“For a long time, I stalled starting Amaliah. I remember that I would look at founders in awe. I would put them all on a pedestal and think I couldn’t do it.

But I eventually realised you don’t have to be extraordinary to start a business or project. You just have to keep taking small steps forward, have a passion for what you’re doing and ask for help everywhere you can.

Amaliah exists today because of the help from those around us. People like Alex Depledge, who gave us office space when we first started out (and Stylist, where we currently share an office), plus all the mentors we’ve had along the way – even the ones who told us it wouldn’t work.

Starting out can be daunting, but if you break it down into, ‘What can I do tomorrow?’ it starts to make more sense. I learned to code in order to build the first version of the site.

I always say, ‘Don’t believe the hype’. There came a point where I realised no-one knows what they’re doing. Everyone’s making it up as they go along and it’s OK if you do, too.”

How I created a platform to amplify the voices of Muslim women