Meet Aarif Khan | Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aarif Khan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aarif, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When it came to starting my own business, this was something that was completely out of left field for me. While growing up, my career aspiration was to become an accountant or work in the finance field. I was 11 years old telling people that I wanted to be an accountant. Looking back on that now, I feel like I was put into a box in terms of what I’d be able to accomplish. I chose accounting because it’s what everyone said I should do. I was good at math, I could make a lot of money during tax season, it was safe. Entrepreneurship was something that I never thought about, nor was it something that the people in my community took part in. When it came to careers that were introduced to me through my household and education, being an entrepreneur was not one of them. So, starting my own business was a very new experience to me and I was learning a lot of things for the first time. One of the biggest struggles I went through during this thought process was imposter syndrome. I did not think that this was something that I could pull off, even with a team by my side. I often found myself in doubt, wondering if I should quit. Despite my passion for self-care and the social impact organization we were looking to build, I still doubted myself. Looking forward to where I am now with my business, I had to learn my true value to get over this stage. Learning that, completely changed my thought process when starting my business.

Another way I look at this question is where did the idea for the business come from? With that, the inspiration for TAMKIN came on May 25th, 2020, that day that George Floyd was murdered. We saw what this did to our community, our fellow black men, and ourselves as black men as well. We started to do deep research and dig deep into black men’s mental health. We saw the suicide rates, the depression and anxiety plaguing our black men and a lack of awareness on this issue. Considering this, we started to dive into a solution, self-care. Looking to encourage our black men to self-care and have an outlet for products that fit their need is the center of our approach.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
TAMKIN is a self-care subscription box made for black men. We sell haircare, skincare, body care, and beard care products that best fit a black man’s self-care routine. Our mission is to educate and encourage our black men to self-care! The word TAMKIN means “Empowerment” in Arabic, and we chose this name because we knew that we want our customers to feel empowered every time they interact with our business.

I’m most proud of our “More than a Box” initiative that we launched in 2021 to have more of a community based approach to helping educate and encourage our black men to self-care. So far, we’ve been able to impact 512 schools through our Student Self-Care workshops, where we partner with local schools and organizations to host workshops based around self-care and mental health. Through this program we have also given 293 toys during two annual TAMKIN Toy Drive’s during the holiday season. Finally, we host a bi-weekly podcast on on Instagram live where we connect with members of the black community and get their perspective on self-care and how it impacts their lives.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
To show my best friends what I love about South Florida, I’d take them to the beach, any beach, during nighttime. The cool breeze in the wind and the sand in your feet while the moon and stars are out is simply just a different vibe I feel like you can’t get anywhere else. It’s very relaxing and the best time and place to catch up and have those “parked car” type conversations. I would also take them to Snappers Fish & Chicken the next day for lunch/dinner. This is the go to spot for good food and an environment that reminds me of my childhood. I’d love to share that experience with my best friend. Finally, another spot I’d like to take them is a day in Wynwood, Miami. The art on the walls, the constant foot traffic, and the local businesses always make me feel like I’m walking through a movie.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shoutout my Co-Founder, Christopher Hobbs for bring us together with two goals in mind, build something bigger than ourselves and have a positive impact on our community. Chris, your determination to become a better version of yourself everyday inspires me and drives the work that we do in our community. You have constantly put your trust into my crazy ideas and you hear me out every time, I’m proud to call you my business partner and friend!

Website: tamkinbox.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamkinbox/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarifkhan1/

Image Credits
Angel Parra