First off I would like to apologize in advance for those who are apt to be sensitive. I was once asked a question;
Why should they support you?
I believe it was Chelema that eloquently put it on a reply to a comment I made. He was referring to the level of support Ethiopians provide for art and artists. It made me think, and he is right no Ethiopian is required to pay for music just because it’s Ethiopian music; same applies to any form of art.
This brings up a point, “responsibility of consumer.” We are in a state of global capitalism, i.e. known as globalization for most. The term is misleading, it’s actually consumerism and yet that term is also misleading, but what I really wanted to say was, what is produced is decided by the market.
America has the most bargaining power, influence over the phenomenon they defined as globalization not because they have the most money, but because they spend the most money.
Americans constitute less than 5% of the world’s population, consume 25% of world’s resources, including 26% of the world’s energy, although having only 3% of the world’s known oil reserves, American’s impact on the environment is at least 250 times greater than a Sub-Saharan African.
Now critiques would disagree, that having the most money automatically reinforces the level of consumption. If so, my argument is why does the rest of the world including that of sub-Saharan Africa buy everything American? You might have a small drink named Coca-Cola, or a small hill in Los Angeles that they have tagged Hollywood, the US film industry.
Just a few examples but the tip of the iceberg; the rest of the world buys products made for Americans, and sometimes by Americans; and the reason… because they are the supreme consumer.
What we like doesn’t matter?
What matters is what we buy, how we buy & why we buy? We can’t complain that Ethiopian music is horrible and claim it’s the artists fault for making it that way. The way a consumer makes a difference is by supporting something that is different then what we like. Thus the direction of the art diverts to that of the consumer.
So ‘why should they support you?‘
They shouldn’t, but the consumer is responsible for most products made. By and large not a great quality of capitalism in my humble opinion, but if we were to look at pop culture, it’s not the best stuff; it’s just the most popular stuff. But there is enough consumption to support the great products like the jazz bar in downtown. There are many other vairiables like governtment endowment of the arts and private finance and scholarships.
Bernos
Our experience here on bernos has been mostly positive other than the occasional hoopla that has been brought to our attention. We love our people, abeshoch and we want to keep our products targeted to our people just because we are abeshoch.
We have a great customer base that keep coming back when we get new products and we are very happy to say that we sell out of all the bernos products. Be it large or small, the demand keeps us motivated to keep producing and promoting
We have a sincere belief in what we do, from the design to presentation; everything else is an extracurricular activity made to support the original aim.
1) Once a bernos blog reader commented that we have a great blog but lately we have been writing too much about our products and he is tired off our shameless plugging. Oh please, we are not here to entertain you; we are here to do some business in order to sustain our art.
What made it even worst was the fact that he mentioned that he has been reading bernos blog for a year and this was his first comment, a negative one. He hadn’t said a single word to even encourage the many authors let alone support the art that is supporting his entertainment needs.
2) We get tons of emails from many people including organizations large or small asking for a collaboration of sorts in which they have an event planned and they would like us to provide products for sale at their scheduled events and we pay them a commission of sorts. They never fail to mention bernos has great products and they would like to support it. Oh please, sharrup what support? Have you spent 20$ to get this product yet? Better yet how can you disrespect our supposedly great products when you want us to sell our products from the floor at your corner bakery or behind the speakers at your concert? Do you think we are selling dinich at the sefer gullit?
3) Publishers in web or print sometimes contact us soliciting that we advertise with them, we generally decline because in most cases especially web we have a larger circulation than the publisher, secondly because they charge ridiculous amount that doesn’t make business sense.
We do believe in supporting publications or any other small Ethiopian businesses by using them as our source of advertising in comparison to lets say Google Adwords; even if it make less ROI, but a business relationship is based on mutual support not just what you can do for me! We never beg anyone or ask a business to support us for no reason, but we have however offered assistance and or proposed a collaboration, a quid pro co. But it has been mostly quid for nothing.
4) We are more frustrated with charity organizations that keep taking our money and especially service and neither show gratitude nor shed light of on the support of our organization . Atleast the lemagn at 7′eleven shows his appreciation every time I drop my loose change.
5) Last but not least, the worst of the Gullit mentality ladies & gents, these include our friends and family members, our ex’s, our acquaintances, and abeshoch we meet everywhere and anywhere.
a) There is the family member who would call , and say ‘ hey I want to support,’ oh please don’t support, if you want the product buy it, it’s not support when you pay for a product you want. Secondly they would want me to personally grab a bernos tee for them and drive 20 miles to their apartment and give it to them. Are you serious? Do you think I am a concierge at Holiday Inn? Keep your godamn money! I don’t care if you are my uncle or my best friend. If you want one buy it online just like everyone else.
b) Then there is the stranger abesha, who we would meet in the club, ‘ hey I like Bernos and Bernos tees and I would like to buy one, let me give you some money and my phone number.’ You gotta be kidding? It’s one pm on a Saturday night and you want me to submit to you just because we are in a business that markets towards you. Esti, if you really like Bernos have some respect for it. Better yet do not treat me like the neighborhood crack dealer.
c) A few people have suggested two things, why don’t we make our products in Ethiopia, thus we support business in Ethiopia. Second, they claim that our tees are expensive. Funny how it is our responsibility to support Ethiopia while it’s not your responsibility to support Abesha owned businesses. Hypocrisy in the lowest form! First Tees in Ethiopia are made in china not in Ethiopia. And then you want us to ship in bulk from the Ethiopia and you are the same person that claimed our tees are expensive. Esti think before your speak! You want us to decrease our quality and increase our cost and sell it at a cheaper rate. Thank you genius, we want to bring you in as a business consultant.
d) Ultimately, there are the non-customers who expect bernos to have the products available at the neighborhood abesha super store; get with the program homeboy, we have told you we sell our products online, if you want it buy it where it’s sold. Please do not suggest that we need to improve our market visibility by hanging our products next to the berbere and injera. We are not making Nit’r Qibe, we are making art!
