Azemach  Hailu, 32

ADDIS   BRIGHT FUTUREs  2012

"Alchemy World has become like a family to me; I still communicate with my teacher and the office and discuss problems and issues with them. Sometimes Alchemy World calls us and asks about how things are going and it is very good to have that support and to know that you can always get help."

Enterprising Ethiopia  with Alchemy World                  Addis Ababa & London                    facebook.com/enterprisingethiopia                   twitter.com/EntEthiopia

My name is Azemach Hailu, I am 29 years old and have studied IT and Entrepreneurship at Alchemy World for three months. I finished the course in autumn 2012.

Our class in Alchemy World was focusing on new ideas for businesses and the understanding of our personal resources. Here I learned how to create a good business idea, how to start a business from point zero and with very few resources and how to manage and handle customers according to their behavior and needs. On a personal level I have learned how to achieve my goals, and how to share ideas.

Alchemy World has become like a family too me; I still communicate with my teacher and the office and discuss problems and issues with them. Sometimes Alchemy World calls us and asks about how things are going and it is very good to have that support and to know that you can always get help.

All along my vision was to open my own travel agency. I originally graduated in this field, so after finishing the course at Alchemy World I contacted the government office for tourism, passed the exam and I finally got my license in spring 2013. Six months ago – after getting the license – I participated in a private tour agency conference and got the chance to participate in tourism work and finally decided to improve this kind of relation and to study management.  So I joined college and am now taking a bachelor degree in leadership management. Side by side with this I am working half day with hotel management to pay for the college.

Everything I do I do with one goal in mind: to open my own travel agency. This is my idea, my focus, this is my dream. And I have slowly started getting customers. So my future plan is to have my own business. I want to be the employer and now I know how to run a business and how to make a living this way. And along with the travel agency I can add other business units, like car rental. In my free time I am reading a lot about Ethiopia and Ethiopian history to increase my knowledge. You must have the confidence, so I am constantly working on increasing my skills for I want to introduce new places to the tourists. And by now I am well educated and well informed about Ethiopia and its cultural places.

I am also communicating exhibitions and get-together-programs where different agencies can introduce themselves to potential customers and can share information and help with the handling of customers.

I want to thank Alchemy for their assistance and advice – especially my Alchemy teacher in Addis. They have been very good at following up and keep contact. And I have learned a lot from Alchemy World. 

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