NEWS: Sisters in Business CIC: Supporting Muslim Women Entrepreneurs
“No one wanted to give us a seat, so I created a whole new table”
65% of female businesses fail within the first three years. But did you know that, for Muslim women, that percentage rises to nearly 98%? Jennifer Ogunyemi was one of those 98 percent and craved a community that spoke to her needs and those of other Muslim women on their entrepreneurial journey.
Entrepreneurship can be a suitable path to economic empowerment for many women who have children, particularly Muslim women who often experience greater cultural expectations to prioritise family over work. Compared to traditional employment, entrepreneurship gives mothers the flexibility they need: they can earn income and employ all their skills and talent, while supporting their lifestyles as the main caregiver of their children.
Sisters in Business (SiB) was founded in 2017 to provide a network and advisory platform for Muslim Women - and particularly Black Muslim Women - to connect, inspire, and learn the tools they need to create thriving businesses. Based in Tower Hamlets, SiB has grown into the largest platform for Muslim businesswomen in Europe. Since launching, SiB has hosted over 30 networking brunches which has seen over 1,500 women walk through the doors. However, when COVID hit, the organisation was put under pressure. Muslim women faced both social exclusion and financial precarity. We were introduced to Sisters in Business via our partner, Strengthening Faith Institutions, in the Spring of 2021. We on-boarded Jennifer to CSC’s Steps to Sustainability programme, through which we capacity-build grassroots organisations.
S2S is all about ‘learning by doing’: we co-produced five outputs with Jennifer, whilst upskilling and coaching her and her team on key processes. After an initial advice and coaching session, we supported Sisters in Business to:
1. Collect data from beneficiaries
We carried out a community consultation of SiB using a co-produced community engagement survey. We measured the impact of SiB’s work and gathered evidence on the barriers faced by Muslim business women and service provision gaps to inform SiB’s future development.
2. Co-produce an impact report
Based on the community survey results, the CSC team created an impact report and secondary research to demonstrate the value of SiB’s work and supporting Muslim women entrepreneurs, to be shared with potential funders and corporate sponsors.
The report also explained structural inequalities and disadvantages faced by Muslim women entrepreneurs and the impact of Covid-19, demonstrating the importance of an organisation led by lived experience.
Read the Full Report Here
The report addresses specific structural inequalities and disadvantages faced by Muslim women entrepreneurs, as well as SiB’s Covid-19 responses and future initiatives, such as mentoring opportunities, training workshops on access to finance, and encouraging communities of practice through peer-to-peer networks.
3. Co-produce a business strategy
Drawing on the community consultation and a SWOT analysis, the CSC team guided SiB in developing a 3-year business strategy oriented around the organisation’s sustainability. The strategy focused on setting ambitious but achievable targets to help SiB better support their flourishing community. New initiatives include a community mentoring service, exploring partnership and corporate sponsorship opportunities, and developing a resilience plan to establish SiB’s credibility to generate income.
4. Identifying core funding opportunities
CSC supported SiB in scoping and applying for core funding opportunities, as well as compiling a list of potential core funders. A funding application was co-produced, allowing the organisation to showcase their skills in fundraising. SiB also participated in our Income Generation Webinars and had a one-on-one follow-up session with one of our fundraising experts, with a focus on securing corporate sponsorships.
5. Communications and feedback documents review
While reviewing SiB's event feedback questionnaire, CSC provided an updated template that was more user friendly. We also offered SiB with some practical advice on how to manage their peer-to-peer networks, including a list of "What App ground rules" to follow as a guideline.
Jennifer’s goal was to build the resilience of SiB and develop the support her organisation offers to include health and wellbeing support. With these five outputs in the bag, SiB has gone on to successfully secure funding so that the organisation can support more Muslim women in East London to become economically empowered. Here’s what Jennifer said after co-producing these five outputs with the CSC team:
“The team at S2R has been nothing short of amazing, the program helped me carve a strategy, impact report and gave me the confidence in knowing what I need to do for my organisation. The team are dedicated, consistent and are the biggest cheerleaders in seeing you achieve.”
To find out more about Steps to Sustainability, click here, or book a call with one of our directors here.
About Sisters in Business:
Sisters in Business strives to change the narrative on Muslim women as business owners. They firmly believe that female entrepreneurs can and should succeed without compromising their faith or their family and community roles. Because when it comes to being a businesswoman, Muslim women are just like any other women.
