situation.
Even though we couldn’t expand the way we wanted to, being at home has forced us to look internally and improve many processes that just weren’t working that well before.I’m certain that all the changes we’ve made internally will help us scale far better than the original plans we had in mind, Alhamdulilah for everything.
From your experience creating your own line of hijabs, what makes the “perfect” hijab today?
There is no perfect hijab fabric, style, or look. What makes a hijab perfect is the way it makes a woman feel; I truly believe that and aim to encourage the internal feeling as opposed to the outer yearning for ‘fitting in.’
What prejudice have you faced as an MWP or woman of color, if any? Was it solely from non-Muslims or also those within your family/community?
To my surprise, I’ve received nothing but support from the non-Muslim community. Everything from interviews to words of encouragement came from that exact community. Alhamdulilah, my family and friends are my rock for support, guidance, and encouragement – but I didn’t feel that same love and support from the wider Muslim community.
I’ve gotten used to the harshness and sometimes it does make it difficult to move forward – I truly think it stems from the fact that everyone wants to be the first – the first Muslim company to lead the change, the first Muslim million-dollar business. It’s all about being the first, and in this race to be the first we’ve forgotten how to be compassionate to each other.
Whenever someone turns to me for help, I always make an effort to assist in any way I can because at the end of the day our rizq (provisions) has already been written. If I help someone else out, it isn’t going to decrease my own. I firmly believe that the only way we can truly uplift the Muslim community is to wholeheartedly root for each other’s success. I’m hopeful we can get there.
Your Instagram page has an inclusive group of models. What does diversity and inclusivity mean to you and your business?
I’ve always wanted VB to be a truly inclusive brand. Meaning, I want everyone who visits our page to feel like they belong. It’s why we opt for real, everyday women for our models. I’m a big advocate for being confident in your natural body and skin, so how could I not use models that depict the same?
With that being said, we’re always working on improving the diversity of our models and to be quite honest I do think this is a long-term effort, but it’s something we work very hard on.
What are 3 skills you feel you’ve improved on and treasure as a Muslim woman running her own business?
1. Tawakkul (trusting in Allah’s plan). Running your own business is not easy by any means. There are so many factors outside of your control, and you are always dealing with new hurdles while simultaneously trying to grow for the better. I can definitely say that business has grounded my faith so deeply, Alhamdulilah. I make dua’a (prayers), put in the work, and leave the rest up to Allah.
2. Time Management. Managing my time had always been something I struggled with. I can finally say that as I’ve grown my business, I’ve gotten pretty good at gracefully balancing all of my responsibilities. I make time for my business, my family, furthering my education – both secularly and Islamically.
3. Communication. A big part of owning your business is having the confidence to speak up, negotiate, and to listen and understand. This skill has not only impacted the gains in my business, but also my personal life as well.
Where do you want VB to be in the next 5 years?
I want VB to make a bigger impact – whether that be through providing women with quality products to ease their daily struggles, or through acts of service. I got into business to serve, so the only thing I want to do is serve more people for the better.
You’ve practiced giving back through your "Purchase with Purpose" policy and working with No Kid Hungry. How do you choose the causes you dedicate your business to, and what advice do you have for entrepreneurs who want to give back as well through their business?
Many of the causes we choose to donate to are very personal to me. I spend a lot of time in the humanitarian field so it’s important to me that I give back by uplifting the community around me. I’m a strong advocate for giving back, it’s the only way our own communities will grow and flourish. I also strongly recommend consumers shop from brands that give back. Corporations like Nike aren’t going to be the ones investing in your community, but your small business will. Shop small, support local, always.
What advice do you have for your younger self/any budding Muslim women entrepreneurs?
Just start. There will never be a perfect time or perfect situation. Take your idea and iron out the details needed to start, find mentors who can help guide you, and then just start. Business is ever-growing so you will naturally find yourself pivoting to suit its growth as well.
