When I first set out on the entrepreneurial path, I had one goal: success. But after diving headfirst into the world of search funds and high-stakes startups, I found myself frustrated, drained, and questioning everything I’d come to believe about entrepreneurship. It wasn’t just that I wasn’t seeing the progress I’d envisioned—it was more personal. I felt like I was participating in a script that wasn’t written for me. My journey to create HalalFinanx wasn’t just about building a website; it was about reclaiming control, redefining success, and connecting to something meaningful.

The Glamorous Illusion of Entrepreneurship

Like many people, I was lured into entrepreneurship by the shiny allure of success stories and the promises of independence and financial freedom. Owning something, leading a team, and creating value sounded perfect. The search fund model was especially appealing, offering a structured path to find, acquire, and grow an existing business. It seemed like a straightforward formula with a lot of support.

But as I dove deeper, the reality didn’t line up with the narrative. It felt like the supposed “freedom” of entrepreneurship was simply a myth, shackled by complex financial structures, endless pitching cycles, and a business environment that seemed more concerned with pleasing investors than creating something meaningful. I was constantly running from one “critical task” to another, but with no tangible progress. The whole structure of the search fund, built on layers of assumptions, started to feel like a game—and not the kind I wanted to play.

The more I went, the more I felt like I was living someone else’s dream. I was chasing metrics that weren’t meaningful to me, jumping through hoops for outcomes that felt hollow. I started asking myself, “Is this what entrepreneurship is supposed to feel like?” I wanted out, but I didn’t know where to turn.

Finding a New Path – The Birth of HalalFinanx

The turning point came when I realized that if I wanted real change, I had to start creating things that resonated with me, not just my bank account or a pitch deck. As a Muslim, I’ve always been interested in Islamic finance, especially the ethical approach it brings to wealth. However understanding the field and accessing resources can be a challenge. I thought, why not create something to make Islamic finance easier to understand?

I’ll be honest—this wasn’t the kind of idea that was going to impress traditional investors or fit into the typical startup. But for the first time, I was excited about what I was working on. I saw a real gap, not in a theoretical market sense, but a gap in what people genuinely needed. HalalFinanx was my way of bringing Islamic finance to the digital age in a way that’s accessible, understandable, and useful.

There was one small issue: my skills lie in the backend and data. I’ve built and structured plenty of systems, but front-end work? Design? User experience? That was all new territory. Still, I knew that if I didn’t push myself here, I’d be back where I started—stuck in a rut, relying on others to bring my vision to life. This time, I was going to be in control.

Learning by Doing – Building HalalFinanx with Bolt.new

To get HalalFinanx off the ground, I turned to Bolt.new, a product that allowed me to work in a framework even with my limited front-end knowledge. Building this project was intense. I’d spend late nights combing through design guides, trying to make sure the site looked decent and functioned smoothly. It was exhausting, but the work felt real. This wasn’t just a project to show a board or potential investors—it was something I cared about personally, and every element I worked on felt like it added to that sense of fulfilment.

Sure, there were plenty of challenges. Frontend work, it turns out, isn’t just about knowing which elements go where—it’s an art form. I struggled with layout, design principles, and even simple user flows. There were days when I’d look at the site and think, “This isn’t working.” But rather than giving up or passing the task to someone else, I forced myself to learn.

It was a series of trial and error of building, testing, and iterating. What kept me going was the vision of what HalalFinanx could become, and each small win felt monumental. Making a button work, fixing a colour scheme, aligning content so it made sense—all of these were tiny victories in a larger war. The backend developer in me was learning to appreciate the nuances of frontend work, and it was humbling.

The Personal Impact of Creating HalalFinanx

This journey with HalalFinanx wasn’t just about building a site it was about redefining what success and fulfilment meant to me. In the search fund and traditional startup world, everything had been about numbers, KPIs, and keeping the right people happy. Here, with HalalFinanx, I was finally creating something with a purpose that resonated with me on a personal level.

Building a site to provide accessible Islamic finance information was meaningful, not because of the potential returns or scalability, but because it filled a need I felt deeply. Each piece of content, each design tweak, and each function was geared towards making something simple, clear, and beneficial to anyone seeking this kind of financial guidance. I wasn’t answering to anyone but myself and my users, and that was liberating in a way I hadn’t expected.

On a personal level, I found myself rediscovering why I wanted to create in the first place. I wanted to build something that mattered, and HalalFinanx became that for me. Instead of chasing empty metrics, I was now chasing real feedback from real users. Each suggestion and piece of feedback helped me refine the site, making it not just a project, but an evolving resource. For the first time, I was thinking long-term, not about exits or acquisition targets, but about sustainability and relevance.

Looking Forward – The Ongoing Journey of HalalFinanx

I don’t know where HalalFinanx will be in five years, but I know I’m in it for the long run. This isn’t a project that I’ll drop at the first sign of difficulty or when the next big thing comes along. It’s a genuine part of me now, a blend of my skills, my values, and my aspirations. I’m constantly looking for ways to improve it, from gathering user feedback to exploring new resources and insights to share.

This journey taught me that real entrepreneurship isn’t about the numbers on a spreadsheet or the approval of others. It’s about finding something that matters to you, something you’re willing to build from scratch, without shortcuts or compromises. HalalFinanx is still a work in progress, but it’s my work, and that’s what makes it worth every bit of effort.