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Registered in the Department of Posts of Sri Lanka under No. QD/36/News/2016 Vol.06 No.02 January 2016 Rs. 200/-

9772012846006

For Sri Lankan Youth

Secrets of Successful EntrepreneursMerril J FernandoIs it all in a tea-cup? Or is there something hotter?Ermila Jayasuriya More than an aroma. The eternal qualities of successDulith HerathThe "Wishing Tree" that youth can climb to the topTony Weerasinghe"Your dreams are your own, focus and make it a reality, or you will be working to help someone realise theirs"

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Kamal Abeysinghe - ChairmanAbhaya Amaradasa - ConsultantDr. Nandaka Molagoda - EditorDeepal Wijethilake - Deputy Editor - Sinhala Nalin Goonewardene - Deputy Editor - EnglishArunothayan Raveendran - Deputy Editor - Tamil

Sharlene De Chickera - Manager Career Services

EDITORIAL

Nadeesha Paulis

Kusum Gunawardena

Maheshika Premachandra

Navaka Navaratne

Pasan Thilakasiri

Karina Prokopchuk

Nuwangi De Silva

DATARoyal College Computer Society

PHOTOGRAPHYNimal KarunaratneRoyal College Photography Society

MARKETING TEAMPrageeth Perera

THE ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS OF CEYLON LTD

COORDINATORIndika Kudahetty

Managing Editor - Special Publications

EDITORIALP.K. Bandara

Danushka Godakubura

COVER DESIGN CONCEPTUdara Kumarasiri

COVER PHOTO BYRukmal Gamage

DESIGNW.D. Shanaka Chathuranga

PRINTED BYThe Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd

Commercial Printing Dept.

PUBLISHED BY

EDEX Advisory and Management CommitteeRoyal College UnionRajakeeya Mawatha, Colombo 07Tel : + 94 (11) 4327070E-mail : magazine@edex.lk

Opinions expressed in the articles and in other material are those of the authors; they do not necessarily refl ect the views or the policy of EDEX or the attached institutions.

Disclaimer :

ADVERTISERS

Front Inner - Seylan Bank (Advertorial page 21)Pg 01 - APIIT (Advertorial page 43)Pg 03 - ANC (Advertorial page 44)Pg 07 - AntyraPg 11 - Northshore (Advertorial page 47)Pg 21 - TreliborgPg 35 - EDEX Job FairPg 45 - MinsakaInner Back - EDEX ExpoBack - ESOFT (Advertorial page 46)

Top Story

Careers

Education

Sustainability

Features

Entrepreneur skills 04

{³{~£xY ƒ¥Ãx£{p‰ 05

Kaw;rpahz;ikj; jpwd;fis tsu;j;jy; 06

v¥Õx£ »l‰ »Y¤r‰r»xˆ? {³{~£xY»xYª v¥Õx£ r‹flf

rëp »lY‰ tz£ ~‹Ò 08NjePu; Nfhg;ig xd;wpy; jtis? ,Njh me;jj; jtisia

Fjpf;f itf;f xU Kaw;rpahsu; fhj;jpUf;fpwhu;! 09

Frog in a tea-cup? An entrepreneur is waiting to leap-frog! 10

Winter in Venice “fi lling up the senses” 12“Winter in Venice” 13ntdp]pd;; Fspu;fhyk; Kaw;rpah z;ik xU 'gilg;Gf;$ilapy;" 14

fg;Wfh nfhilkuj;ij tpijapl;L tsu;j;j Nkij 15

Yr‰y¥YY‰ v¥{« v¥{§KYy¥{£ ãz‹l‰ »ƒ‰yl‰ 16 The geek who built the wishing tree 17

vƒr£»M ëz‰ r¥ƒ¥ »{£Y‰~‰{¥[pxY ~‹f... 18ePy Volkswagen thfdj;jpy; fle;j ePs njUf;fs; 19

Embarking on a road less travelled 20

Bridging the gaps in opportunities 22ƒ‹h¥~ Shr±~‰m£{z‹p‰ r‹yþv 23tha;g;GfSf;fhd ,ilntspfis ,izj;jy; 26

Music lover spins new tune - Antyra aims to be a 50 million dollar company 28Antyra »h£zM ñz‹xp 50Y ~v£[vY‰ þvf ~¥z~§K 29,irf;fhjydpd; Gjpa RUjp... - Antyra Fwp itj;Js;s

50 kpy;ypad; nlhyu; fk;gdp 30

“Solving problems - changing the world” 32[¥f† lyj»xp‰ p{v§ »z£{Yf 33cyfpid khw;wf;$ba Gj;JUthf;fj; jPu;Tfs; 34

Entrepreneurship to be championed by EDEX entrepreneurship 31

Is franchising ideal for you? 36

Innovation and entrepreneurship spell success 37

Being in the hot seat can be cool 38

An entrepreneur loves the journey! 07

Changing the mindset of aspiring youth 39

A fabric enterprise - rural women empowered 40

“Live your dream and don’t give up”! 41

ýx…‹ »r£»…£»{p‰ vlª{§j© ýzˆ[Kv¨zˆz ýãƒzˆ ñÚY¥f 42

Truly Sri Lankan in a global context 48

04 MagazineTop Story

A generally held theory is that entrepreneurs emerge from

on demand, from the combination of opportunities and people well-positioned to take advantage of them. This has lead some experts to claim that entrepreneurs are born not made

According to psychologist Adrian Atkinson - you have to be a certain type of person to be a successful entrepreneur and, if you are not that type, you are wasting your time. According to a new survey, two-thirds of entrepreneurs’ claim they were inspired by innate desire, not education or training.

Others claim that successful entrepreneurs are not born, they are made. At start up time, natural leadership and basic business methods can help the entrepreneur along. But as his business grows, he will need several skills to convert his small business to an enterprise. Even if he

had all the skills of an accountant, lawyer, investment analyst, production manager etc, he could not possibly run his company by himself. Here is the catch. He will need to employ people, which creates a further critical dimension of skill required. He will need negotiating skills to deal with suppliers, customers and employees. He will need administrative and computer skills to ensure his invoices are paid and his cash fl ow is consistent.

Obtaining investment capital is key to any entrepreneurial venture. Many business hopefuls fail to secure investment because they cannot demonstrate entrepreneurial fl air and sound understanding of business. Alternately, others demonstrating excellent business knowledge have lacked the skills required to turn their ideas into success stories. Therefore, it appears that one needs to be the sort of person who has entrepreneurial fl air to begin with but to succeed, one also needs to develop several skills.

Developing the skillsTraditional business courses teach

students valuable theoretical business knowledge, but do not give consistent instruction in enterprise education and entrepreneurship.

New courses teach how to generate creative ideas for products, processes and services, and to deliver new values by understanding strengths and weaknesses.

Other courses help develop skills in team working, presenting new ideas and initiatives, negotiation, effective leadership, how to inspire and infl uence others, dealing with resistance and so on.

Today, Entrepreneurship and Small Business courses are available in Sri Lanka through the Open University, University of Jayawardenapura, E-learning on line - in English and Sinhala, National Enterprise Development Authority - mainly for women, and NAITA - for vocational skilled persons.

The Journey an Entrepreneur lovesBy Nalin Goonewardene

05Magazine Top Story

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06 MagazineTop Story

Kaw;rpahz;ikj; jpwd;fis tsu;j;jy;

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07Magazine Careers

T oday, with technology advancing at a rapid pace, we are competing in

a global rather than local work arena with the gap between education and available jobs widening. Meantime with the recession continuing, having a job does not give enough comfort that it is secure.

Under these circumstances, working for yourself (synonymous with entrepreneurship) has become more attractive. Those who have recognised this are developing their entrepreneurial skills, putting together business plans, starting businesses and creating opportunities for themselves and others.

