How Muslims can start a profitable one-person business... without risking a penny upfront - PART 1
I’m shifting gears for the weekly roundup to deep-dive into a goal we all share.
I’ve been talking about the vital importance for Muslims to improve their earning potential so we can help ourselves and each other. In particular, securing an independent income that allows you to work from anywhere will give you more opportunities to make hijrah.
An information based business (also known as a knowledge based business) is one of easiest independent incomes to start. Basically, it’s when people pay you for your unique insights on a topic. It’s also potentially the most fulfilling because it can be about a subject you deeply care about. And just about anyone can do this—there is an audience out there for everything.
The best part is you can start without investing a penny upfront. You don’t need to buy any goods to sell or even pay for a website. You don’t have to quit your job and can do this with just a couple of hours a week if you really wanted to.
I strongly suggest you try it out because it won’t cost you anything to start and will build up into a sustainable income if you just stick with it. And…
Keep reading till the end to find out how you can get 1-on-1 help to start your one-person business today .
Here’s how it works:
Find a unique topic to write about.
Write consistently on your unique topic to build an audience of people who benefit from your writing.
Direct them to an email list so you have better access to each other.
Build information products based on the most common questions/needs/problems your audience have.
Start by finding your unique topic:
Secret #1… choose a topic you can talk about for at least an hour without preparation. Meaning, you know the topic so well or are so deeply interested you can comfortably talk about it for a long period of time, like you would with a friend over coffee. This will make running your business 100x easier as you’ll see later.
You can figure out a unique and interesting topic by carrying out these thought exercises:
What do you have experience, knowledge or training in?
What are you interested in or concerned about?
How do you describe yourself as an individual?
Combine these to create a unique topic. I promise you… if you have useful information, care about the topic and can bring your unique perspective… there is an audience out there who will become your true fans (1000 true fans is all you need to retire; ask me about it). Some examples:
Sarah works as a pre-school assistant. She converted to Islam 5 years ago. She lives in a country with very few Muslims and is newly married. Her topic could be about the challenges of raising children in a non Muslim country. She can draw from her work experience, link it with her keen interest in learning about Islam as new Muslim and bring her unique experiences and stories as a newlywed.
Jalal graduated from an Islamic seminary then worked as an imam for 10 years. He started a small ecommerce business in his free time. One of his main goals is to make hijrah to a Muslim country. His topic can be about balancing religious studies while running a business. He can give insights on leadership, spirituality and counselling and link it to productivity and other skills needed to run a business. He can show how his unique interests help to progress his hijrah goals.
Faiza is a homemaker who loves cooking for her family. There are some health issues in the family so she’s interested in learning more about natural remedies. Her unique topic can be about how to cook nutritious meals as well as preparing home remedies. She doesn’t need to be an expert… the fact she is concerned about these issues and is a mother who cares about her family’s wellbeing will speak to many mothers out there. She can write about what she learns along the way as much as what she already knows.
Once you have a unique topic, you need to clarify what you want to say about it. Doing this will help you organise your overall message and give you a never-ending list of things to talk about—the last thing you want is to sit for an hour thinking of what to write. Here’s what you need to do:
Summarise your unique topic into one overarching belief statement. For example:
Sarah… “I believe the only way to protect our children in this day and age is through homeschooling.“
Jalal… “I believe you can balance being an imam and a businessman without compromising your faith.“
Faiza… “I believe in taking the natural path for my family’s health, with Allah’s help.“
Decide on 3-5 “pillars” your belief statement will stand on. You can think of these as the strong opinions justifying your belief statement. I’ll use Sarah’s example… “I believe the only way to protect our children in this day and age is though homeschooling because…“:
Modern society is morally corrupted
The education system is harmful for young minds
Homeschooling is easier than you think
Secret #2… everything you write and every information product you sell will be based on one or more of these pillars. Surprised? Sceptical? Let me know in the comments or Direct Messages because this is exactly how people are becoming financially secure simply by writing on topics they already care about. I’ll show you more examples using Jalal and Faiza or you can ask me to demonstrate it for your own personal topic.
In the next part I’ll show you exactly how to use this to create a template for endless ideas on what to write, what to say, what to sell and more. If you’re interested in continuing this series as well as getting access to more exclusive content, consider supporting Strategic Sunnah by becoming a paid subscriber.
How to get 1-on-1 help on starting your one-person information based business:
I’m currently helping a handful of Muslims build their one person business and have a few more spots available. To help readers of Strategic Sunnah, I’m offering two of those spots for absolutely FREE.
You don’t have to get on a call. Everything will be text based and I’ll practically hold your hand through every detail.
I’ll offer this on a first come first serve basis (paid subscribers get priority). After the two free spots are filled I’ll have to charge for the remaining spots. But I’ll say this: how much is having your own easy to run, fulfilling and meaningful business that not only benefits people, but gives you financial security, worth to you?
Once we have a good number of us working on their one person-businesses, I’ll create a private mastermind group so you can accelerate your earnings.
Message me if you’re interested: