Grow With: Stickit Treats
My name is Mohammed Aliyu.
I was born and raised in Nigeria for 8 years before moving to the UK, to a small village called Soham, near Newmarket. My family lived there for 3 years, which was a complete culture shock. Going from Nigeria, where I had a lot of close friends and family, to knowing no one. I think that’s when I became even more introverted than I naturally am.
We moved to Cambridge soon after and life got a little better, however I only grew into myself once I started sixth form, where I was part of the basketball team and had a great friendship group. I grew my love for basketball and business. Basketball got me into Leeds Beckett University where I studied Sports and Business Management.
Once I graduated I went back to Nigeria for a year and the experience humbled me. I saw real poverty at a time where I had full consciousness to understand the world around me and the privileges I had in this life.
I returned to Cambridge and found myself in a situation where I had to choose between my ambition and my beliefs. This helped me to start my business, Stickit Treats.
What are three words that describe how you’re feeling right now?
Calm. Patient. Hopeful.
What is your latest project about?
Stickit Treats started with the idea of creating fun-size snacks for kids with collectable stickers. There are 26 different animal mascots to collect. Each mascot comes with a chocolate bar and sticker that kids can peel and put in their very own collectable sticker book. Stickit Treats makes education exciting, with sweet rewards to match.
What is your greatest source of inspiration?
My trust in Allah. As a Muslim, my life is simple. I put my effort into trying and working on my goals in life and having the patience and trust in Allah that things will work out. If things do not go to my plans, I have faith that Allah has a plan, and things work out for me in the end.
What is your creative process?
When I have a problem or opportunity to get creative I usually take notes on my phone and take a walk, or exercise, to keep me physically active, then my mind starts the process of idea generation. By trying out those ideas, new opportunities open up and I repeat the process. Under special circumstances I have late night brainstorming sessions. This is a good time because everyone in the house is asleep.
How can our community engage / get involved in your project?
Please follow me on Instagram and other social media platforms. Buy our chocolates as a gift for you or your family and connect with me anytime.
What do you hope the world receives from your work?
Joy and fun through our products. As a kid, the treats I remembered were the ones that came with something special, such as a fake tattoo or stickers. I think I have created a product that fits into that category and hope kids enjoy it.
What are you:
Listening to? A podcast called, ‘Binge Mode’
Reading? Articles about packaging
Watching? The TV Series, ‘The Mentalist’