Individuals regard success in different ways - depending on their goals. Some will be satisfi ed keeping body and soul together, happy to continue if they have enough for their everyday needs Others may wish to improve themselves and yet others to be

the best in their fi eld. Entrepreneurship can span a wide

range from the man who sells food from his roadside hut (‘petti kade’) to the person who invents a product and takes it to market worldwide. Many people have become entrepreneurs, both those who had jobs and those who didn’t. Some were successful, while others fell by the wayside, so ‘look before you leap’.

Let’s examine the qualities of an entrepreneur.

- An entrepreneur is an innovator, one that introduces new technologies into the workplace or market, increasing effi ciency, productivity or generating

new products or services- Characteristics of an entrepreneur

include spontaneous creativity, the ability and willingness to make decisions in the absence of solid data, and a generally risk-taking personality. They may be driven by a need to create something new or build something concrete.

- Entrepreneurs are generally highly independent, which can cause problems when their ventures succeed. In a small company the entrepreneur is able to personally manage most aspects of the business (his driving force), but this is not possible once the company grows beyond a certain size. People confl icts often arise when the entrepreneur does not recognise that running a large stable company is different from running a small growing company.How about you ?Answer the questions below to assess if entrepreneurship is for you:Q: Are you self-directed and motivated?Q: Are you willing to accept a high level of personal, professional and fi nancial risk?Q: Does human communication come easily for you?Q: Are you a disciplined person?

Remember, entrepreneurship is loving the journey, not the destination.

By Nalin Goonewardene

An Entrepreneur loves the Journey!

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»vƒ‹ v«z£yKux ~‹ã{«»xˆ {x~ R{§y¥ã 24 Y‰ {« »l‰ r§ƒ§j§{ ztp‰»pYª, zp‰hp»xˆnš ~‹x r§ƒ§j§{ Rlylªy, vƒl‰»~ˆ »{»ƒ»~ñp‰ r‹ù~‹ã |››² z¹Y£ »l‰ ñ|² Yyñp‰ U~~‰ ll‰l‰{»xˆ p{ »l‰ {M[xY‰  Ãúvf [p‰p£ zn rù|²vxY r±ÜszxY‰ »z~‹ë. »l‰ »{»…n ~v£[vY »YÑ ÷Ãx£{Ãp‰ ~ƒ v£~ lªpY ÷Ãx£ ýyƒ‹l Y£z~Ÿv£{Ãp‰ r~§ 1974 nš “Õz‰v£” {§Ú. SëY‰ïÜ Ym£{ ~§y¹[p£ Ylp‰nyxY‰ tãx.

~‹x p[y£~p‰p ~§{rƒ~§ ýo£xY vj‰hzx Y£vy»xˆ ~‹Ññp‰, »ƒ»lv »x°{põp‰ƒf U»n³¤[»xp‰ »l£y

Ì{p yf£»{p‰ p¥[Ÿ ~‹Ñp »z~ n¥Õ{ R{{£n Yyõ.

“»x°{pxp‰ Y¥rþ »{»ƒ~ þ {¥hY… x§lªõ. vf vlYõ r£~zf x£vf ãKùxrzf ~¥lr§vYªl‰ Sp‰r~§ ãKùx »r£»zˆ ~‹f l{l‰ ~¥lr§vYªl‰ rõp‰ [‹xr§ ƒ¥Ñ” õ Xƒ§ r{~õ.

v»[‰ »nv£r‹xp‰ v£ ƒ¥ã»N ëƒlv£ë t{ ~ƒ ãr‰rlªpf UrY£y Ãú»K ~£yoMv n R¥lªzl‰ n¥Õ r±Ürl‰Ü xf»l‰õ. Rn »x°{põp‰ c¹[v ãyYmp {¥ë R£»f¤r â{zf t¥nš æ{³{£nš »z£{Y [‹zŸ ~‹Ñp t{ n¥Ãx ƒ¥Ãõ”, Xƒ§ »n¤}£»y¤rjx Yyõ.

»l‰ »Y¤r‰r»xˆ Yªj£f§{“~‹ƒ‹px ý|£zõ. Wv ~‹ƒ‹p»xˆ

÷»qp‰p”xm£Mmx - Õz‰v£ »z£{ lªp‰{p »l‰

~p‰p£vx t{f rl‰{ R¥ll‰ Wx vƒ£ rùv£j »{…nrz‹p‰ S{l‰ þ R¥l.

“~Kr«Mjl‰{x xp§ Y£z»xˆ rùY‰}£{Y‰ »N”

xm£Mmx - |š² z¹»Y‰x r{§zˆ ~v£[vY‰ tƒ¨ c£ÜY ~v£[K {z »[¤z‹x r£zpxf RuŒ»x¤[ Yyõ BBC ASIA TODAY

"p»{³¤l‰r£npx"xm£Mmx - »vx p»{³¤l‰r£np»xˆnš

vp‰n[£ò YMv£p‰lxY‰ {« Rly ~£»rˆY‰}{ Yªh£ Õz‰v£ A »Y»~ˆn¥õ »rp‰{£nš Ü»J. ”- ýz‹xK »[¤Mv£p‰ - ýo£xY ~u£rÜ - ï²l£p³ »l‰ Y{§p‰~‹zx.

08 MagazineCareers

v¥Õx£ »l‰ »Y¤r‰r»xˆ ?{³{~£xY»xYª v¥Õx£ r‹flf

rëp »lY‰ tz£ ~‹Ò

~fƒp - |£zšp‰ Ö Ç»Y‰y£rù{Mlpx - nšr£z‰ ý»FÜzY

»vùz‰ »F. r±p£p‰ã

09Magazine Careers

NjePu; Nfhg;ig xd;wpy; jtis?,Njh me;jj; jtisia Fjpf;f itf;f

xU Kaw;rpahsu; fhj;jpUf;fpwhu;!

nkhpy; ngdhz;Nlh J

Njapiyj; njhopw;Jiwapy;

xU milahsr; rpd;dkhf jpfo;e;J

nfhz;bUg;gtu;> Dilmah vDk;

Njrpa tzpff;Fwpapid ru;tNjr

tzpff;Fwpahf khw;Wtjw;F ce;J

rf;jp Kjyhf ,Ue;J nfhz;bUg;gtu;.

Dilmah jdpj;Jtk; kpf;fJ. Njhl;lj; njhopyhsu;fSf;F nrhe;jkhdJk;>

mtu;fs; jq;fsJ gapiu

fyg;glkpy;yhJ Neubahf re;ijf;F

vLj;Jr; nry;yf;$baJkhd xNu xU

tzpf;fFwp Dilmah kl;LNk MFk;.

gpupj;jhdpah> JUf;fp> ypJNtdpah>

Nghyhe;J> u\;ah> `q;Nfwp> fdlh>

rpyp> njd;dhgpupf;fh> mT];jpNuypah>

,e;NjhNd\pah> [g;ghd;> epa+rpyhe;J

cl;gl E}w;Wf;Fk; mjpfkhd ehLfspy;

tpw;gid nra;ag;gLfpd;wJ.

fle;j 2013 k; Mz;L>

mT];jpNuypahtpy; 25 tUl g+u;j;jpia

Dilmah Njapiy epWtdk; vl;baJ. ,jid nfhz;lhLk; Kfkhf>

'Nespresso" NjePu; ,ae;jpuq;fspy; nghUe;Jk; tifapy;> ,yq;ifapy;

Nju;Tnra;ag;gl;l rpy ,lq;fspypUe;J

iffshy; gwpf;fg;gl;l nfhOe;Jfisf;

nfhz;l "tea caps" I Dilmah mwpKfg;gLj;jpaJ.

,jpypUe;J> cyfpd; kpf

tpUg;gj;jpw;Fupa ghdkhdJ KO

cyifAk; Rw;wp te;Js;sJ vd

njs;sj;njspthf njupfpd;wJ.

