Her journey started with the field of journalism. She leads her life trying to respond to her inner deep thoughts and voices. Her interest in literature brought her to the habits of writing on exercise books and reading which finally led her to publish her own book while she made herself busy engaging in business.
She goes by the name Yordanos Guash. She is the owner of four companies. ‘Quruh Advertising and Events’ was the first company that she commenced her first steps in to business. She was only 17 when she started the business. ‘Quruh’ means beautiful in Somali language. She also advertised and organized events for different companies and individuals.
‘ESB Secret’ is her second company, where she sells beauty and cosmetics products. Yordanos has opened branches in different parts of the nation. The business-minded woman did not stop from securing other businesses, she then opened a restaurant named ‘Melayek African Grills’ that serves West African foods and promotes their culture and values.
Yordanos was born and raised in Addis Ababa, around an area customarily known as ‘Autobus Tera’ and lived in middle- income generating families. She went through different paths that contributed to the courage and strength she built today.
The loss of her father was a life changing situation not only for her but for the entire family as the father was the only breadwinner. Fortunately, they survived the situation by renting their house to people who fled from Somali State at that moment.
Living in a compound surrounded by the Somali people opened her eyes to so many situations. Yordanos was able to grasp their language quickly while she gradually learned how to make incense, perfume and soap that is skin friendly. More importantly, she learnt a lifetime lesson of being an independent woman from the independent Somali women who supported themselves with their own businesses.
She was brought up with a strict family to the point where she found it hard to manage the freedom she got when she joined Addis Ababa University. With the aim of achieving her childhood dream, she joined the Ethiopian Languages and Literature Department. During her stay at the University, she developed an interest of becoming a journalist.
“I had to hide myself behind literatures and movies as I was dissatisfied with the political intensity and chaos while I grew up. I believe that pushed me to develop an interest for art.”
Recalling the other factors that contributed to her relation with literature, she said her grandparents used to make her read newspapers to grasp information about the political situation at the moment. However, her grandparents did not let Yordanos simply read the newspaper but they used to pay her for reading. That would make reading her first paid job.
Growing up, her driver father gave them a good life until he passed away in a terrible car accident. During the accident, not only they lost their father; but the entire saving that her father took to Assab, Eritrea to buy a vehicle.
The family then faced different forms of difficulty, from losing the breadwinner to their entire saving, from the money her father lent to friends to close relatives. They had gone through tough times to survive which made her question herself and her surroundings.
“While I was struggling to get out of hard situations, I have listened to comments like ‘you can’t do this’, ‘you are unable to accomplish this’, and other negative comments, which tried to make me lose my self-confidence.”
However, the confidence she built while living with Somalis helped her to engage in business at a young age by selling a few things behind her mother’s back. She rented a small room and continued her business in the university by organizing events and collaborating with organizations. She was able to organize poetic nights and hosted events for different companies.
One of her best experiences was the collaboration with the American Embassy where she took the role of distributing a magazine that focused on fighting terrorism across the nation along with over 230 students she hired to carry out the task.
After her graduation, Yordanos joined national television; hired as an anchor. However, once she started a production on women, she failed to continue as the stories behind the women she interviewed disturbed her. Right after she resigned from national television, she published her first book entitled ‘Lebuse T’ela’ that she tried to pinpoint her philosophical view towards life in general.
When she found the scholarship to the United States of America and stayed there for two years, she was given the opportunity to live there permanently. However, she rejected the chance and moved back to her home country.
Instead of accepting the call from the USA, she decided to go to Ghana with an innovative mindset. While talking about her experience in Ghana, she said that she gained great knowledge and business skills. Meanwhile, she continued and expanded the beauty and cosmetics business that she learned about during her childhood by exporting materials from Ethiopia. She also took additional courses to support her business.
After returning to her hometown, joining the business was not easy. She said the system was not convenient, especially for those who are new to starting a business as it obliges them to pay taxes right away without settling into the business.
It was after such a tiring journey that she was able to begin ESB Secret Beauty and cosmetics products. As a married woman with two children, she believed that the business would be led by her children in the future.
Her business journey, as to her, was difficult due to the system. One of such challenges was the loan system that compels startups to bring collateral. Married women, especially, find it hard to meet such criteria as they get married straight from their families without being able to experience the business world. Thus, she suggested the critical importance of devising a system that encourages women to engage in business.
Using her social media accounts, Yordanos advocates about different issues that majorly develop the perception of citizens towards core issues. She also aspires to return to her former career, which is journalism.
BY BETELHEM BEDLU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER 2024
