Exploring Life & Business with Umar Hakim-dey of Inkerij Foundation

Today we’d like to introduce you to Umar Hakim-dey

Hi Umar, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in 1970 and raised in Compton, California by a single Guyanese mother. I can honestly say that I inherited her work ethic. She went from being a volunteer nurse to retiring as a nurse manager for the County of Los Angeles.

Fast forward to 2002. After resigning from the telecommunications industry, I decided to pursue my own path and directed my efforts as an entrepreneur. Simultaneously, my initial training with relationship building began at the grassroots level in Los Angeles. I volunteered for a small nonprofit organization as an office administrator, and by 2012 I had become their executive director. In this position, I began organizing Muslim and interfaith communities for community service. I also applied and was accepted into several local and international leadership fellowships, which helped to develop my vision, facilitation skills, and broaden my personal network.

The community service experience was very beneficial, but it was my master’s program at Claremont Lincoln University that launched me into becoming an entrepreneur with a social mission. In 2016, I began branding Inkerij* (pronounced “encourage”) as a hashtag, then as a startup effort selling “Products that Leaders Wear and Use”. Now in 2024, Inkerij is a 501(c)(3) Social Enterprise based in Compton.

*INKERIJ ® helps to build capacity for purpose-driven organizations and individuals through program development, audience insights, and 1-to-1 professional coaching.

After resigning from the grassroots organization in November 2022, I began to scale and strategically chart out a vision as an advisor to regional, statewide, and national organizations. I have been able to transfer my skills of civic engagement, business, and building sustainable relationships to create a social entrepreneurial effort that benefits leaders of organizations and businesses alike.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Since 1970, yes, this path has presented real challenges that pushed me to think my way over obstacles into a better mental space. Compton is a lived experience of gaining wisdom via a constant effort to offer good works, especially for those who have survived its streets. Having an adaptive mindset in taking on challenges not only fine tuned my sense of self, but also shaped my critical thinking.

From 2015-2019, I had to reallocate my time, primarily because my mother entered into early-stage dementia. Without my family as a support system, I would not have been able to still participate in a remote yet effective manner. This was a rough period, but with the support of my family and the cooperative trust of community partners, I learned how to find and hold patience on the sidelines. My mother, Mary M. Reynolds, returned to our Creator in September 2019. I returned to work three days after the funeral and have been pushing forward ever since.

I am totally grateful for the gradual progress achieved and thankful for The Creator’s mercy through and since that time.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Inkerij is a 501(c)(3) Social Enterprise, an advisory that helps to build capacity for purpose-driven organizations and individuals through program development, audience insights, and 1-to-1 professional coaching.

Inkerij began as a social entrepreneurial idea for a fellowship, where I was accepted into Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. In my master’s program, my final project (2015) was an essay titled “Blueprint for Civic Engagement.” In this paper, I presented the model of approaching civic engagement through three primary aspects: community service, business, and entrepreneurship. Prior to 2021, I led Humanitarian Day, Los Angeles’ biggest charitable event in the Holy month of Ramadan. I also helped to design a re-entry fellowship for Islah LA with leaders from Homeboy Industries, and generated essential employment for the Skid Row Brigade during the pandemic. In 2021, this design became the Inkerij Foundation, where we help individuals and organizations via programming, audience insight, and professional coaching that creates a space for executives who need a space of confidential coaching.

We also offers products that leaders wear and use, which creates another income stream to support its social mission.

As an Inkerij consultant, I help organizations and individuals build and/or sustain their capacity through customized programming and community organizing. Inkerij has also been called upon to resolve conflict, design and facilitate work retreats, and is a member of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ interfaith leadership table. I utilize my California network for community organizing in Muslim communities, help non-Muslims to better understand Muslims, and problem solve through empathy based on an adaptive approach.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My most fondest childhood memory was sitting on my front porch on Magnolia Street, staring into the firmaments and letting my imagination roam. I did this on a daily basis and still do it now, as an adult.

Pricing:

• inkerij.net/shop

Contact Info:

• Website: https://inkerij.net
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/inkerij1970
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nkerij/
• Twitter: http://x.com/whoopwoop

Image Credits
Photos Credits: Umar Hakim Dey and Deshe Greene