Laylah Ali Othman Is an interior decorator and CEO of L&N (Layla and Nahaar) Creations,she has a degree in English Language and also holds a diploma in Interior Design and Interior Decoration
She reaches out to the masses who need her the most through her reality television show ”Layla’s Way” which shows people how to live their lives a little more sensibly and she so much believes with a little amount of money,you can live comfortably.To her,putting smiles on people’s face is more than a great fulfilment……
She is certain that helping people is the call of a life-time. She has sacrificed her business for the good of others and she is bringing so much joy and sunshine into the lives of her recipients….
A lady that knows how to get things done. One of the most selfless people you will come across. Being a voracious reader and a consummate student when she was young, Laylah studied the philanthropic work of John D. Rockefeller, titan of the American industrial revolution. So she turned a philanthropist after becoming successful in the business of interior designs. She wants to help the less privileged and she is simply doing well by doing good. Since she understood that this world is such a selfish place, that all people want to do is to take and not give back, but people should not go through life with the catches they made in both hands, they also need to be able to throw back. That is how it all is and it is like nobody stops, only a few try to bring that type of change to humanity.
After realizing that for people to be on their own two feet especially young people and women they need help. She extended her munificence to the industrious poor of all persuasions reduced by age, infirmity, or accident; to those who labour under incurable maladies; and to the youth of either sex, who are capable of beginning the world with advantage, but have no means. Everyone deserves at least one chance in life; she believes that people must have a self help program to achieve self reliance. When there is hopelessness people revolt. She teaches young people how to survive through education because nothing empowers human race like knowledge, to be informed is to be transformed, education is the mortar that builds the temple of success. She also believes that no one should be starving in the streets. We have one life; it will soon be past, what we do for God is all that will last.
I wanted to celebrate her on women’s day but I decided not to because her achievements could not be celebrated in a single day.
She wanted to be happy and successful so she chose to live life not by other people’s rules or what other people expected her to be. Because she realized none of that matter, none of that makes her who she is or defines her. Neither of that can pay her bills nor buys her the Chevy-Camaro she drives, and all the other stuffs that people say when nothing really matters. She knows that spiritually she is prayed for, physically she’s being pleased, emotionally she’s being protected and financially she’s being supported even if she doesn’t need it. It didn’t matter what people thought about her. Her focus was never on small talk, she had better things to do with her life, like become a better woman. She didn’t care what people said behind her back because most of them never had the guts to say it to her face anyway. She didn’t care if people believed in her or if they were going to pack up and leave. What she offers is more than good enough and anyone who wanted to walk away from that, well that was on them. She came into her own and chose to stray away from the conventional.
Ms. Laylah, like many others, went to an excellent public university in Maiduguri, Borno. She worked hard to think about what her passions were and how she could transform them into skills. She took a chance, moved cities, trained, took on internships as well as paid work to meet bills. But she did not allow her paid work to meet bills became her main work. She quit and pursued her dreams even when it seemed like there were no ladders out, and failed and felt stuck so many times. This did not hold her down though; in fact it was what really pushed her to even work harder. But she proved that there is nothing in life that can keep her down. If you always remain strong you will rise to the top.
Laylah did not grow up and met an empire built by her family that she had to continue to do the good job of carrying on the empire, she had to start one by herself and build it from ground up. And that is a hell of a job for a young woman in our society. That is a hell of a job for any youngster, male or female to have to build an Empire for yourself. While creating her empire, she remained focused on out doing herself. She did not compete nor hate, there was no need for that energy. Instead she paved the way creating a way for others. She creates. She is a Boss. She raises the bar and sets the standards.
She worked hard long hours, tired nights, early mornings, had big dreams, she kept grinding till her hustle finally paid off. She is tough and ambitious and knew exactly what she wanted, and did not care if it that made her a mean girl.
She believed that by following her heart it would lead her down this path, the path she treads now, a role model and an entrepreneur. She did not allow anyone limit, define or confine her to her past, instead she chose to stand with poise, confidence and power in the present. She chose to recreate herself daily. She chose growth, happiness and also chose to kick ass. She’s a badass! LOL. She inspires those around her to do the same.
Laylah Ali refuses to fit in or conform to the society’s standard of what she should be, she decided to create her own world, because she knows that society prevents people from coming out of their shells. They only encourage you to question yourself, to doubt yourself; they set standards to be met, rules to be followed and mold people to become something they are not. She encourages young women to learn and know better and value their mental freedom, to make moves to create a life worth living. Her intention is to spark the minds of young men and women to live as independent and extraordinary achievers.
She is classy and sassy but she means business always. She is strategic, always thinking ahead and she does that on purpose because beneath those beautiful smiles rages a black storm. She is a colorful masterpiece created with beautiful form. She is deep, far from superficial, she is also a mysterious woman, yet it’s her great power; her power is her belief in herself. Laylah is a go getter, who takes what she wants. With or without anyone’s permission, you tell her ‘NO’ and all she hears is ‘YES’.
She is so intricate, I have been lost so many times trying to understand why she does what she does at different times; she calls it “The Laylah’s Way”. There is something different about her; the way she does her thing was nowhere near like the rest. Speaks her own language; not through her words or speeches only but also through her heart, mind. She is able to communicate without opening her mouth; she says it with her walk, with her smile, with her entire being. She became the unconventional amongst the conventional.