We do believe in great customer service and our customers can attest to that affect. Hear that, ‘customer’ is the ideal word. There is almost nothing we won’t do to accommodate our customers. You don’t have a credit card, no problem send us a check! You want to exchange your tees and you live in DC and would like to have them today because you are going to an abesha gathering. Sure we are located here come by and we will exchange it. Thank you, and let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.
In conclusion, we love our people and we love working for & with our people, but we will not sell our soul or our integrity in the name of business. We make products we like; therefore we hope when you buy bernos we assume you want bernos.
If you are not a customer that claims to like our products and support bernos; you are just another person with a Gullit mentality!
Published by August 8th, 2007 in Advice and Bernos.Send this post to a friend
Very well said Nolawi !
LOL! very classic
errrr…I wonder what purpose this article served other than showing your attitude of “kegezachihu gizzu, kAlgezachihu gedel gibbu”…………ayyyiiiiiii
THAT WAS FUNNY AND EDUCATIONAL…
I see your point Noli, but you could have been more diplomatic about it. Coca Cola didn’t become what it is by saying if you don’t like us buy Pepsi. They try their best to make sure everybody buys their product. I just feel like you didn’t make any new customers with this post. I thought the idea was to gain customers and make money , not alienate them. Just my two cents….
[quote comment="67012"]errrr…I wonder what purpose this article served other than showing your attitude of “kegezachihu gizzu, kAlgezachihu gedel gibbu”…………ayyyiiiiiii[/quote]
Well they are in a business of providing a good product! Should you like it & the creative idea, the Abesha content foremost you will bu it. Otherwise yemileminubet wey yemimaldubet ( don’t know if it’s correct amarigna) mekniyat BEFITSUM yelebatchewum ! You go in a store & you buy what you like or not. There is no one there to hold your hands & melemameT you to buy ( there are reps to help you BEQA). This on top of being an online store we are so fortunate to know & see who are the brilliant minds behind it & communicate with them. Endelelaw eqatcheun qutch adirgew mehed yitchilalu. Silezih, open silehonu they should not be forced to please, plead or ….(ahhh english aTeregn ezih lay, *literarly eterguamlhu*) or metaTef to everyones wish !! Aleziama egnam eko endezemedoch hone malet new!!
The product sell, advertize, attract & impress themselves….. that’s what a GOOD thing is suppose to do.
Endiyawum, yihé article makes me LIKE them more. Endih new confidence !
My take is I loved the article. The main reason you have the product that speaks for itself so you don’t have to kiss ass for business. You work hard and you get your customer’s input on design and color selections so what more can you do as a business man. Too much accommodation to the customer can in turn be interpreted as….you don’t have confidence in what you sell and offer. The t-shirt’s, god knows, are good quality and one of a kind. I keep buying the t-shirts because I know I’m guaranteed excellent customer service and will also receive a product worth the amount I’m gonna pay. So there you have it. Like you said….
This part was pure priceless humor and I just loved it.
nolawi, take the money man! buy yourself a drink. shoot, but the guy one too. how is this fool to learn from his mistakes if you don’t make him pay (literally)?
[quote comment="67025"]
nolawi, take the money man! buy yourself a drink. shoot, but the guy one too. how is this fool to learn from his mistakes if you don’t make him pay (literally)?[/quote]
well i don’t want to take money in the name of bernos and not provide a full customer service….
seriously this has happened to me atleast 3 times… meron and dawit as well… remember LA beshou, this guy wanted us to find him in the soccer field… i said forget it.. and months later he complained that we didn’t want his business because we didn’t call him with a loud speaker in the arena… puhlease
Kiki – the purpose of this article was like cece said it to share some of the stories that we experience on a day to day bases.
Just a few days ago a friend of mine called and asked if I could come over his house after work with an XL Awaze t-shirt and he will give me the check when I get there. When I asked why he just don’t go online and buy it like everyone else…his answer was, “I don’t have a Paypal account and it’s its easier this way.”
Easier this way for who is my question?
So let’s pretend I did go and deliver an XL Awaze t-shirt:
Driving to his house during rush hours from DC to Silver Spring: 45min to 1hr
Driving back home to DC: 30 min
Take time from work so I can go and deposit the check…timeless/priceless
The sad part, he is one of many who have asked that same question.
DK, I get what you are saying. I just don’t understand what complaining about your “customers” or potential customers is going to accomplish. For better or worse your products are geared towards the Habesha community. You have to be able to better reach them, so they will get off their asses and order these wonderful tees. I believe the idea is to sell the “art” and make money, and to me the post didn’t come off as a sales pitch.
Nolawi,
Habesha customers can be unprofessional, as customers, and the way they act you’d end up like MC Hammer selling your tapes from the back of your ride on Crenshaw ave.
I think your drawing the line on the aweqkush naqkush attitude of some of these people is necessary but not enough to attract more fans/customers to Bernos. If some people are not computer literate, they don’t have a paypal account or they feel that paying MULA on line is like catching zar - then it would be best for Bernos to come up with a strategy to get those Hot Hot T’s into their hands (which it seem’s like ya’ll are trying).
Anyway, like KiKi said a little diplomacy would go a long way - but maybe it is b/c you are an artist and not prone to being like a tenkolenya business type.
Hopefully people will get a core message of this article which for me is that money does not trumpet integrity.
Long Live Bernos! Wey Mote!
Kikisha, I agree with you…..well said too!
Eventhough I understand where Nol is coming from, I haven’t come across any businesses which advertise their frustrations with potential customers.
To the contrary, I’ve worked for an online business tracking down unsatisfied customers and potential customers who had negative outlook of our products, and convincing them to become/stay customers (and this is no exaggeration). And I know that’s one of the reasons the business was very successful.
Having said that, I love Bernos people…and hope you can handle your frustrations/disappointments better.
Nol, I understand the point you are trying to make and agree with most of the stuff you said.You have a good product and you know it…you know exuding confidence in your product draws people towards it and it will sell itself. Nevertheless, like Kiki i don’t agree with the manner in which you go about addressing the terms of services that you offer. If like you stated your product is geared towards the abesha community then surely you have to be sensitive to the demands this community has and deal with it tactfully.
And by the way, they do make tees in Ethiopia though may not be up to par in terms of quality.