'Dilmah vd;gJ vdJ kfd;khu; ,UtupdJk; ngau;fisf; nfhz;L

Nfhu;f;fg;gl;l xU nrhy; MFk;.

vd ngdhz;Nlh $wpdhu;. Dilmah thdJ FLk;g kjpg;Gf;fs;>

newpKiwfs; kw;Wk; xUikg;ghL

vd;gdtw;iw mbg;gilahff;nfhz;L

cUthf;fg;gl;Ls;sJ. mj;NjhL vkJ

NjePu; MdJ #lhd Nfhg;igfspYk;

Fspu;e;j FtisfspYk; mDgtpj;J

gUfg;gLfpd;wJ.

,jd; Muk;gk; yz;ld; khefupy;

24 taJ epuk;gpa xU Njapiy-

gapYeu; xUtu; gapw;rp ngUifapy;

mtUf;F ,Ue;j ,yl;rpaj;ij

mbg;gilahf; nfhz;lJ. J}a rpNyhd;

Njapiyiaf; nfhz;L rpwe;j juk;

tha;e;j Njapiyia jahupg;gNj mtuJ

Nehf;fhf ,Ue;jJ.

xU rpy fhyk; Njapiy epWtdk;

xd;wpy; gzp Gupe;j gpd;dUk; mjidj;

njhlu;e;J %d;W khj fhyk;

njhopypy;yhJ ,Ue;j gpd;dUk;> 1974

Mk; Mz;L Dilmah gpwg;ngLj;jJ. gpd;du; eilngw;wJ tuyhwhfpd;wJ.

mtu; jdJ epu;thf miwapypUe;J

nfhz;L> 'cdf;Fs; ,Uf;Fk; rf;jpiaf;

nfhz;L tpopj;jpl top ghu;" vd;W

,isQu;fSf;F fLk; vr;rupf;if xd;iw

tpLf;fpwhu;.

',isQu;fs; fLikahf ciof;f

Ntz;Lk;> kdjpy; cWjp nfhs;s

Ntz;Lk;. ehd; ghlrhiyia mila

xU iky; J}uk; uapy; epiyaj;jpw;Fk;>

gpd;du; mq;fpUe;J ghlrhiyf;F xU

iky; J}uKk; fhy; eilahf nrd;wJ

vdf;F Qhgfk; ,Uf;fpwJ." vd NkYk;

$wpdhu;.

'vdJ ngw;Nwhu;fs;> vspik>

kdj;jho;ik> ViofSf;F cjt

tpUk;Gk; vz;zk; nfhz;l

fz;bg;ghd tho;f;if newpKiwfspd;

mbg;gilapNyNa vd;id tsu;j;jhu;fs;.

Mdhy; jw;fhy ,isQu;fNsh rlthjk;

vDk; fU nfhz;l cyfpNyNa

%o;fpapUf;fpwhu;fs;> gjtp Nkhfk;>

Mlk;gu nry;ypilg;Ngrp kw;Wk; fhu;fs;

Kjypad nfhz;l gfl;lhd tho;f;if

Kiwik mtu;fis gPbj;jpUf;fpd;wJ."

vd fbe;Jnfhz;lhu;.

'Gay; xd;W NjePu; Nfhg;igapDs;"

'ngupjhf fdT fhZq;fs;> me;j fdtpy; epiyahf ,Uq;fs;."

cz;ik :- Dilmah cyfshtpa

uPjpapy; %d;whtJ ngupa

Njapiy tzpff;Fwpahf jpfo;e;J

nfhz;bUf;fpd;wJ. vdpDk; ngUk;

re;ijf; fyitapypUe;J jpUg;gp

mDg;gg;gl;L tpl;lJ.

'Neu;ik fhyj;jpd; NrhjidNa"

cz;ik :- ,yq;if FLk;g

epWtdk; xd;whdJ cyfshtpa

Njapiy njhopw;Jiwapy; gd;dhl;Lf;

fk;gdpfs; nfhz;Ls;s fl;Lg;ghl;bw;F

rthy; tpLf;fpd;wJ. – BBC Asia today

'Gj;jhf;fk;"

cz;ik :-

,e;jj; Jiw Gj;jhf;fkiltjpy;

kpf nkJthdJ> Mdhy; xg;gPl;lstpy;

rpwpa Dilmah, ,J vg;gb rhj;jpak; vd ep&gpj;jJ. tpy;ypak; Nfhu;kd;- epu;thfj;

jiytu;- gpupj;jhdpah Njapiyr; rig.

Mf;fk; : \hyPd; b rpf;nfuh

nkhop ngau;g;G : K. mg;]u; e]Pu;

nkhpy; ngdhz;Nlh

Meet Merril J Fernando, an icon in the tea industry, catalyst in making

Dilmah, a local brand global. Dilmah is unique. It is the only brand of tea owned by tea farmers who take their crop direct to the market unmixed.

Available in over 100 countries including the United Kingdom, Turkey, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Hungary, Canada, Chile, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Japan and New Zealand.

June 2013, marked 25 years of the Dilmah tea brand in Australia. As part of the celebration, Dilmah launched “tea caps” fi lled with handpicked tea leaves from specifi c regions in Sri Lanka designed to fi t in Nespresso coffee machines.

The world’s favourite brew has come full-circle, it seems!

“Dilmah is coined word derived from my two sons names”, says Fernando. The brand is built on family values, ethics and integrity and its tea is enjoyed in hot cups, chilled glasses and a myriad mock-tails”.

Its genesis is based on the ambition of a 24 year old Tea-Trainee, whilst on training in London, who was irked by the

pure Ceylon tea being blended and wanted to create a quality brand.

After a short stint in a tea fi rm, and a period of three months being jobless, Dilmah was born in 1974. The rest of the story is almost fairy-tale like.

Sitting in his plush suburban board-room, he gives a stern warning to youth to wake-up fromwake up from their indolence.

“The youth must work hard and be committed. I remember walking one mile to the station, and then walking another mile from the station, to reach

school”, he says.My parents brought me up with

a strict work ethic, which included being humble and wanting to help poor people. The youth today are immersed in a world of materialism, craving position, fancy things like mobile phones and cars”, he chides.

Storm in a Tea-Cup

“Dream big and hold on to that dream”.

The reality: - Dilmah has become the third largest global tea brand but has turned away from mass market blends.

“Integrity stands the test of time”.

The reality: - “A Sri Lankan family fi rm is challenging multinational companies’ control of the global tea industry” – BBC Asia today.

“Innovate!”The reality: - “This is an

industry that has been slow to innovate, and relatively tiny Dilmah has showed it how”. – William Gorman – Executive Chairman of Britain’s Tea Council.

10 MagazineCareers

By Sharlene De Chickera

Frog in a tea-cup?An Entrepreneur is waiting to leap-frog!

Merril J Fernando

EDEX Magazine presents ErmilaJayasuriyaan entrepreneur

par excellence, whose “Winter in Venice” products have graced the

shelves of major retailers on an international platform, won awards and a following of satisfi ed clients.

International Brand“I love my competition as much as

I do, my own products. I study their positives, strengths, market positioning and most importantly their price point in relation to what they are offering. I look at ways to offer a slightly cheaper price than my competition”, informs Smith.

When offering higher perceived value than competitors, at a better price, the ‘shock value offering techniques’

actually enable new businesses to enter the market unnoticed.

Playing DetectiveYour clientele depends on the

type of market you want to service. The fi rst thing to do is study your competition to understand exactly how they sell their products to

your customers, she observes.“I study my competition,

use their products and watch how they price them” she says.

In terms of international labels, study the markets you are trying to enter. Always seek to pre-sell before you

manufacture products, and ignore everyone who tells you ‘can’t do it’ and ‘it’s too much of a risk’, she advices.

De� ning Freedom Entrepreneurs generally don’t like to take orders from anyone, and want to carve a niche for themselves.

“An Entrepreneur is ideally a non-conformist and must love freedom. Freedom creates a new lifestyle, empowering you to make endless choices, rather than sit behind a desk making someone else rich”, she encourages.

“I love the buzz I get from making money and enjoy fi nding creative ways to prosper, whilst being involved in various charities”, she says.

“If I had not followed my guts I would not have been here today. I never wanted to fi t in. I chose to be different in terms of a career and on the 34th birthday, I was semi-retired and living the dream”, she enthuses.

