#24: "If You Can't Answer This Question, I'm Not Buying"

Led 3,000 Muslims at Google. Made It to the C-Suite. Quit Anyway | Othman Altalib | Ep. 28

Assalamu alaykum fam! This episode is a special one. Brother Othman Altalib went from the classic DMV immigrant path to leading 3,000+ Muslims at Google to walking away from corporate with no backup plan in Ramadan 2024. He gets real about what it looks like to climb the ladder while losing your purpose, why being at the C-suite table during the Masjid Al-Aqsa crisis still wasn't enough, and the one question that changed everything — what will you say to Allah about how you spent your life? Plus why he believes sales is the #1 skill every Muslim should develop. This one hits different. Don't skip it. 0:00 — Cold open: why every Muslim needs to learn sales 0:46 — Who is Brother Othman? Futhallah's origin story with RYSE Coaching 2:27 — Growing up in the immigrant blueprint: DMV government contracting life 3:58 — IBM to Appian to Google: what happens when you leave your comfort zone 7:22 — The autopilot trap: chasing titles until you lose yourself 12:44 — The moment the Muslim ERG became the best part of the job15:26 — Integrating faith and work at Google: allyship training and Sheikh Omar Suleiman on campus 22:33 — How to actually live in alignment as a Muslim professional 27:00 — Why money stops being the goal after a certain point 29:00 — The question that changed everything: what will you say to Allah about how you spent your life? 30:33 — The layers of self-awareness that led him out of corporate 34:14 — Being at the C-suite table during the Masjid Al-Aqsa crisis and realizing the table wasn't enough 37:15 — He resigned with no backup plan in Ramadan 2024 42:35 — How RYSE Coaching was born from rock bottom 44:05 — Building Miraj Collective with Sheikh Mikaeel Smith and Brother Ashiq Haq 49:22 — Why sales is the number one skill every Muslim should develop 53:28 — The dopamine trap in sales culture and how it keeps you stuck 55:33 — Finding silence: men's retreats and asking yourself the harder questions 1:00:09 — Advice for Muslims in tech sales right now 1:01:41 — Plug: Miraj Collective 8-week cohort starting June — link in the description 1:01:48 — Closing and wrap-up Follow Deen & Deals:Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0TmLGVfHqu3uG8TZyNtPcT Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deen-deals/id1847344968 Where to find Mohammed: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedkiswani/ Where to find Futhallah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/futhallah-hamed/ Where to find Othman Altalib: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/othman-altalib/ Miraj Collective: https://www.mirajcollective.com Integrated Program: https://integrated.mirajcollective.com Suhba Program: https://suhba.mirajcollective.com Founders Circle: https://founders.mirajcollective.com

From Furniture Sales to ServiceNow: The Full Story | Futhallah Hamed | Ep. 27

Assalamu alaykum ya'll — this one's special. Mohammed finally flips the script and puts his co-host Futhallah Hamed in the hot seat. Futhallah breaks down his full origin story: selling Power Balance wristbands at 12, dreading his Deloitte job on day one, and how a WhatsApp message from a friend changed the whole trajectory. The real gem here is how Futhallah connects his deen to his drive and why he believes abundance starts with relying on Allah, not your pipeline. MashAllah this conversation goes deep. Press play. 00:48 — Welcome to the show — Mohammed puts his co-host in the hot seat 01:58 — Who is Futhallah? The 60-second snapshot 03:14 — "Work and play became the same thing" — how he spends his weekends 05:17 — The Ummah deserves better — the mindset that's driven him since day one 07:14 — Selling Power Balance wristbands at 12 years old (the birth of a salesperson) 10:10 — Shoe conferences, phone cases, and the burnout nobody talks about 15:06 — A random Muslim sister at a career fair accidentally launched his IT career 19:51 — Day one at Deloitte: "I hated it. Take your signing bonus back." 21:45 — The Salesforce hiring manager who told him "you should be in sales" — and changed his life 24:59 — "It was sitting right under my feet the whole time" 26:03 — Will he be in sales his whole life? His answer (and the Mark Cuban story) 27:07 — Does he ever see himself beyond sales? Real talk. 28:06 — How did Islam shape his entire career path? Mohammed asks the real question 29:53 — His grandfather — an imam of Mecca — and the amanah he carries because of him 32:46 — "If my salah is ever at risk at a job, take your money back."36:53 — The WhatsApp message that led to a spiritual reawakening that changed everything 40:45 — Why do we go to everyone EXCEPT Allah first? The mindset shift 46:29 — "Don't go to a king and ask for pennies" — the abundance mindset + gratitude practice 51:13 — New baby, new energy, and the community we're building for Muslim tech professionals 53:50 — Closing thoughts and what's coming next for Deen & Deals Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0TmLGVfHqu3uG8TZyNtPcT Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deen-deals/id1847344968 Where to find Mohammed: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedkiswani/ Where to find Futhallah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/futhallah-hamed/