This is a classic dilemma many business face, you guys are both the artist/brain child of your product as well as the marketer. ……..Perhaps u should use those opportunities u get (gullit gbya lay) and educate them on how they could get your products, or come up with an alternate way of getting your product in the hands of your consumer.
My question to Dawit, is the solely online distribution to your segment a competitive / comparative advantage? (No clue of an actual store)……for me it looks like distribution issue.
Tough I have much appreciation for your art work; I don’t see how u served the business part of Bernos by this blog………though confidence and cockiness is good for an artist, it could misfire for a marketer. (Unless you have gone Hollywood on us, any controversy/publicity is good …..)
Keep up the great work,
[quote comment="67026"][quote comment="67025"]
By the Bernos crew allowing us to hear and understand their stand on certain issues, we get to appreciate all the effort they put in making sure that we, the consumers, are receiving products of top quality. Yes both Dawit and Nolawi can run around and accommodate or decline any special requests and not say anything but then everyone will have their opinion and different versions of the story. This way we know what’s being said and done or not done. Everyone is on the same page. What’s wrong with that? They treat us like family and I really like that.
It has been known Abesha customers are the hardest to please because everyone wants it their way.
It’s about time someone has enough sense to run an Abesha business with a no nonsense attitude. Cheers to Bernos.
Typical ye abesha customer service mentality! Nolawi, the purpose of the article again? You just want to remind us abesha ppl that we continue to buy from those who mistreat us?
You are making a good point but I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish by writing it the way you did. You could have made your point without insulting your customers. There are so many artistic habasha’s who can design a T-shirt…your customers can go get quality T-shirts from somewhere else…. I bet you lost few customers and you will keep losing if you don’t change your attitude. How about BUSINESS 101 CUSTOMER COMES FIRST
masinko, you are talking about tess screenprinted in ethiopia… but they do not produce tees in ethiopia… they do however make different types of clothing… i have made extensive research on the subject.. maybe i am wrong but not to my knowledge….
I wonder if Meron is in Cabbo on a vacation
Nolawi, this from a man who said
Not digging the habesha “cultural” way of doing business ha?
I respect your business principle that wants to further itself from the ‘habesha way’ and demand business interactions void of ‘yagere lej’ or ‘zemede’. Your frustration is understandable and you have valid points to be made…that said here are my two cents…
You don’t need to sell your soul and integrity in the name of business but it is wise to adapt some of the business 101s (exclusive of ‘customer is God’ mantra) with out compromising the said… part of that is being willing to hear, accept (where you feel necessary) criticisms, inputs or suggestions from your consumers. People express their opinion and extend their suggestion based on what they know, may be those people who suggested an alternate means of distribution, i.e. Bernos sell its t-shirt in some of the local stores are ones who are comfortable in such trade centers as opposed to the e-trade. Some are not as computer savvy and as familiar or even as comfortable in e-trading (security, privacy and things of that matter is of concern for those who are not used to doing business on-line)… so some of these suggestions may be due to these reasons and more. Now it is not to suggest you take everything your customer base say and modify your business or get bent out of shape to accommodate them…but in the very least any business owner should be open to suggestion with out patronizing those who offer their suggestions. Customer service excellence is not limited to expediting shipment or having a sound return/refund policy; it is also respecting the customer by showing them his/her input is regarded valuable…whether you apply the input or not is solely up to the proprietor. Don’t you think?
I don’t see how this suggestion is “disrespectful”… in real-estate term; location, location, location…a given business is also dependant on location/distribution etc whoever suggested this is of the mind that since many people go to abesha suke to buy many ‘abesha’ geared products, and by your own admission your target audiences are ‘abeshoche’, then he/she is making a reasonable suggestion thinking that you will reach additional customer base of those that are otherwise cyber challenged. It is neither disrespectful nor outlandish. Obtaining the tees via online trading is not what makes them what they are or lends to their quality, the product should shine and stand proud as superior as you feel it is regardless of where you guys sell it…as long us they are not pouring awaze on it
the suke could potentially be a profitable marketing location. I can respect if that contradicts with Bernos’s way of doing business but I think it is rather a wild accusation to say such suggestion is disrespectful to either the quality or the integrity of Bernos.
Liliye there is confidence and there is arrogance and the lines can get blurred a whole lot somewhere along the line. Confidence can be misinterpreted for offensive arrogance if you don’t present yourself/ideas in a manner that doesn’t assault or insult the intelligence of its recipient. I am not talking about sugar-coating or ‘melemameting’ or ‘memaleding’. But, as far as I am concerned, there are ways to conduct a successful business with out betraying honesty, integrity and self-assuredness and still command the respect of consumers across the board.
Diplomacy is not synonymous with ‘ass kissing’. Courtesy of Merriam:
Main Entry: di•plo•ma•cy
Pronunciation: d&-’plO-m&-sE
Function: noun
1 : the art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations
2 : skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility
Yene konjo it is naïve to think a product alone can take you off the charts at all times… consumers boycott certain producers no matter how good their product is for x or y reason that has no correlation with the quality of the product so…
Who loses you may ask? perhaps both but more so the one who want to get paid for what he/she invested in and put forth a given product for sale. Unless of course the person is not invested much in the profit but is doing what he/she is doing solely for the love of it, in which case it should not be called ‘business’ but a hobby with benefit
My suggestion? Yeweledutin sismulet, Yedegesutin sebelulet yelale yagere sewe, so perhaps the talented artist should leave the marketing aspect to the gifted marketing group/person. I say this because the artist is sensitive to his/her child (art) and guards his piece superior to any by comparison therefore can complicate the profit aspect without meaning to.
Yes they do make T-shirts in Ethiopia.
NOVASTAR GARMENTS
Check out their website at http://www.novastargarment.com
Dear all,
I ran this post by the bernos crew, we actually talked about it and had to address it. We stand by what we said.
Second, our position always been share with customer and possible customer all aspect of our business. From design to presentation. Each of our customers know their experience with us, sure you can sit and judge from the outside but you have not made a purchase you really do not know how accommodating we are to our market.
