Copyright birminghammail
Nima and Nasra were just two Brummie friends working regular jobs. As daughters of immigrants the importance of education and a solid 9-5 was drilled into their heads since birth. But deep down their minds were brimming with creativity, and they had one true passion, to make things beautiful. Read more: West Midlands crime chief's vow to drive worst motorists off roads and five new key initiatives The Covid-19 pandemic hit and the pair risked it all to start floral business Sèreality , specialising in luxury floral arrangements for weddings and events. Starting from one spare room with no money or contacts, the Black Muslim friends worked day and night whilst juggling back-breaking careers. Four years later Sèreality Studios has featured in Debenhams, ELLE Magazine and Gigi & Olive with the business partners expecting to hit six figures by end of 2026. So how did two friends start a botanical empire in an industry where no one looks like them? Nima Alale, 28, from Stechford said: "We were very creative in our houses and community, we believe you can see things beautifully with the right visual eye. "Both of our parents are immigrants so for us it was always 'education' but we needed a creative outlet. "On the spur of the moment I created an Instagram page and the brand started off as Nxcreations. "We chose floristry as it is artistic, you can add this or that to make it your own. "We had no funding and funded ourselves, it was hard. "We even considered loans or grants but didn't want to go down that path. "We started with bridal showers and birthday parties, then scaled up to weddings." Balancing a new business and full time jobs was not easy, as Nasra Hassan, 28, from Tyseley worked 12 hour shifts as an A&E nurse whilst Nima was a full-time Employment Specialist. The pair had no social lives and invested all their wages back into the business, whilst spending any free time calling, booking, emailing and transporting their premium florals around. Nima and Nasra found a wholesaler from Netherlands who provided freshly grown flowers, once received the entrepreneurs would condition the flowers, cut the leaves, burn the stems and store them in a spare room. But building a reputation came with barriers. Nima recalled a nightmare day saying: "The worst day was when we were shooting content and lighting was bad, it took hours, things fell from the table and we said 'let's call it a day'. "We thought is this meant for us? Is it this difficult? Our parents didn't understand our business, they were not unsupportive but they were brought up to follow the 9-5. "They felt this was a risk. We had to prove it to ourselves as many in this industry don't look like us." In fact, the friends often felt like the odd ones out as Black Muslims in the luxury floral industry. Nima added: "It's indirect. At times we felt uncomfortable and sometimes you wonder 'is it our looks or something else?' "We attended an open day with over 400 couples and after an hour people started coming to our booth. "Some people were shocked to see our work and sometimes asked 'is this really yours?'" In the end the sacrifices paid off as they re-branded as Sèreality Studios in 2024 and soon nabbed a finalist spot for Best Floristry Business at the Small Business Award 2025. Their bookings are now full of luxury weddings, top venues, workshops and even a previous pop-up stand outside Bullring. The power duo have partnered with major brands including Debenhams, ELLE Magazine, Six Stories, Gigi & Olive and wed2be. Nima was made redundant which she called 'God's will' and now works full-time on the business, while Nasra works part time for DWP . Nima claims their projected annual revenue for 2025 will exceed £35,000 and possibly six figures by 2026. She also revealed their dream celebrity booking would be Molly Mae's wedding. Nasra gave this advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: "Any advice I'd give to anyone thinking of starting a business is to start before you feel ready. "There's no perfect timing. Every step, even the uncertain ones, leads you closer to the vision you see for yourself. "Start now, refine as you go, and remember, consistency will take you where motivation can't!"
