When the Greater Detroit chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners gathered in March for the first time in three years to celebrate its Top 10 Business Women Awards, it was a special event for the honorees — and for Mariyah Saifuddin, incoming president of the Greater Detroit chapter.
Carol Cain, media personality in Metro Detroit, emceed the event but also featured a number of women, including Saifuddin in a Detroit Free Press column that featured her mother and her role in Saifuddin’s success as a women business owner.
“My mom, Jumana Rasheed, personifies grit, perseverance, and possibility,” said Mariyah Saifuddin.
“She immigrated to this country, newly married, pregnant, and without a support system in the 1970s. She managed to get a college degree while raising a family, and start a business.”
When Mariyah Saifuddin got her first real job offer, she hesitated to leave the family business, but her mother told her to take the job. She did, and never regretted it or forgot her mother’s words.
“To this day, she is my biggest supporter and reminds me that anything is possible if you have faith, work hard, and keep moving,” said Saifuddin.
For Cain’s full article, which features several women and their moms, read it here in the Detroit Free Press.
The event also celebrated the 10 women selected as honorees for their work as business owners. Those winners were:
- Charmaine Brown of Simply Living Me, Words of Wisdom Award
- Princess Castleberry of Go Beyond Well, Emerging Business Award
- Sanaa Coit of Serenity By Sanaa, NAWBO/EXCEL Young Entrepreneur Award
- Delphine Allen Drake of Delphine Jamaican Restaurant, Warrior Award
- Charlon Sue Hibbard of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Pinnacle Award
- Tanya Hill of ForeverFresh, Diversity Champion Business Owner Award
- Laura Horwath of Ferne Boutique, Next-Gen Entrepreneur Award
- Molly O’Meara of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, Diversity Champion Corporate Award
- Tenicia Moulden of Moulden Law, Innovation Award
- Andrea Stinson Oliver of Stinson Photography, Giving Spirit Award
Additionally, the Greater Good award was presented to Michelle Richards, Executive Director, Great Lakes Women’s Business Council.
About NAWBO
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): A national resource for women-owned businesses.
NAWBO Detroit Chapter: The local chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.