This post is not out of frustration, or out of anger, we actually felt the need to address some of the issues because it was getting out of hand the way some NON-CUSTOMERS act towards us.
Yes, we are confident about our products, and our ability to market to one of the toughest niche out there, we have a great branding and marketing strategy and we have never stopped developing it. I don’t see how that is cockyness, its just persistence,confidence and being dynamic with he business model… you can’t sustain a business in a though market place with out it.
we love our people and our culture so much, if you don’t know that and you read our blog you are surely not in touch with the truth.
but that doesn’t change the fact, that Ethiopians say things like just because I am an Ethiopian seeking a dental crown from an Ethiopian doctor i should get a discount, i can mis my appointment a few times.
I know a girl that insisted on a discount for a shuttle ride because the driver was abesha, etc etc i could give a million examples…
What we wanted to say is that just because we are abesha we have been prone to mistreatment from abesha customers… they expected us to do things that they would never expect from a non-abesha run business.
Bustedtees.com based in newyork would not accommodate any customer to the extent we accommodate our customers.
Ena the point of this post is to say just because we want your business and want to sell you our products do not expect us to include our integrity and soul, if that is that is insulting, i can live with it.
And part of a business branding guideline is all aspects of presentation. If we were to sell our products from a grocery store and or the trunk of our car, it affects the bernos brand. And we ask those that claim to support us to respect our brand!
good point yekey on the diplomacy quote… the rest i think i have addressed them… especially the location…
we don’t mind growing… but growing without underminding the brand and our integrity…
that is news to me… mena.. thanks for the insight..
I do feel you and understand you on that regard. In fact this was exactly what I said when my husband and I were discussing this very article…he too felt it was rather tactless (though he agreed with some of the points raised) the way the points were broached & addressed.
I am glad you further elaborated with out betraying your initial assertion and that ought to malezeb if adn where there is yetekota (offended) sense. I do hope people get the overall or rather the main point with out being turned off or getting chocked by the kalcho and continue to enjoy and respect Bernos for what it is.
Shall continue to give you some kalcho of our own serving with the intention of construction rather than demolition. All the best.
I think you are an artist not a business man.
Come on now. It is just a lot of frustration on your part for failing in Business. Honestly it is kind of bizzare for you to think people will be impressed with t-shirts that have no origionality. Every t-shits has stolen trademarks of other companies. I am sure Coca cola, desta keremela, and offcourse Abebe bikila’s family will not be happy. If i was a family member of Abebe Bikila I would be so upset. Businesses succeed by bringing origionality not by stealing other companies logo. Just keeping it real. That’s how i see it. I’m sure you don’t see it that way. That’s what’s good about freedom. Nothing personal it’s just an opinion. BTW great business value feedback that’s how they grow. I hope you will. Peace.
Hmmm I thought Millennium, Alien, Merkato, Africa, and Dream in Amarigna were original designs…Hmmmmmm
Dimitew - Because our customer are not only Ethiopian!
dawit delete all the damtew comment … its gudu again on the fifth IP
we just have to stay on top of this guy!
[quote comment="67125"]Hmmm I thought Millennium, Alien, Merkato, Africa, and Dream in Amarigna were original designs…Hmmmmmm[/quote]
I did too. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I do hope people get the overall or rather the main point with out being turned off or getting chocked by the kalcho and continue to enjoy and respect Bernos for what it is.
Shall continue to give you some kalcho of our own serving with the intention of construction rather than demolition. All the best.[/quote]
That’s the exact spirit & the intention I believe. No matter what we have more than a simple buyer & customer relationship.
Nolawi,
Listen to yekeyedamawitu, she is full of wisdom. May be she could be an honorary board member or something. You are not responsible for what people think or say but you could change some minds by an insightful and yet respectful response. You HAVE to start respecting people and responding that way. If you mock one customer to another, what is the new customer supposed to think? You sell memories. That is what makes you unique. Other quality products are all around you. Nobody is irreplaceable. I am sure you have heard the Amharic phrase, “kefetfetu, fitu”. There is no going around to that. You might feel like a broken record if you keep repeating your business logic to people. You could laminate it and carry it in your pocket for that quick response when you feel like somebody is jerking you around.
Quick example, I was doing this business by email to an Ethiopian based and Ethiopian owned company. I have never met them but they are awesome communicators. They always say, “…if there is any more things we could do for you, do not hesitate to ask.” So I asked and he responded, “…that was a valid request, I wish we could accommodate you but at this stage of our …”. We went on doing more things together.
Like they say, “if you don’t like it, learn to love it!”
I wanted to say something but Yekey Dama said it all. What I would like to add though is an example of what an Artist and Salesmanship.
I am sure almost every Abesha has heard about Afework Tekle, IMO and in many others who are interested in Art he is over rated but this happened because he was a shrewd buisnessman who pushed his paintings like crazy and who was a good diplomat.
On the other side there are painters Worku Mamo and Worku Goshu who are extremely good artists whom no one has heard of because they thought that having great artistic talent sales by itself and were arrogant about not advertising and making their work available enough.
You can now find Afework Tekle Calendars, Scarfs, Posters,…. every where but if you want to buy any work of the two other Artists you have to buy the originals when they put them out on exhibitions or you have to personaly contact them to ask for their Catalogue and buy it from them. And this all comes down to branding, salesmanship, and making your products available.
[quote comment="67192"]Nolawi,
You are paranoid. The fact that Bernos has non-Ethiopian Abeshas explains the Anti-Ethiopia diatribe I read in this blog every now and then.
By the way, Nolawi, are you one of those non-Ethiopian abeshas? I ask because you are so determined to ban Ethiopians who raise critical questions.[/quote]
Hey man i know who you are, we can see all the different IP Addresses you are using and if you are incessant about playing games with us we will contact our web provider and mention abuse.
I didn’t think it was necessary to get into that but we will do what we have to do!
Balbo - I think we have a good/efficient distribution process in place. Beside, it’s one thing if you ask us to mail you the t-shirt and you sending us a check, since you don’t want to use your credit card online for a variety of reasons or you just don’t have one. My problem is when you assume I will waste 3hrs of my day driving like I don’t have anything better to do so you can give me $22.95…that to me is a sign of disrespect toward the business and what it stands for.