Family and BusinessGood entrepreneurs generally stem

from trying to fi nd security, which they sometimes can’t fi nd within the family nucleus.

“My parents have really helped me by pushing me into the ‘deep end of life’ without a life jacket, whist asking me to kick hard to st ay afl oat. Children and youth should not be molly-coddled and strengthened to stand up on their own feet”, she opines.

12 MagazineCareers

Winter in Venice“Filling up the Senses”

Ermila Jayasuriya

EDEX ~`y£{ ý|‹}‰f {³{~£õY£{Y {p Ermila

Smith v§j [¥~§Ú.R¥»[‰ “Winter in Venice” ë}‰r£np c£l³p‰ly »{…½nr… lª… ÄMÜ p£vxY‰ n˜p£»[p R¥Ü Rly ~Kv£pxf n r£l² þ Ü»J.

c£l³p‰ly ~p‰p£vxY‰“vv v£»[‰ ë}‰r£np{zf

{»[‰v ly`xfl‰ Y¥vÜõ. vv ly`Yy¥{p‰»[‰ ë}‰r£np{z |Y‰Üvl‰ t{, »{…½nr… ~‰m£p[l Ãúv ~ƒ ý»|‰}»xp‰v ñz, ë}‰r£np»xˆ [ªj£l‰vY t{ ~v` nY‰{p ~Ktp‰ox r‹…‹t½n{ Ro³px Yyp{£. A{£»[‰v v»[‰ ly`Y£ú ë}‰r£np{zf {h£ lyvY‰ Rh§ ñzYf u£j‰h »{…½nr…f ëYªl‰ Ãúvf R¥Ü ShYh »~£x£ tzp{£.” R¥x ~½nƒp‰ Yyõ.

ly`Yy¥{p‰f {h£ »ƒ£¼n™p‰ r£ù»u¤[‹Yxp‰»[‰ Y¥v¥l‰lf ~ùzp ë}‰r£np , »ƒ£½n ñzYf »{…½nr…f Sn˜ùrl‰ Ãú»Knš “YKrp {Ñp£YK l£Y‰}ÚY Y²vx” (Shock Value Offering Technique) p{ {³£r£y{zf »p£n¥p§{l‰v »ƒ£½n »{…½nr… R{~‰m£ Un£Yy »np{£. A{£»[‰v »{…½nr… lª… »ƒ£¼n™p‰ ~‰m£rpx þ Ü»tp ~p‰p£v ~v` Ul‰»l¤zp (Leverage ) {£~‹x zt£ »np{£. R¥x »rp‰{£ »nõ.

»{…½nr… r‹…‹t½n R{o£pxXtf »~ˆ{x ~¥rövf R{|³{p

»{…½nrz ~‰{u£{x vl X»J »~ˆ{£z£uŸp‰ y¼à r{Üp{£. Xt r…v§»{p‰v Y… x§l‰»l‰ ly`Yy¥{p‰ r‹…‹t½n Ro³px Yy, X{§p‰ lv ë}‰r£np r£ù»u¤[‹Yxp‰f R»zý Yyp R£Y£yx ƒ¼ãp£ [¥ìvõ.

“vv v»[‰ ly`Yy¥{p‰{ Ro³px Yyp{£. X{§p‰»[‰ u£j‰h u£ýl Yy A Rp§{ X{§p‰ ñz Ýyjx Yy R¥Ü R£Y£yx ~~¼à tzp{£.”R¦ Ãxp‰ìx.

c£l³p‰ly »{…½nr… [²ƒjx Yy [¥ì»Knš, ~¥výfv Xt »x£v§þvf tz£»r£»y£l‰lª{p »{…½nr… Y£j‰hx Ro³px Y… x§lªõ. A{£»[‰v ë}‰r£np ~‹ã Ãúvf »ry Wx R»zý Ãúvf Ul‰~ƒ n¥ùx x§lªõ. Xtf xvY‰ Ãúvf »p£ƒ¥Ã t{ »ƒ¤ Wx Rp{|³ R{o£pvY‰ x¥õ r{~p ~‹xû»np£v »p£~zY£ ƒùp‰p. R¥x Ur»n~‰ »nõ.

ënƒ~ ëMjx Ãúv~£v£p³»xp‰ {³{~£xYxp‰

Ã~‹»{Yª»[‰ ýo£pxp‰f xfl‰ þvf Y¥vÜ Rx »p£{p Rly ëlyv lvp‰

»{p§»{p‰ R{Y£|xp‰ ëMv£jx Ãúvf »{»ƒ»~õ.

“{³{~£xY»xY‰ ~¥v ýfv ënƒ~f r±‹xl£{Y‰ nY‰{p Rly, ryv£nM|Ÿ »z~ ~‰{£êpõ. z‹xp »K~xY‰ r‹f§r~f þ »{pl‰ R»xY‰ »r£»ƒ£~l‰ Yyp{£f{h£ ënƒ~ v[‹p‰ p{ Ì{p ýz£~‹l£{Y‰ ëMv£jx Yyp{£, Wx Xt{ ëvY‰ p¥Ü Ýyj [¥ìv ~½nƒ£ ~ýtz [p‰{p{£.” R¥x n˜ùvl‰ Yyõ.

“vv v§nz‰ Sröv lª…‹p‰ z¥»tp Ì{xf Y¥v¥l‰lY‰ nY‰{p{£ {»[‰v n˜x§j§ þvf R{|³ ëMv£j£l‰vY v£M[xp‰ »~£x£ x£v lª…‹p‰ r±šÜxY‰ ztp{£. A Rlyv R~yjxp‰f UrY£y Ãú»K ~¹ýo£pxp‰fl‰ ~Ktp‰o »{p{£.” R¥x r{~õ.

“vv Wn£ »»oMx»xp‰ Yfx§lª Y»…ˆ

p¥l‰pK Rn »K ~‰m£p»xˆ »p£~‹Òvf Sh Ü»tp{£. {¯l‰Ýx lª… »{p~Y‰ Ãúvf vf R{|³ {§j£. Ü~‰ƒly {p Urp‰ n˜px {p ýf vv RMo ý|²£ñYõ {»[‰v v»[‰ ~‹ƒ‹px ~v` Ì{l‰ »{p{£.” R¦ Ãxp‰ìx.

r{§z ~ƒ {³£r£yx»ƒ£½n {³{~£xYõp‰f Sn˜ùxf

x£»Knš R£yY‰}£{ R{|³ »{p{£. Wx ~¥výfv r{§z lª…‹p‰ ~rx£ [¥ìvf Rrƒ~§õ.

“v»[‰ »nvNr‹xp‰ ~¥výfv Ìýl»xˆ Rrƒ~§ [¥w§y¥ l¥p‰ Yy£ v£ lz‰û Yyñp‰ Upp‰ã Y…£. ny¥{p‰{ ƒ§ylz‰ Y… x§lª p¥ƒ¥, X{§p‰v ~¥výfv lv »nrõp‰ p¥[Ÿ ~‹Ñx ƒ¥Ã R£Y£yxf n˜ùvl‰ Y… x§lªõ.”R¥x Rnƒ~‰ nY‰{õ.

|Y‰Üvl‰ t{, »{…½nr… ~‰m£p[l

ë}‰r£np»xˆ [ªj£l‰vY t{ ~v` nY‰{p ~Ktp‰ox r‹…‹t½n{ Ro³px Yyp{£. A{£»[‰v v»[‰ ly`Y£ú ë}‰r£np{zf {h£ lyvY‰ Rh§ ñzYf u£j‰h »{…½nr…f ëYªl‰ Ãúvf R¥Ü ShYh »~£x£ tzp{£.” R¥x ~½nƒp‰

r£ù»u¤[‹Yxp‰»[‰ Y¥v¥l‰lf ~ùzp ë}‰r£np , »ƒ£½n ñzYf »{…½nr…f Sn˜ùrl‰ Ãú»Knš “YKrp {Ñp£YK

