Hanifa worked hard to learn English and make connections in her community. Now, she is the proud owner of Free Women Company, a sewing company that provides alterations, custom sewing projects, and clothing repairs for customers and organizations. Through Free Women, she employs other Afghan women by providing them with sewing projects they can accomplish at home and pays them per project. Hanifa is passionate about giving these women an income and a sense of independence.
Hanifa began working with a small business counselor at IRC Salt Lake City in 2018 to develop her concept and find local resources. In 2023, Hanifa participated in the New American Dream Lab, a pitch contest where refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs present their businesses to a panel of judges, competing for prize money to grow their ventures, but didn’t make it out of the preliminary round. She recalls being concerned about her English skills and nervous to speak publicly about her business.
However, in 2024, Hanifa decided to give the New American Dream Lab another go. With the support of her business counselor, Hanifa enrolled in PRIME to prepare and refine her pitch. She fine-tuned the story of her business and delivered, alongside her daughter, a goosebump-inducing pitch that got them past the preliminary round and onto the finals. As a result, Free Women secured the top prize! Hanifa’s story and the business’s accomplishments won the judges’ favor and the first-place prize of $4,000.
Hanifa initially struggled to communicate confidently in English about her business and share that it was worthy of funding. Through the services received by her IRC counselor, she gained confidence with practice sessions. During the process, Hanifa realized she wasn’t just one of many alteration businesses; her story is unique and exciting to tell people about.
“At Free Women, we stitch a dream together,” Hanifa concluded.