The second think I want to point out is that this is not a Nolawi article but issues and concerns that we (bernos) have been discussing for a quite a long time and felt this is the time to address them without sugar-coating the issues.
Mind you these are problems that many other businesses are facing and frustrated about and hopefully we can open a dialogue as to how we can change the way people view other abesha businesses and actually give them the respect they deserve.
We are an online business and we prides ourselves in quality products and top notch customer service…we have a sincere belief in what we do and the development and perfection of our t-shirts from design, presentation, customer service, and the advancement of the bernos lifestyle are always at the core of things. But we are not willing to sell our souls just so we can make a quick buck as well as in the long run that will actually damage and devalue our brand.
that is a funny article
i personally don’t care how they want to sell their product. i will get it somehow, if i wanted it. but “hanging bernos tees next to the berbere and injera”…. is a bad idea
The only original design is I dream in Amharic.
How is Merkato and Alian face original? I am sure the alien photo is done by ancient artists. It is taking somebody’s work of art and ripping them off. Where is the origionality in the Alien shirt? The art is stolen period. Celebrate I don’t think you know originality. How could you when most of Abesha’s like you rip of other people’s ideas. Peace.
Ayiii… pandora box… mts.
Hey yo who here wants to have an ice cream? Cold stone baby! Ma treat…Celeb you stay off them sweetz… yefit tirseshe tenekankowal
I use to think Brusters ice cream of zee best. Never tried cold stone, but looks zz bestest.
Ok lets me just say I stand behind, in fact we all here stand behind everything onthis article. Nolawi has expressed the frustration that we all feel. As far as the method of expression…we also stand behind that.
Most of you might think we are exaggerating and people although make requests thatinconvience us, they really don’t make outrageous demans. BUT THE DO!!! you have no idea how people really feel we should be at their every becking call thing is we are…on email and even sometimes by phone to resolve whatever issue you have with your purchase. But there has to be a limit to how far we can go. And the potential customer should realize that. We provide a high-end product at a reasonable price…so it too much to ask you buy what you want through out method of purchase??
We firmly believe those we are going to choose NOT to be our customers based on this article are those looking for a reason not to be one. And that’s fine. This is not a matter of cockiness but rather knowing the costing of pleasing your ridiculous request is not in our best interest.
Kiki- this article is not a sales pitch. Its letting people know where we stand in hopes that they will stop making these requests.
Wudnesh- first the key word is “customers” Like nolawi said, if youre a bernos customer and you are unsatisfied for any reason we will go to every length to satisfy you. but in hopes of you maybe just buying one shirt, im not going to kill myself over it. furthermore im sure you and your company set a limit on how far youll got to keep that customer. Besides its is nearly impossible to compare the two instance since our maket is vastly different from that of your company. We acknowledge the mindsets of abeshoch and why they have these outrageous demands. Were just bringing it to the forefront and saying, “wake up…this is not the way we do business!”
Curious- see even you cant fathom that he wanted to be found in the crowd…but HE DID!!! You have witnessed our customer service and hope you trust we are profession in declining to comply with these request and still thanking everyone for their intended support.
Nolawi/DawitK - Well, I totally understand where you are coming from and I can imagine how frustrating it is to run a business. But this is how I see it; at the core of any successful business lies a great product and excellent customer service. No matter how great and unique your product is, if it is not matched with a great customer service, your business is doomed to fall. I know you guys go extra miles to please your customers and everything, but I also think that just because you have a unique product, you shouldn’t expect the product to sell on its own.
But I think what’s more frustrating is doing business with the abesha community. Like you mentioned, I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who expect a different level of treatment when buying/receiving service from abesha owned businesses/establishments. I think that is just not right. At the same time, I also put the blame on the business owners, because I think we need to develop the habit of diplomatically saying NO in such circumstances.
I’m assuming that most people who have had a chance to get to your site know that the T-shirts are available online, but not sure if Bernos has somehow communicated on its Mission Statement that ‘it operates online and its products are only available on Bernos.com’ (correct me if I’m wrong). But, even if you do, I wouldn’t be surprised if you run into people asking you to pay you in cash for different reasons. If bernos’s business model is, however, built around the concept of ‘a niche market mantra’, I think you should try to diplomatically advise those people that you just can’t break your business rule. It’s like saying; I want to buy a book from Amazon, but at the same time I want to go pick it up from their nearest store. Well, if I prefer the physical store experience, I can go buy my book from the nearest Barnes & Nobel store, period! But I should expect the same level of customer experience whether I go buy it from a physical store or online.
The same analogy applies to Bernos, I’m sure there will be a lot of abeshas who would like to get the Bernos’ products, but don’t feel comfortable going through the online shopping experience for different reasons. To me that means those people are not bernos’s potential market segments, and you should not go door-to-door to drop them off your t-shirts
If your goal is to serve a niche market, say (abesha yehone/nech, who has access to the internet, have a credit/debit card, have purchased items online in the past), then by definition you are alienating those who doesn’t meet that criteria. However, if you want to reach to those segments, you need to come up with a different plan.
At the end, I think we need to draw/learn to draw a line between family/friendship and business. As you are not willing to let your friendship transform into a platform to promote your products and make profits on others, you should also not be willing to accommodate those friends/loved ones who cross the business line!
my 2 cents…
Mahlet–in what way are we mistreating you? please let us know…
Mena—yes customer comes first…
In addition id like to say to everyone…please refrain from making personal attacks. this is a place to exchange ideas and learn from one another…not to insult. lets be adults and make our points responsibly. If you actually have a valid point then there is no need for calling names and implying inferiority…thanks you.
No doubt you have to deal with difficult Abesha customers like us (uhu uhu)….but I really think you need someone like Yekeydama for AmAkari. As your customers, we know how accommodating you are…and are happy with your customer services. But there are others who could do without articles like this to try your products for the first time. And if I may say so, there is no such thing as non-customers……though they haven’t bought a tee yet, they are potential customers. If that wasn’t the case, you didn’t need to advertise, coz those of us who have bought t-shirts from you love the quality, service and uniqueness ….and always wait for the next one.
