WARYT was established in 1989 under the name Mulutila International; “WARYT” was merely the name of the building that housed the first office. Soon afterwards, the family resolved to rename the company WARYT Mulutila International PLC.

WARYT is also Tihitina’s grandmother’s name and doubles as an acronym for “Work And Reach Your Target.” From the outset, her siblings became shareholders. The company began in oil and gas retail, real estate development and, later, property management. The furniture business arrived by storm: a tenant who could not pay his rent settled the arrears with his stock.

Managing and expanding that unexpected venture has taken Legesse’s family to where they are today, one of the leading players in the sector.

Q: Did you grow up wanting to run the family business, or were you pulled in another direction? And what is the most bizarre piece of advice an older relative ever gave you that, against all odds, turned out to be right?

Tihitina: I was raised in an entrepreneurial household; business was always in the air. At one point, I hoped to study management at university, but I was placed in the psychology department instead. After graduation, I was destined to help with the family firm, yet I still wanted formal business training, so I took an MBA in England.

I could have stayed on a work visa, but my true calling was at home. Three years later, I returned to Ethiopia. My older brother once told me: “Your disappointments are appointments in God’s plan for you.” It sounded odd at the time, but he was right

Q: How do you preserve the old-school charm and family traditions that customers love without falling behind modern expectations?

When I took over in 2013, I had to learn almost everything on the job. Long-serving staff found it hard to be led by someone younger, but their resistance became a blessing because it forced me to master every corner of the operation. My parents are still my sounding board; I run to them for wisdom whenever decisions get knotty.

Q: What is your secret for surviving heated boardroom debates with relatives who still use your childhood nickname? And how often do you consult your parents’ coffee-stained notebook to guide today’s decisions?

“Work and reach your target” is not just a brand name. It is our family creed. Because everyone believes it, debates stay tethered to shared values, even when the temperature rises. That battered notebook? It sits on my desk, and I open it more often than I care to admit.

Q: If your business has an age-old family motto, what is it really (not just what is on the brochure)? And which piece of “family business wisdom” will you refuse to pass to the next generation, and why?

The genuine motto is still “Work and reach your target.” As for wisdom, I will not pass on: the belief that sacrifice must always come before self-care. I have learned the hard way that sustainable leadership requires balance.