13Magazine Careers

Un£Yy »np{£. A{£»[‰v »{…½nr… lª…

ë}‰r£np{zf {h£ lyvY‰ Rh§ ñzYf

~fƒp - |£zšp‰ Ö. Ç»Y‰y£rù{Mlpx - v»ƒ‰}‹Y£ »r±ˆvap‰æ

“Winter in Venice”

EDEX rQ;rpif FOthdJ “Winter in Venice” vDk; tzpff;Fwp %yk;

jiyrpwe;j Kaw;rpahsu; vu;kpyh ];kpj;

milag; ngw;w ntw;wpapid mwpa

mtUld; njhlu;nghd;iw Vw;gLj;jpaJ.

ru;tNjr tzpff; Fwp

ehd; vt;tsT J}uk; vdJ

jahupg;Gfis tpUk;Gfpd;NwNdh

mt;tsT J}uk; ehd; vdJ

Nghl;bapidAk; tpUk;Gfpd;Nwd;. ehd; vd;

Nghl;bahsu;fsJ Neu;kiwfs;> mtu;fsJ

gyk;> mtu;fsJ re;ijepiy> mtu;fsJ

tpiyg;Gs;sp Fwpg;ghf mtu;fs; toq;Fk;

Nritfs; vd;gd njhlu;ghf Muha;Ntd;.

,jd;%yk; NkYk; vd;ndd;d topfspy;

vdJ Nghl;bahsu;fs; toq;Ftij

kypthf vd;dhy; toq;f KbAk; vd

Nehf;FNtd;. vd ];kpj; njuptpj;jhu;.

cq;fs; Nghl;bahsu;fistpl rpwe;j

tpiyapy; cau; ngWkjp Nru; mk;rq;fis

toq;Fifapy; (shock value offering techniques)gy GJ tpahghu epWtdq;fs; ,yFthf re;ijf;Fs; Eioe;J rpy

ngupa epWtdq;fspd; re;ijia ifg;gw;w

VJthAs;sJ.

Jg;gwpjy;

cq;fs; thbf;ifahsu; FOkkhdJ

ePq;fs; Nritapid toq;Fk; re;ijapy;

jq;fpAs;sJ. ePq;fs; re;ij xd;wpDs;

Eioifapy; Kjd;Kjyhf nra;a

Ntz;baJ cq;fs; Nghl;bahsu;fis

Ma;Tnra;J mtu;fs; jq;fs; nghUl;fis

vt;thW cq;fs; thbf;ifahsu;fSf;F

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14 MagazineCareers

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15Magazine Careers

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W»hY‰~‰ ~`y£»N Sz‰zŸv rùn˜ Rr ly¥j ly¥Úxp‰f Ur»n~Y‰ »z~ ãz‹l‰ r¥{~«»xˆ,“lvp‰ Yyp »nx ~¥t¦ {§{vp£{Ãp‰ ~ƒ R£|£{Ãp‰ x§Y‰l{ Y… x§lªõ. ƒ¥ÃlyK lvp‰»[‰v Rnƒ~‰ v`‹p‰ lvp‰»[‰v »nxY‰ Ãúvf Ul‰~£ƒ Ãúv »vp‰v, »z¤Yx n¥Y R{»t¤o Yy[¥ìvn {¥n[l‰. ‘Ã~‹n£ Rl‰»p£ƒùp‰p’ xp‰pf vv r§n‰[z‹Y{ WY` {p‰»p‰ p¦. vY‰ë~£n xl‰, Xt Yyp xK »nxY‰ ~£MmY »p£»N pK, Wx Rl‰ƒ¥y nv£ ~£MmY {p§ R¥Ü »{pl‰ xvY‰ Ãúv {h£l‰ p§{j¥Ü »nx ýx ƒ¥Ãõ. »Y»~ˆ »{ll‰, lvp‰ r‹…‹t½n ý|‰{£~x, Y¥rþ»vp‰ {¥h Ãúv ~ƒ R{~‰m£ ƒ¼ãp£[¥ì»K ƒ¥Ãx£{ Sl£ {¥n[l‰” t{x.

16 MagazineCareers

Yr‰y¥YY‰ v¥{« v¥{§KYy¥{£~fƒp - pnš|£ r{§z‹~‰, p{Y p{yl‰p ~ƒ Ry¥»p¤nxp‰ yþp‰æp‰ ãz‹l‰ »ƒ‰yl‰

Geek, innovator, entrepreneur, coffee lover. Dulith Herath, CEO

and Founder of Kapruka, talks about his love of gadgets, hunting with his grandfather, coffee and big ideas.

Once upon a time, Sri Lankans had no idea about shopping online. The only people who bought stuff online were the expatriates living abroad, who wanted stuff delivered to loved ones here. Stumbling upon this niche, Dulith launched an online shopping experience to Sri Lanka. Today, 11 years later; with 300 employees handling 500 orders daily, Kapruka holds the top spot in pioneering e-commerce in Sri Lanka.

Starting an entrepreneurship is not that easy. To have a fi ghting chance, you have to create a unique market by either being very creative, or having a patent so others can’t copy you. There are no strict guidelines to being an entrepreneur. ‘In Technology giants like Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, the key strength isn’t necessarily business, but innovation,’ he says.

CuriosityHis thirst for innovation is inspiring.

From the age of seven, he was pulling apart toys to fi gure out how they worked. ‘In grade nine, I built a robot. My room was a messy lab. This craze led him to round up fellow geeks and form a geek squad called ‘the Whiz Kids’. ‘We cloned phones. We even printed money! We got into all sorts of harmless mischief. It was the thrill of doing something new,’ he says with a chuckle.

His fi rst real break was when he designed ‘sithiyama.com’. This site worked like a map. He meticulously scanned copies of real

maps of Sri Lanka and reconstructed it online as a large image. This was in 2000 when Google was still a search engine. Impressed, Microsoft invited Dulith to join as a software architect, where he

worked for three years, whilst working on his own inventions.

Taking it Global The brand expanded to ‘Kapruka

Global Shop’. We have a very complex system at the customs of Sri Lanka. Dulith simplifi ed it all to a software. It calculates costs, duties, taxes of importing any item and purchases the item for the customer. Kapruka takes 5% for their trouble.

Advice to aspiring youth entrepreneurs‘Do a real job. Go out to the world.

Learn the disciplines. But never stop working on your own ideas. It’s not always about the money. You need a passion. A drive. Without it, nothing will work.’

By Nadeesha Paulis

17Magazine Careers

The Geek who built the

Wishing Tree

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19Magazine Careers

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Starting small,was the beginning of a fairy-tale. Otara grew up

from being a ‘tom-boy-princess’ to one of the most successful women Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka.

Otara, excelled in swimming and athletics, at Ladies College, on an international turf in high-jump and hurdles. After graduating in Biology in USA, modelling, was an inspirational niche.

“I learnt to take care of myself.

I held many jobs as a university student, including a gas station Assistant. Most of all, I learnt that even when your plans don’t work out exactly as you want them to, don’t give up, and you will fi nd the path that’s meant for you”, she encourages.

Changing ParadigmsOtara’s family work ethic shaped

her life positively, but her business acumen and tenacity are her own.

“It is essential to be different. There is so much competition in the world and so many people doing the same thing. It is youth who can make a positive difference, by being different,and have an edge in the market place”, she opines.

“Love what you do, do what you love”Otara’s retail fashion brand Odel

was a ‘baby’ born out of ingenuity, creativity and hard-work.Selling clothes out of the boot of her Blue station wagon, she leveraged her marketing skills and maximised sales

through her network of friends.“We made a determined effort

at unlocking ways to indulge each customer, and creativity across the world provided a muse for our eclectic brand. But mostly, it was our own imagination that inspired us, the imagination of a team, who like me, wakes up each morning challenging our boundaries. I believe that is what makes us distinctly different from the rest”, she muses.

In 2010, Odel created history in the records of the Colombo Stock Exchange with its Initial Public Offering oversubscribed by 63.8 times within 24 hours after opening, beating the old record which was 20 times.