Some people ask for discounts just coz u r abesha…so what? it doesn’t make a difference as long as you don’t give them the discount…yAle neger neww! You just have to know how to decline politely (I thought these things come with owning a business……and I disagree, it’s not just an abesha thing…..we have non abesha customers who always ask for discounts on this and that….)
In my humble opinion, this ‘no sugar coating’, ‘we have confidence’ minamin negerAchihu harm ur business more than do anything to benefit it. .Actually, there’s some benefit to having abesha customers…if most of your customers were Americans, I bet most wouldn’t come back after reading this.
So, my point: we understand your point, but in my opinion, wasn’t professional…..very unlike business owners. If you care to use it, this is what a successful online business have it instilled in employees’:
Treat the lost customer well enough, and they’ll start to imagine how good you’d treat them if you really had their business. The company that keeps up the communication longest will eventually get the business. Practice poised consistent persistence.
Eyeru, don’t Hate for the sake of Hating. U and ppl like you are reasons why we don’t have a lot of creative artists in our community……….
I think some of you misunderstand. Although we have chosen to bluntly put forth this point, please know that we are extremely pleasant when dealing with the specific person making these requests. Of course we are. Its not like we go off on every person that asks to do these favors. Of course we politely decline and explain we cant accommodate their requests. But wanted to share our experience in hopes that it will shed some light on those customers so they see the error of their ways…
Cece
Why exactly should I hate? Come on now Abeshas time to wake up and to improve your skills. Get creative ideas to impress people. If business skills is not in your bones then I understand the huge anger coming from you. Anger towards your customers is not going to solve your issues.
I am so glad not to be a customer. I knew all this disrespect would come as I saw how you desrespected so many major international brands. I feel sorry for your customers who are abused by Bernos cherk fitoch. Peace
Nolawi, I understand where you’re coming from. As an Ethiopian/Abesha, I see this trend in every aspect of our life. It could be in a store, parking or a government office we expect a courtesy treatment/discount from Yehager Lig.
I am not saying that I have never parked or got my coffee for free. I sometimes get these offers and I take them. But I always give my sincere appreciation to Yehagere Sew for doing this. I have done the same 10, 15 years ago when I was working in a restaurant and a department store. Honestly it makes me proud to see that we do these sorts of things whenever we can to show that we care for our ppl.
On the other hand, as a business owner you may not satisfy all your customers. Let’s be honest, especially abesha senibal - we are known to be hard to please customers. However, for business like Bernos that mainly targets/presents it’s marketing and products to the Abesha community shouldn’t bluntly say,
or
etc. You must know that these statements can hurt your business.
A word-of-mouth can be a buzz for marketing and at the same token can be a weapon for destruction. Therefore, drop “You are either with us or against us” attitude and try to send your message differently.
How about a T-shirt called, “We say No To Favors, But they Don’t Listen”.
They say “Art is an action, an object, or a collection of actions and objects created with the intention of transmitting emotions and/or ideas”.
BTW, I am still waiting for my M&M tee but I have no doubt about the quality of your products as I heard it from ye bernos beteseboch. Keep up the good work.
My two cents…
Meronisha while we can agree to disagree… I will stand by what I said; I don’t think that article served the purpose that you guys may have in mind because it simply was put in poor taste… that is my take on it no matter how I tried to swallow it. Please understand that in no way or shape am I trying to say ene awkalehu, ene awkalehu but I a person with opinion and I strongly believe there was a better way of asserting your dilemma and frustration in a way that reflects professionalism on Bernos part. See you can not expecting people to respect your philosophy and the valid points you guys raised when you are talking down to them (which is exactly how the article appeared)…it carried an undertone that could be interpreted (which in a sense is what we are seeing) as ambagenenenet, or alasfelagi gura minamin. There is no ground for that in business because as somebody mentioned here ‘keftfitu fitu’… I mean if we want to keep it real…you guys sell t-shirts and these t-shirts evoke our sentiments & memories of the mother land and we like the way you guys present it even if some of the art works are not particularly original per se; i.e some of images or whatever is not something ‘befit tayto yaltaweke’. So when you guys come out with the undertone as such in this article people could be say ‘hey homey what do you think you are selling, a time-traveling machine’? You know what I mean? You will elicit something completely unnecessary because like I said it just comes across as offensive hence can be off putting.
As you know most of people that blog here are already fans and some even disciples of Bernos so I just didn’t see the purpose of slapping this in the faces of those who just appreciate what you do and look forward for more. In addition, the feed backs and suggestions can be handled well in a manner that reflects that your customer & their inputs are valuable to the growth you guys claim you are working towards. I am afraid the article didn’t particularly inspire or assert such sentiment.
Listen, I am all for reform and bettering our culture of any kind that needs revision and change…I have made that abundantly clear and this is among the things we need to be critical about so I do hear most of your frustrations and points discussed… having said that change of any kind is not achieved by way of intimidation, chastise-ing or being condescending to those who are willing to partake in the wedefit ermija. It is ironic you said …
I dare say some of that was in the original article which is why people such as my self felt like it was bad business move. That is why I said and hoped perhaps the second elaboration Nolawi put can malezeb any sense that felt insulted by the original article.
In any case I sincerely wish you all the best and I hope this experience will serve as a learning curb that contributes to the success and growth of your future endeavors.
Ato Nolawi despite my qualms with your antics :)I do hope you at least understand that I am in support of you.
p.s. Meron I implied you might be on Vac because I thought
It is good that
but be willing to also acknowldge failure if it benefits the system as a whole.
you had the better sense/skill to address these issues in better way than my tug tug bra
you guys show solidarity (UNITED WE STAND)
[quote comment="67254"]…Therefore, drop “You are either with us or against us” attitude and try to send your message differently…[/quote]
In fact,I was actually going to say that but I was afraid my brother here would interpret it as a personal attack, hence thought better of it. It did to a degree came across as that… it is one thing to demand we respect the business philosophy but entirely different to assert that those who dare suggest alternate ways are ‘disrespecting’ Bernos.
