My love for beauty began back in elementary school. My mother owned a beauty salon, and even though I wasn’t allowed to go there, my curiosity always led me to sneak in just to watch the stylists at work. One kind stylist noticed my fascination and started showing me the basics — and that’s when I fell completely in love with the world of beauty.

Years later, I was assigned to Dilla University, but my family, worried about the country’s situation, didn’t want me to go. Instead, they offered me a choice — to stay in my city, study at a private university, and receive their support to open a beauty salon. That opportunity meant the world to me, and I embraced it wholeheartedly.

That’s how my entrepreneurial journey began. I grew with my business — learning every day, working tirelessly, and building everything from the ground up. But balancing university studies, my spiritual commitments, and managing a salon became overwhelming. Eventually, I made the difficult decision to pause the business and focus on completing my degree.

After graduating, the pandemic hit, and like many others, I had to put my dreams on hold. Later, I moved to Addis Ababa, where I worked for a year to save enough money to start again. With determination, I opened my first salon in the city — Orchid Beauty Zone. It was a success, but after a year, I had to close it due to personal reasons. Still, I refused to give up.

With renewed faith and a stronger vision, I came back even more determined. I reopened under a new name — Opal Beauty — in Bole Bulbula. This time, it wasn’t just about owning a salon; it was about building a brand. My dream had grown bigger: to create a full beauty industry, not just a single space.