The Founders of The Ethiopian Times Newspaper

Two brothers are helping their Ethiopian community by publishing the first English Ethiopian newspaper in Washington, DC.

Joseph and Fares Gessese were born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At a young age they lost their father, leaving their young mother to raise two active children all by herself. To give them the best opportunity, she left Joseph and Fares with their grandmother and came to America. While she was in America, Joseph and Fares endured beating and hard labor at the age of 6 and 9 years of age.

With only 8 years of schooling, their mother was only able to get a job as a housekeeper at the Marriot Hotel in Virginia. After working long hours, she was able to save enough money to bring Joseph and Fares to America. Their mother did everything she could to provide her children with everything they need, but it had been too difficult for her. She made a difficult decision to send Joseph and Fares to a free private Christian school in Grundy, VA so they would get the best education and support. Their mother was able to visit them and provide them the emotional support. After seeing Joseph complete high school, she was able to return back to Ethiopia to start a new life.

After completing their high school education, Joseph and Fares stayed with relatives in the Washington,D.C. area to continue their education and work full time to support themselves. In the summer of June 2000, Joseph and Fares decided to move to Fort Wayne, IN to purse the entrepreneurship path. In Fort Wayne, IN they spend hours in the local library learning what it takes to be successful entrepreneurs. After a month of research, they were able to start their first business, a carpet cleaning business to the help the low income families to be able to afford to have their carpet cleaned. Once the business grew, they moved to Columbus, Ohio in November of 2003 to expend their business and started a new life. In Columbus, Fares was given a great gift on his 24th birthday by the birth of his son, Isaiah, on the same day. The birth of his son gave Fares a new purpose and motivation to pursue the American dream. While living in Columbus, Joseph and Fares went to become the founders of African Midwest Yellow Pages, African Cup USA , Addis Fashion Wear and the franchisee of the 4th largest tax service in America, Instant Tax Service.

In 2011, Joseph and Fares continued their entrepreneurship to Washington, DC by creating a marketing company called The King’s Marketing and the first English Ethiopian newspaper, The Ethiopian Times to serve the 300,000 Ethiopian communities that reside in the Washington, DC area. The newspaper covers the latest news, business, sports, entertainment, history, community and people. The Ethiopian Times encourages, motivates, and educates the Ethiopian community everywhere.

The Gessese brothers continue to push forward. As their life’s paths have brought them back to the DC area, they came with the end in mind to overlook their hardship faced at a young age by learning from project they’ve accomplished, their home land is represented in the country where it’s home to the brave.

Ethiopian Model Meron Abebe

Meron Abebe, http://www.modelmeronabebe.com,  was born and raised in Ethiopia.  Meron moved to the United States at the young age of fourteen years old. She earned her middle and high school education in Colorado–it was in high school when her counselor suggested that she pursue a career in modeling. “I never thought I would stand in front of a camera and pose,” she said, when asked if modeling was a life-long dream. “I am naturally extremely shy for that.” Despite her essentially timid nature, Meron has continued to model ever since that talk with her high school counselor. As she moved to the east coast for her college career, she began to work with talented photographers, designers, and makeup artists in the areas of DC, Maryland and Virginia. Today, she has been published in the Washington post, Adunagow Magazine, and has traveled as far as Australia to expand her vocation as a model.

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When she is not hitting the books at school or traveling the world, Meron is working with different foundations to help her country of origin, Ethiopia. Another major passion of her’s is helping those who are less fortunate than she is by creating Thankful Soul Foundation. Learn more at http://www.modelmeronabebe.com

Marriages in Ethiopia

• Often arranged by parents of the bride and groom with a great deal of negotiation
• According to tradition, bride must be virgin when marriage takes place
• Virginity is highly valued in Christian traditions
• Incest is forbidden
• Parents investigate five generations among bride and groom families to establish there is no blood line

The Role of the Mediator:

• Mediator is sent to would-be bride’s parents
• Parents of bride impose conditions
• Mediator takes message to groom’s parents
• Preparations proceed if conditions are met
• Engagement date is set
• Wedding date is set upon agreement of both sides

When both families begin preparing feast for the wedding during which many guests are invited. On wedding day, the ceremony begins by:

• Dances and Music
• Bride’s parents give dowry to groom, in most cases money or cattle;
• Honeymoon lasts between one week to three months, depending on wealth
• All the celebration after wedding at Groom’s house
• After honeymoon is over, groom and bride return to bride’s house for a period of time; all the time, the best men accompany the groom;
• During honeymoon, bride not allowed to go out during the day; she’s allowed to go out after sunset (best woman accompanies her).

  

  
  

Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success!

Steve Jobs’ impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect — computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs’ greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

Over the years, I’ve become a student of sorts of Jobs’ career and life. Here’s my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our “inner Steve Jobs.”

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, “I’d get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about.” That’s how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, “Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?” Don’t lose sight of the big vision.

Related: Why Entrepreneurs Love Steve Jobs

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn’t have any practical use in his life — until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don’t live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the “A-Team” on each product. What are you saying “no” to?

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can’t communicate your ideas, it doesn’t matter. Jobs was the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It’s so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don’t care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you’ll win them over.

There’s one story that I think sums up Jobs’ career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that’s the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.

Flying to Addis Ababa with Turkish Airlines!

Ethiopian Proverbs

After the hyena has gone, the dog barks.

By persevering the egg walks on legs.

Cactus is bitter only to him who tastes of it.

Coffee and love taste best when hot.

Coffee is our bread.

Confiding a secret to an unworthy person is like carrying a grain in a bag with a hole in it.

Cow dung can’t be gathered where no cow has been.

Do not hesitate or you will be left in between doing something, having something and being nothing.

Don’t blame God for creating the tiger — instead, thank him for not giving it wings.
Don’t catch a leopard by the tail, but if you do, don’t let it go.

Eat when the food is ready; speak when the time is right.

Evil penetrates like a needle and then becomes like an oak tree.

Fifty lemons are a load for one person, but for fifty persons they are perfume.

He who has nothing to do, scatters and gathers.

He who knows much does not speak much.

For More Ethiopian Proverbs visit: http://www.inspirationalstories.com

Invest in Ethiopia!

Ethiopia is a diverse, vibrant country that has already achieved macro-economic stability and stands poised for expanded economic growth.

Ethiopia has experienced double digit growth since 2003 and is projected to continue that growth for another two decades. The Ethiopian government has demonstrated a strong commitment to the private sector, which has helped paved the way for the country’s remarkable economic progress. The exchange rate in Ethiopia is stable, and working and living environments are safe and secure.

There are numerous, excellent reasons to invest in Ethiopia. For more background information, check out the Ethiopian Investment Guide. If you are interested in doing business in Ethiopia or would like more information, please contact: Embassy of Ethiopia

Individuals of Ethiopian origin can get information on how to open an Ethiopian Bank Account, learn more about duty-free requirements for investors or find out how to get an Ethiopian Origin ID Card/ Yellow Card.

1. Stable Economic Environment
2. Liberalized Economy
3. Security of Investment
4. Significant Tax Incentives
5. Conducive Tax Environment
6. Investment Opportunities
7. Strong Market with Excellent Market Access
8. Strong Natural Resource Base
9. Trainable Labor
10. Good Infrastructure Standards