Classic! :)I laughed when I read that because I did think that… Kaldane yemut
Again classic!
an suggestion worth considering 
Wow…..what an article…..a stupid one at that!!
I agree with Wudisha 100%.
Nolawi, the world does not revolve around you. You got into the business willingly, be it for the money or art; so you should accept whatever else that comes with it. This whole “take it or leave it” attitude was good while it lasted, but keep in mind everything has its own limits. You are running a business, so any dissatisfaction you have keep it with your business partners. You disrespecting clients might turn off current clients.
Your Tee’s are great, but come on it is not that serious!!! Screaming at folks aint going to help you.
I have never met any MAN in my life that complains about EVERY DAMN thing in the world like you do.
and what the heck is “gullit mentality” esti please explain???
demo, please don’t make the mistake of thinking that the same trick you use to get your girls work for business.
just my two important cents
Nolawi I completely disagree with the article and its intention–my take is very similar to those of Wudenesh Yekey Dama, Ted etc with one addition– its the “Gullit Mentality” that runs and administer families in Ethiopia. The title itself is very demeaning. So, never underestimate the power of the Gullit–it can turn you from rags to riches.
It is all hazy now but I vaguely remember being at a club somewhere, slapping some cash into Nolawi’s hand for the Merkato t-shirt. Even though I didn’t ask for delivery, I must say thanx to Nolawi for the door to door service, not once but twice. So I guess that makes me guilty of gulit mentality. Oh well… But I don’t like shopping for shit, let alone shop online. That is a job for the women in my life.
BTW FYI that is why I have an eclectic style 
Thanks mom. Anyways, the reason I bought Bernos t-shirts is simply to support your effort, and definitely not because I am short of t-shirts (I still have my New Kids on the Block t-shirt my aunty got me when I was in high school), nor do I need to upgrade my style. For that matter I am not even into appreciating the art either. In general i personally don’t give a shit about artists and their art until they do shit that I feel is useful and functional. But as a Bernos user, and as a gulit head who likes the site and the ppl in here, I would like to support in a way that my gulit head allows me to support. So I suggest u just take the money and shurrup. However way the money comes be thankful that ppl actually appreciate your t-shirt or the other services you provide on the website. This article just does nothing but belittle genuine goodwill towards you. If I were u I would show a bit more tact(as so many suggested) no matter how misguided they appear to you. But then again, I admire your audacity to alienate a portion of your buyers just to streamline your bidness. Either ways I wish u good luck. I guess next time I will have to get a pay pal account.
But I would like to point out that gulits are environmentally friendly, they are by the community and for the community. They enable communal relationships that are a lot more complex and humane than the faceless robotic multinational corporate mentality. So gulits ain’t all that bad considering where this planet is heading.
peace
[quote comment="67261"]Nolawi I completely disagree with the article and its intention–my take is very similar to those of Wudenesh Yekey Dama, Ted etc with one addition– its the “Gullit Mentality” that runs and administer families in Ethiopia. The title itself is very demeaning. So, never underestimate the power of the Gullit–it can turn you from rags to riches.[/quote]
yeah that is what I am saying… dont diss the gulit. If u diss the gulit then u are mogN yeBole lij.
My thoughts EXACTLY smokes.
It’s like calling someone “listro” in hopes of dissing them, while in reality you are just praising them by calling them hard workers.
that is why i asked for clarification of the term “gullit mentality”
wud ato ina weyzerit/weyzero bernos, i have said it before, and i say it once more:
the only thing that helps you is to channel feedback as constructive feedback - make it help you in future decision-making
an observation: almost all the criticism in this post is met with a defensive rebuffal of some sort by one of bernos’s own. and i believe that response from bernos is not unique to this post
[don't bite! i'm only sharing my constructive criticism here]
And anyhow, labeling ppl as “haters” or “people with gulit mentality” is just completely comical
and just cos i’m feeling silly, here’s my visual: nolawi going to sholla gulit bezih CHiQama Kiremt, boTiwin gedgido, TSegurun leQo, Caportina lebso…approaches yeQocho neGadewan, busily chopping away @ her Qocho…Nolawi: “jeles! indemilish gin… yene Ymaytay yemaydasesew nigd kanchi yeChiqa meDeb niGd teSHilo tegegne eko! Bey beqa… neGe shay-bunna iliSHina abren MiKaEl siLetishin inaGebalen …!”
mr. smokes for president!
power to the guilit!
cosign on the ‘only makes u sound like a bole lij comment’…
Both meron and dawit worked on this article, yes the way I write is straight forward, but i wanted to make the point once and for all.
And as you know there are Ethiopians who expect a lot more from Ethiopians as opposed to the general… with that said I do see where you guys are coming from…
It would be nice to try to look at things from our perspective though..
I did not insult our customer nor the non-customers… just mentioned a few things that have been bothering us
the same thing some of you are saying is diplomacy is sugarcoating a known problem.
hey ppl cool it down. can we all just get along
?
ok this has been very informative. obviously we felt very strongly about his issue therefore we wanted to share our expereince. i see almost all of you agree we or point. you only disagree with the manner in which it was expressed…
i appreciate everyones feedback, whether positive or negative or both in most instances…i cant express the value of your opinions and how it will help us improve. thanks from all of us!!!
a majority of us are guilty of receiving/giving “discounts” or not paying all together when a fellow abesha is behind the counter. most of the time it is because we ourselves do not own the business. the point i am trying to make here is that as employees we have taught abesha consumers to expect freebies. and as consumers we expect freebies from abesha employees of non-abesha establishments. what ethio business owner would give out a cup of coffee to every abesha that came into their cafe?? ere kisara.
i understand your(bernos) frustrations. and i empathize with you and wish you the best of luck because we created this mentality ourselves. we are all guilty.
thank you emebet maybe thats a point of view we are neglecting to see
COMPLETELY AGREE!!!!