Harvard. College Football. 12 Years in SaaS. And He Almost Lost It All | Zak Aossey | Ep. 26

Assalamu alaykum fam — yo, this episode is a different one. We sat down with Zak, Harvard econ grad, former college football player, 12 years in SaaS, and one of the most grounded Muslim sales leaders we've ever had on the show. He went from a lime green Aston Martin and a penthouse to looking in the mirror and not recognizing himself and that moment changed everything. We talked rizq, Ramadan quota runs, what his great-great-grandfather building the Mother Mosque in Cedar Rapids has to do with his DNA in sales, and why less is literally more. MashAllah this one hits different. Press play. Show Notes 00:00 — Welcome + who is Zak? 00:58 — His family pedaled goods across the Midwest in the 1800s and it's in his DNA 03:00 — How he accidentally fell into sales (and why his boss told him to stop project managing immediately) 06:00 — The Huddle days: selling to the NBA, NCAA, and traveling every state in the country 08:45 — From Whoop B2B to Smartsheet Enterprise and what he learned at each stop 14:00 — Why timing, territory, leader, and team matter more than the company name on your resume 17:00 — How becoming a father shifted everything and why tawakkul became more real than ever 19:00 — His Islamic journey: strong foundation, college tested it, dunya almost took him out 22:00 — The moment he looked in the mirror and didn't recognize himself 23:30 — Why he wrote "The Man You're Meant To Be" and started investing in Muslim founders 27:00 — Navigating alcohol culture in sales and how he handles it without hiding who he is 30:00 — Salah, Ramadan, and being upfront with leadership about what's non-negotiable 32:00 — His actual approach to hitting quota: faith first, then ruthless prioritization 35:00 — Peak performance day: morning walks with his son, the gym, sauna, and strategic selling 38:00 — Why taking care of your body is a deen obligation and not just a sales hack 41:00 — The three pieces of advice he'd give every Muslim in sales right now 43:00 — What his book will give you: mind, body, soul, and dunya + akhira success Get Zak's Book Zak wrote a book called "The Man You're Meant To Be" and we bought it the same day we recorded this episode. 100% worth it. If you want the framework to show up as the best husband, father, sales professional, and Muslim you can be, this is it. Mind, body, and soul. Grab it here: 📖 The Man You're Meant To Be: https://a.co/d/05AFmdgs [https://a.co/d/05AFmdgs] Follow Deen & Deals: Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0TmLGVfHqu3uG8TZyNtPcT [https://open.spotify.com/show/0TmLGVfHqu3uG8TZyNtPcT] Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deen-deals/id1847344968 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deen-deals/id1847344968] Where to find Mohammed: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedkiswani/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedkiswani/] Where to find Futhallah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/futhallah-hamed/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/futhallah-hamed/] Where to find Zak: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakareya-aossey-18844440/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakareya-aossey-18844440/]

