ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — There are a few women who juggle a full-time job, a family, and a side business. Asfiya Kahtoon is one of those women. Asfiya always had a passion for floral arrangements but didn't consider starting her own business until she began looking for something special as a gift for her friend.
"All I've seen is floral arrangements or vases, or hand-tied where you're just like, here you go here is a wrap, and I wanted to make something that could be a centerpiece by itself," said Kahtoon, owner of De Fleur Box.
She searched the area for someone to make what she had in mind but realized no one in the Heartland made quite what she was looking for. She decided to make it herself, and then she turned it into a side business.
"All I needed to do was try. If you have an idea, whether it's small or big, just go for it. At the end of the day, I would feel worse if I just sat back and a year from now I saw someone else doing the same thing and being successful," said Kahtoon.
De Fleur Box has been open since June, and one of the biggest struggles Kahtoon has faced is balancing her time.
"When I first started in June I figured, this is just going to be a side thing, it doesn't matter. Last month was crazy busy, and it kind of forced me to manage my time a little bit better and I feel like it's hard, I'm not going to lie. Balancing my full-time job, and also having this, it's challenging but it's not impossible."
Kahtoon does not have extended family in the Heartland. She figured starting a business and getting the word out would be difficult without family, but she feels lucky to have found a sisterhood of other strong and successful women.
"From not being from here, I never thought I would have had that community and I am so thankful to build those relationships because if it wasn't for those relationships I don't think I'd be here today. Meeting women that cheer you on is life-changing. It's one of those things that is really rare to find, and I never expected that in Omaha," said Kahtoon.
Kahtoon has plans to expand her business.
"The good thing about it is I'm going to try different things, and I'm going to try things that can be shipped and I'm going to be trying to work with local businesses," said Kahtoon.
