In this exclusive interview, Kanessa Muluneh, a dynamic entrepreneur with Ethiopian roots, shares her inspiring journey from studying medicine in the Netherlands to building thriving businesses across continents. As the founder of MULU Africa, a fashion brand with a presence in seven countries, Kanessa is also venturing into the gaming industry with a groundbreaking video game based on the history of Adwa. Her entrepreneurial spirit and innovative approach have made her a trailblazer in industries as diverse as fashion, technology, and healthcare.

Kanessa opens up about her challenges, triumphs, and vision for the future, offering valuable insights into entrepreneurship, self-expression, and navigating the complexities of global business. With plans to establish a factory in Ethiopia to create opportunities and expand her ventures further, Kanessa’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and determination. Join us as we delve into her journey, exploring how she overcame obstacles, embraced bold ideas, and continues to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs across Africa and beyond.

Capital: What challenges did you face when starting your first business, and how did you overcome them?

Kanessa Muluneh: There are many challenges. And the funny thing is every challenge, you process it. And once it’s processed, you forget about it and don’t see it as a challenge anymore. It becomes a lesson, basically, because you know what to do next time. So there are a lot of challenges. And the one that I can remember the most is when you step into the big people’s world, because I was still a kid, even though I thought I knew nothing, early 20s.

I was just getting to know the world. So, dealing with the business world on its own was a lot for me. I was growing up, I was becoming an adult, I was living by myself, I had to take care of life, and myself and my everything, my studies, everything was going on, and then you start a business, and you had to deal with a new community here. dealing with the medical industry is, for me, how I saw it, is dealing with people in suits, men in suits, white men in suits, We European looking people in suits were very scary to me because that’s how the narrative was created at home. And I think a lot of people deal with this, but I was very scared to open my mouth and stand up for myself against these people.

These people were powerful. There was money involved, things that I didn’t have. So I felt very insecure. And I think eventually when I made that sale, when I sold my company, that was a thing for me.

I overcame that fear, not fully, but I overcame that fear. It was a whole step forward for me in terms of confidence. These people aren’t that scary and I do not have to hold back the only thing that makes them scary is the fact that they have a pretty good defense mechanism in terms of verbally. So they are verbally very strong. So the only thing I had to do was be just as strong or even stronger in order to go up against them. So I said, okay, I’ll make that a challenge and I’ll go for that. And that fear no longer exists. So that must be the most.

The thing that I’m the most proud of. I know there is nothing I fear when it comes to humans in business.

Capital: How did your experience in medical school influence your entrepreneurial journey?

Kenessa: So the medical school influence is huge, huge. Still, till this day. I mean, every time my kids get sick, just to give you an example, I know what to do. When my husband feels like he’s sick or he exaggerates sometimes, like he feels like he’s almost dying, I tell him it’s nothing, just suck it up and you’ll be fine. And this is all knowledge that I gained during this medical journey. And I, of course, tell you like a joke because to me it made things lighter. Having knowledge, gaining that knowledge, made certain things like a medical emergency, made it lighter. I know what to do, I know how to tackle it. So I can tell my husband, you’ll be fine, just go through these steps and we’ll figure it out and we’ll fix it. So it has a huge impact and influence on me, but also my medical journey, sorry, my entrepreneurial journey. Like I just said, it kickstarted my business. And although I never went back to the medical field because I knew it was too big of an industry to go up against, I knew that whatever I did with my first company is the same thing I need to repeat. Find the problem see if you can find a solution to it and commercialize it. So make it interesting for a broad group of people. And that’s what I still do till this day.

Capital: Why did you decide to sell your first business, and how did that experience shape your future ventures?

Kanessa:  That’s an interesting because it was not a decision, it was just an offer. And I thought back then with the lack of knowledge that I had that it was the right thing to do. Later, I could have sold it for way more and I definitely was lacking knowledge here. So I made not necessarily the wrong decision but I could have made a better decision. So it was not just a decision, it was just an offer and I took it and for me it was access to life changing money.

I had no knowledge to continue this business anyway, so I took the money and I invested it in something else. That was the decision. It was not necessarily to sell, but it was like when the offer came, I said, okay, I think this money could change my life if I invested in something I already have knowledge of fashion, for example.

Capital: What lessons did you learn from your early entrepreneurial experiences that you still apply today?

Kanessa:  So the lessons that I learned was definitely the fact that the ones that I already mentioned, you don’t have to be scared of anything. It’s a hard knock world and you just have to stand up for yourself whenever, whatever, whatever happens, at the end of the day you get stronger. That’s what I’ve learned. And I became like very strong at this point in a sense that I have a thick skin, nothing gets to me.