Otara became the fi rst female entrepreneur to take a company public in Sri Lanka. In the same year, her entrepreneurship was globally recognised, being named “Best Female Entrepreneur” at the 7th US Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

‘Embark’ her current pet project is born out of love for animals.

In terms Sri Lankan youth emulating their counterparts, Otara opines, “Yes of course. But always be who you are rather than following in the footsteps of the Western world. We have so much to offer which is good”.

20 MagazineCareers

By Sharlene De Chickera

Embarking on a

road less travelledOtara Gunawardena

Compliments from

Trelleborg Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.Trelleborg Wheel Systems Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.Trelleborg Tyres Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.

The gradual growth of a knowledge economy is based on creating, distributing and trading knowledge and is seen as an important factor of the re-awakening Sri Lanka. As the nation’s future economic success heavily depends on the effective utilisation of intangible assets such as knowledge, skills and innovation, it’s the duty of a responsible corporate citizen to contribute towards this endeavour.

In this context Seylan Bank has partnered with EDEX as its Offi cial Banker,anad supports the EDEX Magazine, its tri-lingual education and careers initiative to support students from different walks of life to ensure access to a high quality education and knowledge, to make them responsible and progressive minded youth of Sri Lanka, who are competent in the global arena.

The role of higher education is a major driver in driving

a knowledge led society. However, pursuing higher education in private universities and institutes require a signifi cant amount of investment.

This becomes an obstacle to Sri Lankan students who have been educated under the free education system. Understanding this requirement, Seylan Bank has

introduced ‘Seylan Scholar’, an educational loan which can be applied for local as well as overseas education. Seylan Bank also facilitates fi nancial assistance in terms of personal loans, in the realm of higher education.

Since its launch in 2011, Seylan Scholar has helped students live their dreams as highly educated professionals in their fi eld of interest, bestowing them a successful career. Seylan Scholar has tied up with many institutes, offering academic and professional qualifi cations, to facilitate the fi nancial needs of their students.

Seylan Bank o� ers ‘Seylan Scholar’ for youth to live their dreams

Entrepreneurship is mostly about making a living or rather profi ts,

but not always. There are entrepreneurs who aspired to be one, while others became entrepreneurs because of something they did unknowingly. The latter is a rare breed. EDEX Magazine met with Nayana Samaranayake, who represents both.

You may call him the founder of SL2College, founder of WorkInSriLanka, founder of Storylize, a former Googler or the younger son of late Prof. V. K. Samaranayake alias father of IT in Sri Lanka. For a brilliant product of Royal College and a Stanford University graduate with nearly a decade of top level experience at the technology giant Google Inc., Nayana has taken a whole different path, since his tech startup Storylize

is the third of his ‘startups’.“When I was an undergraduate

at Stanford, I got lot of queries from my friends on foreign education, scholarships etc. and I realised most of them had similar problems. At that point, I decided to start a Yahoo!

Group online; a success at that time. I identifi ed a problem and tried to solve it, proactively”, says Nayana.

As the time passed by, the Yahoo! Group grew into a fully-fl edged online website and a registered non-profi t organisation called SL2College, with professionals from many countries volunteering. “We identifi ed that people do not know enough about the education opportunities available right here. We decided to start the Sri Lanka Education Forum and SL2College School Seminar series. Looking beyond the education sphere, we started a brain gain initiative to help our expatriates to return to Sri Lanka, which has grown into WorkInSriLanka,” Nayana recalled.

SL2College is a non-profi t, voluntary initiative and Nayana never wanted to make money out of it. “People realised my entrepreneurial qualities and encouraged me, which eventually motivated me to start Storylize, which taught me much about the App market. Now I’m working on another product.” said Nayana, explaining his transformation from an employee and a volunteer to an entrepreneur.

“Especially in Sri Lankan context, it’s good for an entrepreneur to have a backup plan, if you are concerned on stability in life or income. You can start part time while being employed or delay the employment by one year and start straight after graduation. Then you will have the comfort of a job.”

Nayana’s message for youth is simple. “You should look into problems you face and try to solve them, without complaining or moving on. There may also be better solutions than existing ones and sometimes, what starts as a simple solution for a local problem can be developed to a global business.”

Bridging the Gaps in Opportunities

By Navaka Navaratne, Pasan Thilakasiri and Nandaka Molagoda

22 MagazineCareers

Nayana Samaranayake

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23Magazine Careers

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Technical / Mentoring

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Success stories to read and studyp»{³¤l‰r£np / p{ »~£x£[¥ìKGj;jhf;fk;Innovations / Inventions

Sri Lanka Inventors Commission, 525, Union Place, Colombo2www.slic.gov.lk

Youth Business Sri Lankawww.ybsl.lk

Suranga Nanayakkara – Inventor of ‘EyeRing’ and many oth-er, multiple patent holder, Ganindu Nanayakkara – Inventor of ‘iHelmet’

v¯ãY£¹`nkd;nghUs;Software

SLASSCOM, 2nd fl oor,McLaren’s Building, 123, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 4.www.slasscom.lk

ICTA, 160/24, Kirimandala Mawatha, Colombo 05, Sri Lankawww.icta.lk

Mani Kulasooriya - nventor/Founder ‘LeapSet’Sharanyan Sharma - From a driver to an award winning entrepreneurSanjeeva Weerawarna - Founder ‘WSO2’Llavan Fernando - Founder ‘Zone24x7’Harsha Subasinghe - Founder ‘CodeGen’Chris and Thushara Canaceratne - Founders ‘Virtusa’

ƒùlgr;irGreen

Wildlife Conservation Department of Sri Lanka, 811A,Jayanthipura,Battaramulla.http://www.dwc.gov.lk/index.php/en/

Forest Departmenthttp://www.forestdept.gov.lk/

Central Environment Authority104, Denzil Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Battaramulla, Sri Lankahttp://www.cea.lk/

Sustainable Energy AuthorityBlock 05, 1st Floor, 3G -17, BMICH, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07www.energy.gov.lk/

Neptunehttp://www.neptunerecyclers.com/Good Markethttp://www.goodmarket.lk/

Y¯}‹Y£MñYtptrhak;Agricultural

Dept. Of AgricultureGalaha Road, Peradeniya, Sri Lankahttp://www.agridept.gov.lk/

Protected Agriculture Entrepreneur’s Association of Sri LankaNo 361 Colombo Road, Eriyagama, Peradeniyahttp://www.nac-sl.com/proagri.htm

Agricultrual Research Institutes and Authorities-Coconut Development Authority-Coconut Research Institute-Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI)-Rubber Research Institute-Tea Research Institute-Rice Research and Development Institutes

»~ˆ{£{NritService

IdeaMarthttp://www.ideamart.lk

Dulitha Herath - Founder ‘Kapruka’E-Channelling - www.echanelling.comJiffrey Zulfer - Founder ‘Pickme.lk’Delivery Malli - http://www.deliverymalli.lk/

~v£cöxr%fk;Social

Social Enterprise Lanka - http://socialenterprise.lkSaviman - http://saviman.org/Sarvodaya-fusion, #726, 2nd Floor, Kotte Road, Ethul Kotte. Sri Lanka. http://fusion.lk

British Council, 49 Alfred House Gardens Colombo 3https://www.britishcouncil.lk/social-enterprise

Kamal Abeysinghe – Founder ‘EDEX’Eranda Ginige – Founder ‘Social Enterprise Lanka’AT Ariyaratne – Founder ‘Sarvodaya’Nayana Samaranayaka – Founder ‘SL2College’

~£v£p³nghJikGeneral

National Enterprise Development Authority# 561, Elvitigala Mawatha, Colombo-05http://www.neda.lk

ILO202 - 204, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7. Sri Lankahttp://www.ilo.org/colombo/lang--en/index.htm

Ministry of Industry and CommerceNo. 73/1, Galle Road, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka.http://www.industry.gov.lk

Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission‘Nipunatha Piyasa’, 354/2, Elvitigala Mw Narahenpita. Sri Lankahttp://www.tvec.gov.lk/English/contact.htm

Sri Lanka Institute of MarketingSLIM HomeNo 94, Ananda Rajakaruana Mw, Colombo 10www.slim.lk

Lanka e Marketinghttp://www.lankaemarketing.com

E Mail Marketing Sri Lankahttp://www.powercampaigner.com/

eBeyondshttp://www.ebeyonds.com/

Power Campaignerhttp://www.powercampaigner.com/

Sri Deranawww.sriderana.com

siyomekwww.siyomek.com

Blue Ocean Ventureswww.bov.lk

Lanka Angel Networkhttp://www.lankanangelnetwork.com

Infocomm Investments Pvt Ltd.http://www.infocomminvestments.com

Acuityhttp://www.acuity.lk

KNG Ventureshttp://www.kngventures.lk

East-West Properties PLChttp://www.eastwest.lk/Venture_Capital-327.html

Manu Janshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/manujans

EMPOWERING YOUTH IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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26 MagazineCareers

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1. “The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” –Nolan Bushnell, entrepreneur.2. “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda, Jedi Master.3. “To any entrepreneur: if you want to do it, do it now. If you don’t, you’re going to regret it.” - Catherine Cook, co-founder of MyYearbook.4. “It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.” - Scott Belsky, co-founder of Behance.5. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game’s winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that’s why I succeed.” - Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer.6. “There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.” - Jason Fried, founder of 37signal.7. “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” - Guy Kawasaki, founder of AllTop.8. “If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.” - Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook.9. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” - Chinese proverb.10. “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” - Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister.11. “There’s lots of bad reasons to start a company. But there’s only one good, legitimate reason, and I think you know what it is: it’s to change the world.” - Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote.12. “The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.” - Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.13. “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” - Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Green Bay Packers (1959-1967).14. “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company.15. “If you’re not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business.” - Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s.16. “Watch, listen, and learn. You can’t know it all yourself. Anyone who thinks they do is destined for mediocrity.” - Donald Trump, chairman of The Trump Organization, the Trump Plaza Associates, LLC.17. “Always deliver more than expected.” —Larry Page, co-founder of Google.18. “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.” Mark Twain, author.19. “You shouldn’t focus on why you can’t do something, which is what most people do. You should focus on why perhaps you can, and be one of the exceptions.” - Steve Case, co-founder of AOL.20. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” - Albert Einstein, physicist.21. “Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.” - Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks.22. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” - Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple.23. “Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.” - Anthony Volodkin, founder of HypeMachine..23. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” - Walt Disney, co-founder of the Walt Disney Company.24. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzky, NHL Hall of Famer.25. “Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” - Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group.26. “It’s almost always harder to raise capital than you thought it would be, and it always takes longer. So plan for that.” - Richard Harroch, Venture Capitalist.27. “If you don’t know what to do with your life, do something that saves lives. The world is full of of people in need, be the part of their life that fills that need.” - Sanjeev Saxena.28. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” - Confucius.

Top Quotes

A ntyra is a local brand with a global ambition, named after the

fi rst known analog computer, “the Antikythera Mechanism”.

Rohan Jayaweera, meets us at the Java Lounge, a favourite haunt for youth.

“The device Antikythera manufactured in antiquity, belongs to the Hellenistic period around the late second century BC, constructed

upon theories of astronomy and mathematics”, he notes.

EntrepreneurshipAntyra is an end-to-end Sri

Lankan digital advertising agency, on three solid pillars. “We want to be professional practitioners, technical thought leaders, and create value

relationships”, he opines.The word Entrepreneurship can be

‘Sexy’ or ‘Hyped’, or even a ‘Fad’ for youth but it is serious business, he says.

Spinning Music CDsHaving encountered fi nancial

diffi culties earlier on in life, he capitalised on his music collection to

earn extra pocket money.His natural salesmanship and

fl air earned him Rs. 250/- for each CD. (cost was Rs. 80/-)

After fi nally graduating in Electronics and Telecommunication from the University of Moratuwa he

took wing to Singapore, married an amazing lady, and a few years later had international brands under his belt, in the caliber of IDM, Lenovo and Google.

But Rohan wanted to strike out on his own!

Signing out of GoogleEntrepreneurship can be a ‘lonely

planet’ and you have to be mentally tough to take on the challenges and rigours of business, he advices youth.

You have to work really hard. This means 16-18 hours a day. Sometimes you have this “bad” day and then a repeat, and then an ‘amazing day’!

“Though Antyra is just 10 months old, I do not want to consider myself as being an Entrepreneur as I want to achieve the 50 Million Dollar mark.

I have created the vision and the strategy for the company, with my partner, who is a genius in Digital Marketing, Niran Perera”, he observes.

Traits“I think an Entrepreneur needs to

be passionate, ambitious and willing to work very hard! Maturity is required to deal with challenges.

I acknowledge I am “the greater fool”, in that I have an innate stubbornness, and ego that keeps me on course”, he states.

At the end of the day it is the ‘gain game’ that wins. Ben Horowitz’ straight talking book, “Hard things about hard things” has been an eye-opener and is an excellent read for aspiring Entrepreneurs.

28 MagazineCareers

Music lover spins new tune Antyra aims to be a 50 Million Dollar Company

By Sharlene De Chickera and Pasan Thilakasiri

Rohan Jayaweera

A ntyra xp§ r±mv R¥p»z£[‰ rù[jYx {p “Antikythera

xp‰l²x” f r~§{ pK l¥t« »[¤zŸx »{…½n{z Ryv§j§ Yy[l‰ »nŠ|Ÿx ~p‰p£vxÃ.

Wƒ‹ Ro³Y‰}Y »y£ƒ£p‰ cxþy EDEX ~`y£ Yj‰h£xv ~v` c£{£ »z£p‰F ƒ‹nš v§j[¥~Ÿ »Y»yp Yl£ tƒ R¥~§»yp‰ »K ~fƒp l¥»J.

“Antikythera UrYyjx »ƒzë~‰ÜY (Hellentic) R{éxf Rxl‰, »n{p |l{M}»xˆ R[ u£[»xˆnš rvj, l£yY£ ýn³£»N ƒ£ [Úl |£~‰l²»xˆ p³£xp‰ vl Sn˜Yyp§ z¥t«{Ô Xƒ§ r{~õ.

{³{~£xYl‰{xAntyra xp§ rùr«Mj »~ˆ{£{Y‰

~rxp ÕËfz‰ r±a£yj R£xlpxÃ. “Rr‹f {¯l‰Ýxvx {|»xp‰ ƒ£ l£Y‰}ÚY Çp‰lp p£xYxp‰ þvfl‰ {Ñp£ {³£r£ùY ~t½nl£ »[£hp[£ [¥ìvf R{|³õ.” Xƒ§ »rp‰{£»nõ.

{³{~£xYl‰{x xp {apx ly¥j ryr§yf “RÜ|»x£‰Y‰ÜxY‰” »ƒ¤ “Up‰v£nxY‰” »{p‰pfr§†{p‰ pv§l‰ Wx {¥n[l‰ Y£MxY‰.”Xƒ§ Ãxõ.

Spinning Music CDsv§z‰ R{é»xˆ R¥Ü {« R£MÞY R{|³l£

v`ƒy{£ [¥ìv ~½nƒ£ Xƒ§ lvp‰»[‰ ~¹x§Y‰l l¥Ñ WYlª{ R»zý Yy Rvly v§nz‰ »~£x£ [l‰»l‰x.

Xƒ§»[‰ ~‰{u£ýY R»zýYyj |Y‰Üx y¥r‹xz‰ 80/- f ñzf [l‰ ~¹x§Y‰l l¥Ñ y¥r‹xz‰ 250/- Y‰ {¥ë ñzYf ýYªj£ [¥ìvf UrY£ú ýx.

