Haile Gebrselassie is a double Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion in the 10,000m and has had a glittering 20-year athletics career breaking 27 records. Currently, he is a busy entrepreneur running a multi-million business in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He is considered the greatest athlete from Ethiopia and is remembered for his winning streak having emerged victorious in four consecutive world titles in 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999 at the world championships.
The Ethiopian athlete retired in 2015 and ventured into business dealing in real estate, agriculture, education and the hospitality sector. His business is headquartered in Addis and he runs it with his daughter.
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What made him successful as an entrepreneur? The double Olympic gold medalist admits that there are similarities in athletics and business but he needed to make the required adjustments to fit in the ever-changing and competitive entrepreneurship sector.
"I believe in action, running is action - running is just what you see... you win or not. In business, you have to plan and wait," the legend told BBC Africa in a 2014 interview.
Unlike in athletics, the legend admits that his biggest challenge was working in a team and not being able to set personal goals.
"What I learnt is patience. A marathon is like two hours plus of running. The 10,000m is less than 30 minutes. The same thing when I switch from running to business. I learn more patience," he added.
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The legend advised young athletes to invest when their stars are still bright and admitted that Africa needed ideas and not money.
"If you want to help Africa, don't bring money. Rather, bring good ideas," he advised.