Live Life Podcast - Episode 1
If you ask most people what it’s like to work with their spouse, they’ll probably crack a joke about “not killing each other.” But what if your marriage, your business, your spiritual journey, and your family were all woven together—every day, every night, for years on end?
That’s the reality for the founders of Tashkila—a homegrown Muslim brand that started as a side hustle, grew into a full-blown business, and became a living testament to faith, love, and resilience. I had the privilege of sitting down with them for the latest episode of Live Life Podcast, and I want to share their story with you—not just as a fellow entrepreneur, but as someone who believes that the way we live, love, and work can be a path to something bigger.
From Side Hustle Sweethearts to Entrepreneurs
You know, I still remember when Adil first joined us at MyLustre. Back then, he led our e-commerce team and played a big role in shaping how we navigated the wild world of online business. But the real magic, the part that always struck me, was how he and his wife, Fathanah, were already thinking like entrepreneurs—even before “entrepreneur” was a buzzword.
Their journey began long before Tashkila was born. In school, while
most couples were busy flirting or worrying about exams, Adil and Fathanah spent their dates talking about business ideas. Eighty percent of their conversations, Fathanah told me, were about side hustles, selling things, and figuring out how to create something of their own. That, to me, was rare and beautiful. They weren’t just dreamers—they were doers.
When they graduated, both took on regular jobs. Like many of us, they didn’t dive straight into entrepreneurship. Instead, they started small
—running little businesses on the side, learning the ropes, making mistakes, and supporting each other. “We always gave 100%,” Fathanah said. “Not just to our jobs, but to our family, our commitments, and our side hustle. It was draining sometimes, but that’s life. You go through it together.”
Building a Business—And a Marriage
Now, here’s where the story gets interesting. Running a business with your spouse is no walk in the park. The line between “work” and “home” gets blurry. Arguments about the business can spill over into dinner conversations. Sometimes, it’s hard to know where husband and wife end, and business partners begin.
Fathanah was honest about it. “When you’re married and you’re working together, your emotions can get in the way. Sometimes, if I’m upset at work, it follows me home. As women, we have to learn to be emotionally intelligent—to remember why we’re doing this, and to keep faith at the center.”
She talked about the unique strengths women bring to a business— the power of kelembutan (gentleness), the ability to nurture, and the importance of being mentally and emotionally strong. There were days when she wanted to be tough, to outdo the men, but over time, she realized that her gentleness was her superpower. “Lelaki itu
provider, perempuan ada power in kelembutan. Sometimes, you don’t even have to tell your husband what to do—just ask softly, and he’ll do it.”
Of course, it wasn’t always rosy. Adil admitted that before marriage, they thought they had it all figured out. “Once we were married and fully working together, the real challenges started. But those struggles made us grow—not just as business owners, but as a couple.”
The Blessings and the Battles
One thing I admired was their honesty about the challenges. The blessings are real: spending more time together, raising their children while building a brand, having the flexibility that most working couples can only dream of. But the battles are just as real—stress, financial uncertainty, the constant juggling of family and business.
For them, the biggest lesson was about perspective. “Is it more a blessing or a challenge?” I asked. Fathanah smiled. “It’s both. Not everyone gets to go to the office with their spouse or take business trips together. That’s a blessing I don’t take for granted. But at the same time, it can be tough. You have to depend on each other—for your family and your business. There’s no backup.”
They didn’t come from wealthy backgrounds. There were no investors or safety nets. Everything they built was from scratch. And sometimes, that meant failing—like the time they tried launching a diaper business that didn’t work out. “Failure is the best teacher,” Adil said. “You learn more from what doesn’t work than from what does.”
Faith as the Foundation
If there’s one thing that holds their story together, it’s faith. Fathanah spoke about tawakal—trusting that God will provide, even when things look impossible. “Some months, we didn’t know if we’d have enough. But somehow, it always worked out. Allah will tolong. You just have to do your best and leave the rest to Him.”
That faith isn’t just spiritual; it’s practical. When cash flow was tight, when new team members joined out of the blue, when the challenges felt overwhelming, their iman (belief) was the anchor. “Sometimes, the help you need just arrives, unexpectedly. That’s rezeki.”
From Hijabs to the Tashkila Brand
Tashkila didn’t start out as a single, clear brand. At first, Fathanah was reselling other people’s products—makeup, supplements, hijabs. Over time, she realized that what she really wanted was to create something of her own. Tashkila was born out of that dream: a brand built on variety, quality, and a personal touch.
They didn’t just sell products; they learned everything about them. Sourcing their own fabrics, working with tailors, developing unique designs—everything was done under their own label. They watched what other brands were doing, studied the market, and figured out what was missing. Product innovation and development became their edge.
And through it all, their story remained at the heart of the brand. Every hijab, every campaign, every product reflected their journey as a couple, as parents, and as Muslims living their faith through their business.
Parenting, Burnout, and “Doing It All”
When their first child arrived, everything changed again. Suddenly, Fathanah wasn’t just a wife and business partner—she was a mother. The juggling act became even more intense. “Motherhood changed everything—my body, my mind, my routines. Running a business with a baby, during COVID, with all the worries and emotions—it wasn’t easy. Sometimes I cried. Sometimes I wondered if I could do it.”
But Adil was there, supporting her through the ups and downs. And together, they learned to adapt. “There’s never a perfect balance.
Some days, you just have to go with the flow. Not every problem needs a solution right away. Sometimes, just having faith that things will work out is enough.”
Fathanah even found time for part-time studies, working full-time, and building the business late into the night. “We’d finish everything by 3am and start again the next day. It was tough, but we got through it together.”
Lessons for Aspiring Couplepreneurs
If you’re thinking about starting a business with your spouse, Adil and Fathanah have a few words of advice:
Finding Identity and Meaning
When I asked them what they would do differently if they could rewind five years, Fathanah said she wished she’d started building her own brand sooner instead of just reselling for others. “It’s easy to make money reselling, but it’s not as fulfilling. Finding our own identity with Tashkila—building something that’s truly ours—that’s what made it all worthwhile.”
They talked about those moments of joy—the first time their bank account hit $50,000, then $100,000—and the temptations that come with it (“Of course, we dreamed of buying a Mercedes!”). But over time, they realized that real success wasn’t in flashy things. It was in being able to have a simple dinner as a family, in living with discipline, and in staying true to themselves.
Conclusion: More Than Just Business
The Tashkila journey isn’t just a business story. It’s about two people who chose to build something meaningful together—rooted in faith, shaped by challenges, and made beautiful by their love for each other and their family.
If you’re thinking about taking the leap—whether in business, in love, or in life—maybe their story will inspire you to go for it. Start small, lean on each other, have faith, and keep moving forward. The road may not always be smooth, but as Adil and Fathanah have shown, the journey itself is a blessing.
Listen to their full story on the latest episode of Live Life Podcast here, and let’s keep inspiring each other to live well, love deeply, and build lives full of meaning.
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