Betelhem Abebe, an Ethiopian entrepreneur building a high street fashion brand  — Lionesses of Africa

Tell us a little about your team

Our team consists of a creative director/ founder, two tailors, one person specializing in leathercrafts, one brand/ social media manager, and one sales person. Our team is always working on learning new skills and techniques to better the functionality and durability of our products.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

I have always been involved in the creative industry since high school where music, poetry, art, and fashion always gave me peace of mind. I never imagined then that the creative industry would allow me the freedom to work on my own schedule and create job opportunities too. Having studied Engineering and working in different part-time jobs at a young college student I knew then that I didn’t want to work a 9-5 job. I wanted a career that I enjoyed. So before I graduated from university I drafted a business plan and went to look for investment. I landed a small business loan which allowed me to begin my entrepreneurial journey. In 2020 I opened my first shop in Kazanchis, Addis Ababa and started working full-time on the brand, knowing all my hard work goes into bettering myself as a person as well as my company.