
My Opinion | Jul 01,2023
Nov 19 , 2022
By Eden Sahle
I received a book copy the other week that is yet to be released. It is a biography authored by the noted politician Andualem Arage and titled “Yaltenebebew Anbabi”.
It is a story of an entrepreneur I longed to meet, Negash Balcha.
He was a man of affluence, a role model for many and one of the elders appointed to stand before my father when my husband asked my hand for marriage. Sadly, the man I heard extensively about tragically died of complications during the pandemic. It was heartbreaking. We never got to meet. I attended his funeral and had the opportunity to meet people he helped. However, I was contented to meet him through his biography, which depicts and celebrates his life.
Negash made his fortune from the depth of poverty. But, he was known for his gameness to open doors of opportunities for others he never had growing up. His struggling parents moved to the capital from a small town, Wegeram, seeking a better life. They have lost eight of their children and could not send their last surviving boy, Negash, to school. They returned to Wegeram, holding their failed dream, hoping their youngest child would one day fulfil it.
No sooner had his father passed away. The faith in the family’s future, including his mother, lay in the youngest of the five surviving children. Negash’s dream to succeed in Addis Abeba did not die; he took three Birr from his uncle to start life’s journey.
His incredible 79-year seems like a well-written suspense novel that forces readers to continue flipping the pages. His story gives me the courage to push past challenges overcoming obstacles. The family was important to him, and getting married and having children at a young age was a start.
Looking at Bethlehem Plaza, his commercial building around Megenganga, or several other successful businesses makes it hard to imagine that he struggled to meet his essential needs at some point. Negash’s path to success was not easy. He toiled and earned it all. His background could have set him up for failure, but his determination allowed him to beat the odds. He did not survive but thrived, taking failures as a lesson rather than a discouragement.
Negash shows it is all about managing the emotional turbulence that comes with weathering failed business ideas and the empty wallet that comes in between. It is about dealing with losses, humility while climbing the ladder, and bringing a dream into reality. We must make sacrifices to endure the pains of paying high prices to reach our goals. The road to achievement is not roses and rainbows.
As a role model, Negash showed those who put their efforts selectively are the ones who move up to the top to accomplish it. And those that do not get discouraged by poverty will ultimately attain their dreams.
Negash’s biography shows that great life is achieved by focusing on what we want to accomplish and avoiding destruction. Life’s success is built through pain and suffering, accumulating wisdom that can be passed to generations. His legacy reminds us of the virtues of service and returning to society, living to a greater purpose than himself.
He proved that what we get in life should not be determined by our unfortunate background. Dreams should be realised through effort. Negash’s life shows that owning a successful business involves taking enormous risks and working long, tiring hours without knowing the outcome.
PUBLISHED ON
Nov 19,2022 [ VOL
23 , NO
1177]
My Opinion | Jul 01,2023
Fortune News | Sep 24,2022
View From Arada | Dec 04,2021
Featured | Jul 18,2020
Fortune News | Mar 16,2019
Viewpoints | Apr 13,2024
Commentaries | Feb 23,2019
Viewpoints | Aug 24,2019
Radar | Dec 08,2024
Fortune News | Dec 29,2018
My Opinion | 128127 Views | Aug 14,2021
My Opinion | 124348 Views | Aug 21,2021
My Opinion | 122453 Views | Sep 10,2021
My Opinion | 120303 Views | Aug 07,2021
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
Apr 26 , 2025
Benjamin Franklin famously quipped that “nothing is certain but death and taxes....
Apr 20 , 2025
Mufariat Kamil, the minister of Labour & Skills, recently told Parliament that he...
Apr 13 , 2025
The federal government will soon require one year of national service from university...
Apr 6 , 2025
Last week, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group...
Apr 28 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE
Key Takeaways: The Ministry of Justice's directive plans to enforce pro bono wor...
Apr 26 , 2025
Neway Magersa (Left), president of Sinqee Bank, shared a lighter moment at the Skylight Hotel on Africa Avenue and chuckled with Oromia Regi...
Apr 27 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
A controversial decision to clear a large tract of land in Addis Abeba's Wereda 1, around Flamingo and th...
Apr 27 , 2025 . By AKSAH ITALO
Key Takeaways A federal court dismissed Zewdinesh Getahun's ownership claim as time-barred, requir...