Leaving My Fashion Biz

Till I write this post… it’s never been easy for me to talk .. share and finally leave this fashion business.. mimamia hijab is finally closed!

I spent many years to make this dream came true, I started this business as door to door hijab seller, then I got the chance to sell my hijab abroad, finding the best source of hijab, being cheated by my buyer, she didn’t pay the orders till 1 year .. made me in difficulties at that time.

This business really teach me how to be a strong independent woman, how to struggle rocking your dream to be come true. I really had a long and winding roads to achieve what I am today.

I will never forget .. how the first time I worked with a tailor, finding another tailors from different city, rode my motorbike many kilometers away from Surabaya to the east… to find the best tailor for my projects.

Sourcing the best fabric, learned how to choose different material for different project, checked the quality and detail information of each material. I did it on my own .. and I was so happy to do it .. i really love it!

I spent day and night for my biz, though I was not a fully entrepreneur at that time, I was an employee of a company in Surabaya. I woke up earlier and went to bed later, work harder than other people ..because I wanted to make my dream come true.. I wanted to have my own business that create a job for others

Never stop dreaming .. then make it come true!

Finally the dream came true! May 2014 was the first month for mimamia to start the fashion business in Bondowoso. We hired 3 employee to work with us .. and Alhamdulillah growing and growing faster than we expected!

We expanded our market up to USA and Canada, we have loyal buyers from all over the world, that place their order regularly with mimamia. Behind our success story .. there are also the “untold” story about what we had!

It’s really not easy to build a steady business, especially in small town like Bondowoso. Jealousy from other people .. sabotage .. black campaign to stop our business until using “black magic” to attack us.. are being part of the untold story of mimamia! what a complete story!

In 2016 ..mimamia was in up and down moment! Fashion business just like a beautiful flower that everyone want to have it. Many people even celebrities started to open their fashion line, creating a bigger competition and branding!

Not only my business .. my customers (mostly they are wholesaler in their country) also got the effects .. they said the market were getting slow, muslimah fashion business is very tight competition nowdays.

I kept struggling to run the business though not easy to face it. We had financial problem, slow sales, but in other way.. we also need to pay our team, bank installment, electricity bills, and so on!

My husband advised me to stop the business for a while, and moving to Amsterdam for a better future. But I insisted to keep running the business, it was hard for me to stop the business .. a lot of question in my mind .. especially about my team .. how they will get the job, if I stopped this business, will they get better job in Bondowoso?! .. as you know Bondowoso is very small town, lack of good paid jobs here!

Then mimamia kept running til 2017 .. But Allah has His plan .. in mid May 2017 .. where we got lot of orders from local and international buyers, then suddenly all my employee quit the job, and left me with all the unfinished orders! and I am not the tailor! I don’t know how to stitch! What a shocked day I had!

I had 4 person as my main team, two of them quit the job, because they wanted to be a volunteer teacher in the elementary school, they hope .. can be a “government officer” someday, after volunteering for many years! and the other two quit the job because they said .. tired! what a reason!

If you know how the Indonesian society .. especially in my hometown .. you will just laugh at loud to see this reality! To be a “government officer” with the pension salary .. you have to BRIBE .. even to be a volunteer you also need to BRIBE! just because you want a “pension” salary! it’s really sad but yaach it’s happen!

Then finally I knew .. some of them left mimamia, because of “someone” offer them “bigger money” to work with.  Also another person offer them to get the job from home, by taking the orders and working at their home.

Ya .. it was peak season on tailoring business .. it’s almost Ramadhan and Eid, lot of people offer good job, but don’t they think after Ramadhan over ?! Can they continue to get the job?

Anyway .. I am upset and disappointed of them .. we had a contract that mentioned : they have to inform mimamia, at least 1 month in advance before resign the job.. but yea they ignore it! They left all the unfinished orders without saying anything.

I tried to get new employees, but yea .. it’s take time to teach them what I want, what mimamia standard. Hiring new team in crucial moment is really big NO! then I decided to work with other company in Bondowoso .. even another risks will happen.

I can’t control the quality, I can’t force them to work like mimamia’s standard, the workmanship is really big deal! I got lot of complains from customers, they don’t believe mimamia anymore, some of customers cancel the orders, and I also need to spend extra money for this.

I was in my down moment .. but I am lucky to have my beautiful husband, he is the gentleman that stand beside me till today, and always support me. I thanks to Allah and now .. I think the best time to close my business even though .. I still have some customers asking to place orders, but I refused them.

All my best friends feel sorry for my decision .. Leaving the top while you are already achieved your dreams .. that’s such a crazy thing! they said .. then I said .. “Leaving the top before you are being famous, they can stop my business but not my dream!” .. this what I do!

I know this is not easy .. but I choose my husband and my family than my business .. I still have lot of dreams that I want to achieve.. but now I want to achieve it with my husband and my family in Amsterdam .. I don’t want to achieve it alone!