So whatever you hear, whatever you go through, it doesn’t surprise you anymore. So that definitely helped and I’m very proud of that as well. But the lesson that I learned the most when it comes to the entrepreneurial part is definitely that every business solves a problem to something or someone. So find the problem and find a solution to that problem. Or create a problem, then present a solution. And that’s just how business works. Always people, like the successful people, spot opportunities, let’s say a problem, you present a solution to it, or you improve an existing solution, and you make a lot of money out of that. And that’s just how this world goes.

Capital: How did your personal struggles with weight and fitness inspire you to create a plus-size fashion brand?

Kanessa:  My personal struggles, it’s funny that I never saw it as a struggle, but I used to be always like a plus size girl. And one day I noticed that when I was pregnant, I was gaining weight and I was already wearing an extra large and in stores, the biggest size that I could find was an extra large. So I knew that I couldn’t fit in my own fitness wear anymore. So I said, well, if others cannot make it for me, I’ll just make my own. And again, I spotted a problem and I said the solution to it is having clothes made that would fit. Initially it was just for myself, but when I started wearing my clothes to the gym and outside people started to notice, obviously other plus size people started to notice that I was wearing something that could fit them. And that’s how the ball started rolling and that’s how my plus size sportswear brand was born.

Now today, it’s not just the sportswear brand anymore. We still offer the plus size sizes, but we also offer smaller sizes. So, and it’s also for men and kids. So we extended the range basically.

Capital: What were the key factors that helped your clothing brand stand out in a competitive market?

Kanessa:  The reason why we stood out was definitely the lack of competition. I mean, the fashion industry is quite saturated, that’s what they make you believe, but you really have to niche down or niche down, how people like to say it. You have to find your target audience and listen to them and basically tell them what they want to hear and give them what they want to have. That’s it, that’s the magic trick in marketing.

So how I stood out was literally sharing my story. The way I tell it to you here is the way that, the same story I used to them. Like, hey, this is what happened to me. This is my solution. What do you guys think? Instead of telling them by this, I told them, what do you guys think? And they started following the story. And it was just a journey that they came on. They helped on the bandwagon with me and followed along. So, I mean, it’s very, a personal journey here in this case, but every story people like to follow will be there to, you know, be part of that. And people love that.

Capital: How did you manage the costs and challenges of relocating and expanding your business to the UAE and other Countries including in Ethiopia?

Kanessa: So first of all, let me start with the biggest cheat code that I have is that I have a husband who is an accountant and very well organized in terms of money for others. I wouldn’t say necessarily for himself, but for others, he’s the best accountant and he’s a tax accountant. So he knows all the tips and tricks.

The thing is when I expanded to UAE and Ethiopia, I was already at a certain comfortable level. So I could afford mistakes, and if things didn’t work out, it’s fine. I was not gambling big here because it was not the money I used for my daily life. So even if I would have lost the money, yeah, it was not a big deal to me. So at this point, I didn’t manage, it was not like my savings or anything, it was literally invest money, my husband advised me to spend money in order to save on certain, you know, tax or, you know, get some tax benefits. So at this point, I was already stable, so no worries for me. But in the early stages of my business and company, I really had to learn how to budget because turns out I’m not good with money and or budgeting for that matter. I spend a lot of money. I still do. And I like doing that. But let’s say responsibility grew along. It wasn’t there from the start.

Capital: How do you envision the fashion industry transforming over the next ten years, especially regarding sustainability and ethical production practices?

Kanessa:  I think the fashion industry is definitely, definitely at this point of massive change. There’s massive change coming for sure. Like sustainability will be, although I think brands use it for marketing purposes a little too much, sustainability will be something people will be aware of because we cannot keep going like this. There’s a lot of waste in fashion space change is coming slowly because that change is also expensive. So people are not willing to spend that extra buck to basically save the environment.

But at the end of the day, we will have to and little by little baby steps we are getting there. So I do envision so right now I also about the manufacturing company that manufactured for me. So I manufacture for others as well under the Moulou name. So we already offer like low MOQs, so no waste in terms of clothing or fabric or garment.

We already try to think of ways where we can save on shipment because you don’t want to ship too much. So people will have to wait until, let’s say a certain MOQ, so quantity is reached.

So we ship all together, so we don’t have to ship one by one. So yeah, there’s definitely a shift. And I think in 10 years from now, we will get used, we will actually go back in time where we have to wait longer for a piece of garment instead of wanting everything now and quick and it’s no longer a service that we can use. It will be more ethical or we will learn how to reuse the same garment that we have in our closet.

Capital: What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs, especially women and mothers, who want to start their own businesses?

Kanessa: My advice is just to do it. And honestly, don’t look back. It is a very challenging journey to start your own business or work for yourself. But if you let go of other people’s opinions, it will be much easier. And whatever fear you have is just an emotion. Because you will do it for yourself and put yourself first also. Don’t think it’s a bad thing.

