We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shina Hasan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shina below.

Shina, appreciate you joining us today. Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

Absolutely! It’s vital to me and my business. When I step away for a short vacation, it gives me the opportunity to recharge and enjoy the fruits of my labor. I work hard, so when I get the opportunity to take a little break, I do. The change of scenery gets my creative juices going and when I return I’m refreshed and ready to work even harder.
The best advice I can give a fellow entrepreneur who feels like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation is, yes you can! Finding a work-life balance is the best decision you can make for yourself as an entrepreneur.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always had a love for stuffed animals and wanted to start a business of some sort incorporating plushies. I wasn’t sure how or where to start yet alone a name for the business, until I received clarity, while on a 21 day fast that I participated in every January. You see, when you are fasting, you can see things more clearly that you typically would not pay attention to otherwise. I began to notice praying hands emoji’s were present throughout social media, text messages, and inbox messages. When someone passes away, what do you see?…. Praying hands. Starting a new business….. Praying hands. Having a baby…. Praying hands. So this got me to thinking… Are people actually praying for others, or are they just talking about something that they are going to do and never do it? This became my inspiration for “send a PRAYER”. What if we could put action behind our words and send a visual reminder that “Yes” we are praying for a friend, a loved one, co-worker and include a personalized note. I combined the two and created something memorable for children and adults. The perfect gift that sends love and prayer in a box. After all, we all could use some PRAYER!!

The problem I’m solving for my clients is simple, we can’t be everywhere at once. Sending a tangible, visual reminder in the form of a stuffed animal is letting someone know you are thinking and praying for them. It really uplifts the receiver’s spirits. In a world when you don’t always know what to say, sending a PRAYER goes a long way! We often find it challenging to express our care and support to friends and loved ones during special moments or difficult times. send a PRAYER offers a convenient way to send an adorable, stuffed animal care package that convey heartfelt sentiments with a personalized message.

What sets send a PRAYER apart from others and what I’m most proud of is that we are getting people to pray for others more than themselves! In a climate where so many people only care about themselves, we’re rewriting the narrative. When someone receives our bright yellow box with “Praying For You”, printed on the outside of it, they immediately know someone is praying for them. What a thoughtful way to show you care. Each package comes with a personalized note to the recipient along with a prayer from us.

I want potential clients/followers/fans to know that send a PRAYER is not just sending stuffed animals, we’re sending a tangible reminder that someone is praying for you in this very moment! Prayers are powerful and we’re creating a unique and meaningful way to send them with love for various occasions and celebrations. By using our services, prayers can be sent all over the world. We pride ourselves in delivering every plushie with the spirit of excellence, where every box is a bundle of love and prayers waiting to be unwrapped. Our motto is, when you can’t be present… send a PRAYER! Explore our online store to see for yourself and help us, help you make someone’s day brighter with send a PRAYER.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for send a PRAYER is word of mouth and our packaging. More people are likely to believe in a brand based on a recommendation from family and friends. It’s the best free advertisement. Our packaging literally speaks for itself. It’s a conversation starter that gets potential clients to visit our website immediately by scanning the QR code on our boxes.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell on my own e-commerce site! I chose not to sell on other platforms such as Amazon, Etsy, etc.. because selling on my site allows me to have complete control over the branding and customer experience. When using a third-party platform you don’t always have access to customer information such as phone number or email. I prefer the ability to connect with my clients by phone or email if I need to. It’s just a lot more personal in my opinion. Another reason that I chose not to sell on platforms like Amazon or Etsy is because often listing fees are associated with these platforms, along with transaction fees, and commission percentages. By selling on my own website, I can avoid these fees and purchase more inventory or other things the business may need.

The only benefit I can think of for selling on third-party platforms like Amazon or Etsy are they provide more traffic to your site. If I continue to invest in digital marketing and SEO, using the best practices, traffic will come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sendaprayernow.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sendaprayernow/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sendaprayernow
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sendaprayernow