Leyla’s Lattes

Have you ever had to be in charge of a business? I started this new fun business called Leyla’s Lattes! I came up with this business because when I was nine years old, I realized that people often forget to turn in their zakat. Zakat is a religious deed that Muslims do every year. Zakat is where you donate forty dollars to the prayer center, or mosque. So when I was nine I wanted to participate in zakat. I had no way to earn that money so I came up with an idea called Leyla’s Lattes! I make lattes for my family when they come over.

I am most busy in the cold weather, and when Ramadan is starting. Ramadan is a time when Muslims fast, which means they can’t eat or drink from when the sun rises to when it sets. Ramadan lasts a whole month! So my family always wants a latte following their delicious meal after a whole day of fasting.

And I don’t just make lattes. I also make pastries like cake, brownies, and cupcakes. The hardest part with this new beginning was to change my lattes every season. I was still open in the summer but nobody wanted a hot drink. A hot drink in the sun? Probably not. They wanted a cool drink. So my mom and I brainstormed a few ideas. The best cold drink ended up being the ice-cold coconut latte! I sold that a little bit in the summer.

Another hard thing is to get people to come. When it’s not Ramadan my family works all day, and they just end up cooking a quick meal at their own houses. So I don’t sell too much in other seasons. But I always earn more than enough money for zakat! So far I’ve made about thirty dollars, and Ramadan just stared!