Don’t think it’s selfish and don’t think the word selfish is a bad word. Thinking of yourself is not bad. You need to charge your battery. Who wants to be around an empty battery? It’s useless. So be a full battery so you can constantly recharge every person in your life, like your kids, like your husband or like your wife, if it’s a man listening. So be a full battery. Think about yourself and don’t let other empty batteries bring you down recharge.

Capital: In your view, how do fashion and personal style contribute to self-expression and the formation of individual identity?

Kanessa: So fashion is definitely a part of expression, but I do believe that it’s not for everyone. For majority of the people on this planet, it’s just garment in a sense that they have to cover themselves so they wear it. Not everybody can express through fashion. Although improving your fashion style or the way you dress or certain combinations even can improve the way people look at you. So styling has a major effect on the way we present ourselves and I think it’s like a business card,  So you present yourself, you look good. People will take you more serious or treat you a certain way because you put effort into the way you look. It shows that you have a certain discipline to reaching a certain look.

It is important, but also don’t judge a book by its cover. Some people just don’t have the interest in it. It doesn’t mean that they know less or are less smart, or its style is not everything, but it is the first thing we see. So yeah, it is important, but again, don’t judge a book by its cover in case someone doesn’t care for style or styling tips or whatever it is. Some people just use it as a cover up. Basically, we need to cover our clothes so they dress, that’s it.

Capital: How do you approach financial management and investment, and what lessons have you learned about budgeting and spending?

Kanessa: I invest heavily in the right people around me. I pay quite some money to people or offer them better opportunities, let’s say, for people around me to give off their knowledge. And finance is one of my biggest investments. Although I’m married to an accountant, doesn’t mean that I only listen to him.

In order to make a right decision, I always have to listen to multiple people in order to come to the conclusion what works best for me. One person’s opinion or vision or knowledge is not enough if you want to grow to extreme heights. So my approach in terms of financial management is I do it myself, I don’t let other people do it, or my husband, obviously, but he doesn’t decide. He doesn’t have the last word or even I sometimes, well, yeah, I do have the last word, but I don’t always just go by what I think.

I have to hear from different angles and then think about it and make a decision in terms of investment. But management, I mean, I’m not the best. I’m not gonna lie. I’m not the best. Like I said, I like to spend money. So it’s a very tempting thing to do to just keep spending, but obviously you also have to invest.

 So, meaning that whatever you spend needs to make itself back or come back in one way or the other. So I try to balance it by when I spend something to also spend that same amount in investment into something. Doesn’t always work, but it’s something I try and it’s a learning process every day. But whatever it is, always have second, third, even fourth opinions from people. When you are at that crossroad to make a big purchase or investment.

Capital: How has the growth of e-commerce and social media platforms influenced the fashion industry?

Kanessa: Social media influenced literally the whole industry, not just fashion in all honesty. It’s all about branding. I mean, it’s easier with social media. If you invest heavily in time, especially in social media, you can sell anything. Just voice yourself, like talk about what you think, and especially mention the problem that you want to sell a solution to. Voice that problem and make people feel heard through social media platforms. It’s never been easier and it’s free to use. And if you spend more time on it, you will get more engagement from that so you can sell more of your items there.

Social media influenced a huge part of the e-commerce, fashion. Any industry is heavily influenced by social media and. I came to terms with that and I use it quite a lot. And just like any other industry, social media and content creation, I invest majority of my marketing budget in that meaning that I hired the right people to make content for me and to post it on there.

Capital: What advice would you give to young women who aspire to become successful entrepreneurs in today’s world, particularly in navigating challenges and overcoming self-doubt?

Kanessa: Challenges are there, so expect them. Instead of going in there thinking it will all be fine and you will not face any issues, you will, I can tell you. And not just one, actually many. So expect them. When you go in this journey, expect the unexpected basically. So don’t be scared. Scared is not something that will help you get somewhere. It will protect you maybe in case of danger, but other than that, it’s not an emotion that you actually use in the process of growth. So don’t be scared, don’t be scared of people and listen to your guts. Your inner feelings are already telling you a lot. a lot of information, you just don’t have to ignore it. If you choose not to ignore it, our brains, our feelings, our everything will already tell us what to do. We just have to make sure that we listen to it. So don’t listen too much to the outside noise, listen to the inside voice, and that will help you make the right decision. And if not, brush it off as a lesson. Don’t dwell around and think about it for too long.

Really, it’s not gonna help, it’s not gonna change. Focus on the future, focus on what’s coming next. The younger you are, the easier this is. So forget the old habits, new you is coming, and focus on that.