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Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu Quotes
born 1980 Ethiopia
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu (born 1980) is an Ethiopian businesswoman, founder and executive director of soleRebels, Africa's "fastest growing footwear company". Alemu has received honors and accolades for her business acumen, as well as her efforts to shift the discourse on Africa away from poverty to the continent's entrepreneurial spirit, social capital, and economic potential.
Also known as: Bethlehem Alemu
Random Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu quote
22 quotes
If we want to have truly equitable societies, then we need to embrace equity on all levels. And that means women’s economic empowerment and the key to that is women entrepreneurs.
“Love what you do, because without a genuine love and passion, you won’t be successful.”
"Prosperity creation is the sole route to the elimination of poverty. And to create sustained prosperity, you have to create something truly world class."
I wanted to show that it is possible to be a local person, in Ethiopia and in Africa, and to be globally successful.
It is possible to deploy local resources while creating a market-leading global brand, and to do it all from scratch.
“If you have a crazy idea, go for it! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”
“I think conventional wisdom is, by definition, the antithesis of entrepreneurialism, so I am probably on the other side of a lot of it.”
My driving passions as an entrepreneur are always about sharing Ethiopian cultures with the world and finding exciting ways to keep these cultures vibrant and fully relevant.
Don't just make things, make things better. "Innovation is...improving the state of what was before."
I completed all my education here in Ethiopia, and I have NEVER lived anywhere else but Ethiopia.
“My advice would be to build your idea piece by piece and get real and honest traction in the market with that idea while retaining as much equity as you can.”
“I think the best companies and brands are built by entrepreneurs willing to self-fund their ideas,”
“To me, very successful entrepreneurs have the ability not simply to come up with an idea,”
“I began Garden of Coffee so that people everywhere can experience the magic of hand-roasted Ethiopian coffees, roasted at their source by Ethiopia’s finest coffee artisans.
For people to be innovative... they don't have to really travel a long way or copy somebody's business idea. It's right there.
“This gave me a good knowledge of the industry, which was extremely useful in terms of setting up the company and making it grow,”
“are sharing Ethiopian cultures with the world and finding exciting ways to keep these cultures vibrant and fully relevant.”
“… the needle I am constantly attempting to thread: building exciting brands around our unique cultures, brands that become ubiquitous and impactful.”
“That’s why we have always said that this company is about maximizing local talent and local resources to create good paying jobs, that in turn would create extraordinary footwear,”
that helped give her confidence in her contributions to society as a woman, and ultimately, what she is doing today.
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