From Barbershop to $100K+ Tech Sales | Mohammed Kiswani | Ep. 25

Assalamu alaykum! This one is special. Episode 25 is Mohammed's origin story, and Futhallah is pulling it ALL out. We're talking about a Palestinian immigrant dad who slept on the NYC subway to save money, built a 35-year barbershop empire in Seattle, and raised Mohammed in that shop shaking hands with CEOs before he could even cut hair. Mohammed took over the business at 19 after his dad went into a coma, went from zero to mastering the craft, then made one of the boldest pivots you'll hear about — from barber to top-10 SDR at DocuSign. This is faith, grit, family, and rizq all wrapped into one episode. Press play.Show Notes00:00 — Wait, who's the guest today?01:03 — The Spider-Man origin story Mohammed never tells01:22 — Growing up in the shop — this is where it all started02:31 — Dad slept on the subway in NYC and stashed cash in his shoes03:58 — How the Bellevue Barbershop became a 35-year institution05:45 — From 30 employees to 3 chairs — the pivot that changed everything06:39 — "The Professional Man's Barber" — Mohammed's dad understood branding before branding was a thing10:01 — Cutting hair for software engineers from Microsoft and Amazon11:20 — What happens when the haircut goes wrong and the pressure's on12:12 — Dad goes into a coma — Mohammed steps up at 19 years old13:24 — Diamonds are made under pressure — this is the proof14:58 — Getting so locked in he'd mime cutting stranger's hair in public16:14 — The business reality that made Mohammed look for the exit17:23 — College AND barbershop at the same time — how he pulled it off18:30 — Watching 60-year-old barbers with bad backs and realizing he had to go22:20 — The client who said "you should try sales" and changed his life23:38 — The DocuSign interview rush — missed the bus, ran home, paid $50 to park24:51 — Second fastest SDR promoted at DocuSign. 10 months. Let's go25:26 — You never lose — you either learn or you're blessed for being patient29:00 — The flip — Futhallah's origin story is next

#24: "If You Can't Answer This Question, I'm Not Buying"

Assalamu alaykum fam! Futhallah just became a dad — MashAllah — and we're kicking off this episode celebrating that before diving straight into the real talk. This week we're breaking down why Futhallah is literally the hardest person to sell to, and what that means for YOU as a seller. We get into how buyers actually make decisions, why ROI clarity is everything, and what separates a seller who closes from one who just talks. SubhanAllah, this one's packed. Show Notes 00:00 — Futhallah just became a dad and we had to celebrate first 00:02 — Why Mohammed called Futhallah the hardest person to sell to 00:03 — The 3 reasons humans buy anything (and why most sellers miss it) 00:04 — The barber story: why Futhallah drives 2 hours for a $45 haircut 00:06 — Understanding your buyer's decision process before you pitch 00:07 — Coaching, courses, and the 10-15K lesson on ROI 00:11 — Why Umrah is a no-brainer purchase but a sales course isn't 00:13 — How cold emails fail the "so what?" test every single time 00:14 — What a seller MUST do to get Futhallah to say yes 00:15 — Selling with conviction: can you guarantee your result? 00:17 — The Prophet ﷺ as the greatest example of trust-based selling 00:18 — Why Claude at $20/month is the competitor every coach needs to beat 00:20 — The human element AI still can't replace in complex sales 00:21 — Alex Kremer's question every seller should ask before every call 00:22 — Shoutout to Salman and how a LinkedIn post changed Futhallah's career 00:24 — Gap selling, the future AE, and why you're now driving with your customer 00:25 — 3-step framework to close someone who's hard to sell to Follow Deen & Deals: Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0TmLGVfHqu3uG8TZyNtPcT [https://open.spotify.com/show/0TmLGVfHqu3uG8TZyNtPcT] Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deen-deals/id1847344968 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deen-deals/id1847344968] Where to find Mohammed: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedkiswani/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammedkiswani/] Where to find Futhallah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/futhallah-hamed/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/futhallah-hamed/] #DeenAndDeals #MuslimPodcast #SalesTips #HowToSell #MuslimEntrepreneur #SalesStrategy #BuyerPsychology #ROI #SalesCoaching #ClosingDeals #TechSales #IslamicBusiness #SellWithIntegrity #GapSelling #MuslimProfessionals #FaithAndBusiness #SalesSkills #EnterpriseSales #AccountExecutive #ValueSelling