She is supernatural, a living proof to the term “super-woman”, because of the hardships life had on her; but she refused to allow those hardships to dictate her and who she has become. She had little or no support from the big guns when she started in the interior designs industry but now has a team she can call her own the “Laylah’s Squad”. Yes, she has overcome the devastation life can throw at people but it eventually led to her growth, even though for some people it doesn’t often, now she lives an extraordinary life. She remained optimistic and it was enduring optimism that has earned her the place she is now. She has been deeply blessed by the opportunities she had and the radically unconventional life she has built for herself. You have to respect her because she has positioned herself where anything someone does for her is just extra, a woman with drive can never be put on a dark.
Laylah teaches us that there is always something we can do. It is always within us to make life better. She also taught us that in this new age, a woman who uses her mind will always outlast a woman who uses her body, because it wouldn’t be a blessing if you have to sin to get it.
In her mind; she is so independent and extraordinary, untamed and unchained. She’s born wild and free. Free to roam, free to create, answers only to her. She might be young and charming but she has outgrown many things. She has outgrown relatives who gladly offer criticism but not support, she has outgrown the need to meet family’s unrealistic expectations of her. She has outgrown girl friends that wear masks and secretly rejoice at her misfortunes. She has outgrown shrinking herself for men who feel intimidated by her intelligence and outspoken nature. She has outgrown friends who cannot celebrate her accomplishments. She has outgrown people who conveniently disappear whenever life gets a little dark. She has outgrown those who take pleasure in gossiping and spreading negativity. She has outgrown dull, meaningless conversations that feel forced. She has outgrown those who do not take a stand against ignorance and injustice. She has outgrown trying to please everyone. She has outgrown society trying to constantly tell her she is not beautiful, smart or worthy enough. She has outgrown the tendency to fill her mind with self doubt and insecurity. She has outgrown trying to find reasons not to love herself. She has outgrown anything and anyone that does not enrich the essence of her soul. She has outgrown many things and that is why she is a free soul.
An adventuress at heart, she also possesses qualities of leadership, personality and intellect with which few women have been endowed. She is a humanitarian, clairvoyant and is so versatile a poetess sometimes.
She was told time and time again that her dream was impossible but she chose not to listen.
She was literally flat broke at a point in time but she worked tirelessly and became what she is now. You may think she is cocky but her job entails being creative, acquiring technical knowledge and business skills.
She does her things unapologetically and is not discouraged by criticisms because she already knows what people are going to say. She takes chances and has fun in whatever she does. I love the way she survived. Survival looked good on her. There were no dark marks under her eyes. Maybe deep inside, but I liked the way she looked through them and laughed at life. She did it gracefully. She’d walked over glass and through fire, but still smiled. And, honestly, I’m not interested in people who haven’t lived and died a few times. Who haven’t yet had their heart ripped out, or know what it feels like to lose everything. I trust those people, because they stand for something. I knew what she had been through. I wanted to thank her for surviving. And for her to know she now had someone willing to stand with her too. But loss has in and of itself made her a better person. In fact, in some ways it has hardened her heart and soul. She rarely sat back when things happened to her. She went out and happened to things because that’s what people of accomplishment do. While loss has made her acutely aware and empathetic of the pains of others, it has also made her more inclined to hide.
People are always getting on her neck and pestering her that she should get married but Laylah doesn’t have a lot of attachments, she is not the type that settles for anybody just to have somebody. In fact, she has a different boy problem. She is urgently looking for a suitable boy to manage and replace one of her top employees that recently resigned. She barely or doesn’t at all talk to men or women when she is at work site, workshop or her office getting business done. She is very particular about positions and her favorite was the MD&CE and she worked hard till she became one. She is the sole founder of Superb L&N Interiors and Designs. She is responsible for the company’s vision, development, policy making and strategic planning of the business and she spearheads its expansion and growth.
She never stops talking when it comes to social justice and equality debates. She advocates that women should know their role in reforming the society is as important as men. She talks a lot about that, it is the reason why she finds it difficult to calm down because she is too popular and celebrates that always, but only settles down when she is making her business plans and attending meetings with clients. She looks beautiful in jeans or skirt, a suit or Kaftan or Agbada or anything else she wears with Skechers. She needs to be comfortable while smashing that patriarchy.
She is a spoilt modern woman who not only likes going to the kitchen to cook but also the part of the house where, when there is electrical cabling and repair to be done she fixes them. She’s a fixer!
Often times she gets criticized for not having enough of the camera; well she is photogenic, but she also spends more time working, behind it, than facing it, to better meet the needs of her client base of high net worth individuals and private equity and public institutions.
Presently, she is taking a lead in line seemingly in a feminist project with a plot twist to completely smash the existing gender stereotype with different women who are victims or perceived as such by society – irrespective of body type, size, appearance, physical ability, and gender assigned at birth are all welcome to join this movement to reclaim gender and break the stereotype and resist oppression and redefine gender and women to rise. She wants to spark the minds of young people to think in a positive and progressive way so that they can change the world because if she leads them by example, she’ll encourage them to find their passions too. Passionate people are happy people. The future needs passionate, happy and confident young leaders, willing to challenge the status quo and stand up for their convictions. Even though she is not into mainstream politics, unless there is context, she doesn’t discuss politics without factoring in historic and socio-economic realities.
Laylah has also received numerous awards from different local and international universities for philanthropic work in the areas of health and education.
That is just it though. She is a riddle. Very few comprehended her, and everyone else wished they had a chance. I had the pleasure of understanding the riddle she was and she wasn’t a riddle you wanted to understand. Just like her and love her unconditionally, and leave her alone.
Credit: laylaliothman.blogspot.com