Hello All
It amazes me how some of you guys have responded, you guys are bernos blog readers and you come here and get your freebies and for the first time this bernos owner say one thing negative you are ready to turn your back on them.
and call it an insult. You criticize this and criticize that and once you were critcized you become defensive and are ready to tell them f u
bernos brings great products that are original to the ethiopian market and no one can honestly disagree
bernos has great marketing, and no one can deny that
bernos crew are good business persons that is why its gotten this far.
but to say you have to take all the shit from ethiopians who always discourage and hate and criticize and blah blah is wrong and I for one support the fact they have expressed their frustrations to us customers and possible customers….
Let me know if you guys are ready to shut down bernos… because noone else but nolawi meron, beshou and dawit can bring this much originality and professional business
Mariamawit
by the way, this is dawitm not DawitK hahaaaaa
peace
Good Point emebet
[quote comment="67278"]thank you emebet maybe thats a point of view we are neglecting to see[/quote]
respect for what u said right there meron!
hopefully its not… “leAf bicha”
[quote comment="67271"]hey ppl cool it down. can we all just get along
?[/quote]
AMEN! and to add to that…..now that you got us addicted to your tees hope the new designs will come out soon.
[quote comment="67276"]a majority of us are guilty of receiving/giving “discounts” or not paying all together when a fellow abesha is behind the counter. most of the time it is because we ourselves do not own the business. the point i am trying to make here is that as employees we have taught abesha consumers to expect freebies. and as consumers we expect freebies from abesha employees of non-abesha establishments. what ethio business owner would give out a cup of coffee to every abesha that came into their cafe?? ere kisara.
i understand your(bernos) frustrations. and i empathize with you and wish you the best of luck because we created this mentality ourselves. we are all guilty.[/quote]
WOW what a lady….well said! Guilty as charged!
[quote comment="67280"]Hello All
It amazes me how some of you guys have responded, you guys are bernos blog readers and you come here and get your freebies and for the first time this bernos owner say one thing negative you are ready to turn your back on them.
and call it an insult. You criticize this and criticize that and once you were critcized you become defensive and are ready to tell them f u
[/quote]
Mariamawit… I love Bernos and their t-shirts.. I rock my T with pride but if I disagree with them.. I should state it freely and let them know.. Having a constructive dialogue is not about betraying Bernos owners.. I don’t subscribe to Bush mentality.. “you’re either with us or against us” nor do I feel guilty for disagreeing with the post.
& i really mean this…
i’m not sugarcoating and will not add a “But” at the end bcos BUT= “forget whatever i said before” …(+i’ve always been forthcoming my opinions concerning improvements enough to have eared the title of dereq :))
bernos has amazing marketing! from google word search engine advertising to integrated, linked up blog articles that lead you from one to another, to wikilinks that show up in google searches
, to fantastic integration of graphics into the blog work… The web design aspect in itself is simple, robust and simply fabulous!
the blog marketing model in itself is amazingly innovative for the ethiopian blogsphere… pure courage for ato/weyzerit bernos to run with the idea! bravo! Plus the execution of the model is one to emulate! there’s also the quality of the articles on the blog, the way the bernos team interacts with speed, personality and efficiency (i think the cockiness, personal stories, controversy etc make a dynamite combination.) u guys are leaders in your own right. yimechachu!
imo the best products thus far, both classics, are the millennium tee, & i dream in amarigna. Keep up the ‘can do attitude!’ and blend it up with some more creativity… u keep moving forward.
Ere babajalew! lol min ametaw yehin?
I am certain if they can dish it they can take it as well… am sure they have to a degree anticipated the rxn they’ve met here and are prepared for the whiplash effect and with that comes the acceptance of the consequences so let us not go on a tangent and say letazegu newe woy, endet tedergo minamin.
It was obviously written with a notion (however misguided)
of being ’straight shooter’ or whatever. It’s all about humility and hopefully they are willing to show that and Meron & Nolawi have paved the way for that. Let that be enough and let their future customer service stand as a testament of such humility.
all in all, I co-sign with curious. Nuf said on this matter…i gots to go and make me a 300 spot… coming dear……..:)
Is this the fastest posted blog? Wow I think it’s like 50 in one hour.
YD I’m with you nuf said and leave my 300 spot alone I’m heading there right now
Bernos does have great products and I have been more than satisfied with the service I received when I ordered my tees. I do love and support the great work you guys are doing. I just wanted to express my honest opinion about how the article came off. I didn’t feel like it reflected positivly on the great service and products Bernos provides.
i can underestand ur frustartion and not been appreciated the hard work u put on to give the best serve that u possible can.but, i don’t think ur message serve u any good either. like kiki said, u could have been deplomatic
It seems like we have gone from constructive conversation to (Gulit wore)……. We could see from various Bernos members the kind of PR move that was needed…..it was the tone and word of choice that sparked the dialogue not the imbedded message, which most of us would agree that Habesah ppl typical expect more when we encounter another Habesha on the counter.
By the way DawitK ” it would take you about 6hr to get to where I am, flying “you assume I will waste 3hrs of my day driving”
But u did not answer my question on how exclusiveness of online distribution is good for your business given your target market Habesha?
Balbo -
One of our business philosophy and the importance for any website is to bring your product or service to the right people and to reach your target audience. Bernos target audience being Abesha, are usually scattered all over the world and not only located in the DC metro area…Believe it or not 90% of our customers are located outside of the DC metro area which is why we think there are a number of different distribution channels available on the internet which is more beneficial then having our product at a store.
I’m not saying that we will never have our product available at a store but it’s just not something we are interested in pursuing at this time since the return is much greater if we continue to focus on the internet. We all have witnessed the growth of the internet over the recent years…which is why we can have this dialogue in the first place. We all know the traditional online distribution channels such as newsletters, online press releases and so forth…but there are many other channels that allows you to reach to so many more abesha on the internet V.S. trying to advertise on a magazine, flyers, and other non internet media.
The biggest one is Social networks (Myspace, Facebooks, Hi5) The trend is social interaction and there are millions of abesha on this social network…and we understand the potential and the impact social network has on the internet users, so for us this is a good source in reaching to more abesha and increase awareness of our website to people who already are familiar and comfortable with the usage of the internet.
Another one that’s getting bigger is Social media (Y