»v£yf§{ ý|‰{ ýn³£z»xp‰ S»zY‰»f±£ëY ƒ£ ýãz‹ ~¹»nŠ| r‹…‹t½n Ur£éx z¥t« Xƒ§ r~§{ ~‹¹[r‰r«y¥{ tz£ r‹fl‰ ýx. {~y ÄrxY‰ [l{« r~§ IDM, Lenovo ~ƒ Google {¥ë Rp‰lMc£ÜY R£xlp{z »~ˆ{£ Rl‰n¥ÄK Xƒ§ ~lªýx. pv§l‰ Xƒ§f lvp‰ ý~‹p‰ lvp‰»[‰v xvY‰ Ãú»K R{|³l£{ R¥Üýx.

Google R£xlp»xp‰ S{l‰ þv

{³{~£õYl‰{x lª…nš W…»wp Ru‹»x¤[xp‰ cx[¥ìvf v£p~‹Y {|»xp‰ Sl£ |Y‰Üvl‰ ýx x§lª x¥õ Xƒ§ ly¥j ryr§yf Ur»n~‰ »nõ.

Xt Sl£ vƒp‰~‹»xp‰, R¥l¥K ýf n{~f r¥x 16 – 18 {¥ë Y£zxY‰ {¥h Y… x§lªõ. ~vƒy n˜p Sl£ pyY »{p‰p r§†{p‰ {»[‰v Sl£ »ƒ£½n n˜p »{p‰p r§†{p‰.

“Antyra R£yKu Yy l{v v£~ 10 Y‰ rvjõ. vv {³{~£xY»xY‰ »z~ ƒ¼ãp‰{£ »np‰p vf R{|³ p¥ƒ¥ vf

R{|³ {p‰»p‰ »h£zM ñz‹xp 50 Y‰ {Ñp£{³£r£yxY‰ »[£hp[£p‰pfõ.

v»[‰ {³£r£ùY ~[x£ ~ƒ ÕËfz‰ r±a£yj»xˆ ër§j»xY‰ {p, ëy£p‰ »r»My£ ~v` WY‰{ {³£r£ùY n¥Y‰vY‰ ƒ£ Ur£x v£M[ ëMv£jx Yy Ü»tp{£.”Xƒ§ ~½nƒp‰ Yyõ.

{³{~£xY»xYª»[‰ [Ü[ªj“vv nÃp R£Y£yxf

{³{~£xY»xYª Ul‰~ƒ{p‰l ƒ£ vƒp‰~‹ þ {¥h Ãúvf Y¥vÜ R»xY‰ ýx x§lªõ. Ru‹»x¤[ cx [¥ìvf rùjl t{ R{|³õ.

v£ lª… Ü»tp ~ƒc v§yj‰h§Yv

ëlyv v»[‰ Y£Mx ~v` ~Ktp‰o Yyp{£.” Xƒ§ r{~õ.

{³{~£xYl‰{x xp§ ~¥výfv {£~‹ ztp‰p£ cx[²ƒjx Yyp IJh£{Ã. Ben Horowitz »[‰ “Hard things about hard things” [²p‰mx {³{~£xYõp‰ þvf tz£»r£»y£l‰lª {p‰pf Sl£ »ƒ£½n Rl‰{¥zÃ.

29Magazine Careers

Antyra »h£zM ñz‹xp 50Y

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30 MagazineCareers

,irf;fhjydpd; Gjpa RUjp...Antyra Fwpitj;Js;s

50 kpy;ypad; nlhyu; fk;gdpjkpopy; wg;`hd; wpghd;

31Magazine Careers

Since its inception in 2004, EDEX has spearheaded many initiatives

aligned to its vision of “Empowering Sri Lankan Youth to be Globally Competitive”. Though EDEX has been successful in bridging the gaps between Education, Training, Employment and Sustainability, still there are dots to be connected!!EDEX envisions, if more youth are engaged in entrepreneurship, more employment opportunities can be created.“EDEX Entrepreneur”, the latest initiative from EDEX will create a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators to compete in the global market. The ‘Entrepreneurship Platform’ will be launched at EDEX Exhibition at BMICH from 22nd – 24th January, 2016 and will operate in 3 stages;1. Discovery The initial stage will encourage entrepreneurs to forward their business ideas. TheIdeas will be evaluatedby a panel of experts and short-listed for the competition.

2. Entrepreneurship CompetitionGuidance on technical, fi nancial, marketing, legal and related areas will be provided to those who are selected.Candidates will be invited to pitch their fi nal business proposal at a live event. Winners will receive cash prizes and support to run their ventures.

3. Entrepreneurship AcademyThe Academy will be for the ‘highest potential businesses’identifi ed in stage 2. Those will be mentored and transformed into ‘successful corporate entities.’Applications will be available at www.edex.lk from 28th of January, 2016.

Entrepreneurship to be championed by EDEX Entrepreneurship

‘Entrepreneur’ is a familiar word. But to Tharindu Dissanayake, a

young entrepreneur who is the Founder and CEO of ‘Square Mobile’, there’s more to that word than meets the eye. ‘Square Mobile’ is a company focused on providing quality customer engagement. It is a technology platform with focused products to optimize and personalise a business’s customer engagement strategies. Square Mobile’s story is something short of a miracle, as it starts from the humble beginnings and leaps to international success.

Originally from Naththandiya, Tharindu’s introduction to technology occurred after he entered Peradeniya University to study computer engineering. Before long, he began to work for Etisalat and participated in developing a SMS based word game called ‘Word Puzzle’. Its success buoyed him to expand the application to international standards, whereupon he fi nalised a partnership agreement with a Nigerian mobile company in 2013.

“That was our turning point,” Tharindu says. “Initially, we didn’t make profi t, but after our partner started focused marketing, it got better. Now, it’s been two years and we have a half a million subscribers in Nigeria itself.”

The launch was challenging however, because he was still attending university. He was also self-funded; the investments for the start-up being generated from the earnings he received while working for Etisalat. Funding has improved considerably since then. ICTA’s ‘Spiralation’ project

brought investment, and Youth Business Sri Lanka (YBSL) gave him mentorship.

When asked about future plans, Tharindu asserts that he is currently focused on the Nigerian market, but hopes to target bigger international markets in the future. He also hopes to diversify into more stabilised markets as technology is an ever-changing fi eld.

His successful endeavours have him nominated for Youth Business International’s ‘Young Entrepreneur of

the Year’ award for 2016. “I hope I win,” he says. “While building my business; I’m providing jobs, and mentoring other entrepreneurial hopefuls. I’m not only building my company, I’m building an entire ecosystem.”

When conducting business, he states that it is vital to gain customer feedback. He also advises any young hopefuls to have a basic understanding of coding – especially if they are interested in the technology fi eld.

Being a successful entrepreneurship takes years of hard work and dedication. “Focus is key,” Tharindu adds, “along with a clear vision of future business endeavours.

Entrepreneurs essentially solve problems. They have the ability to change the world with innovative ideas, and they should take this responsibility seriously.”

32 MagazineEducation

something short of a miracle, as successful entrepreneurship takes years of hard work and

Entrepreneurs essentially solve problems. They have the ability to

“Solving problems - changing the world”

By Nuwangi De Silva

Tharindu Dissanayake

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33Magazine Education

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34 MagazineEducation

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Starting up your own business from scratch as an entrepreneur is not

easy. There is such a variety of things you need to know and you cannot expect to be an expert in all these areas, especially at the beginning. Having a good idea or even a product is not enough to succeed as a ‘business’. If you don’t make a profi t your dream will sink into nothing.

An alternative approach could be to buy a franchise. One of the advantages of buying a franchise is that the ‘system’ has been tested and proven. All systems will be in place, from marketing to product development. Support via full training, system manuals, and a home offi ce that’s typically just a phone call away, can allow someone with little or no business ownership experience the opportunity to own and run a business. For this very reason, franchises are often more successful than start-up businesses.

Additionally, the benefi t of a developed brand can put you ahead of your competition right at the start.

Therefore, many franchises are ideal for young people.

There are franchises available in every industry you can imagine, so you’ll defi nitely fi nd one that suits your

interests. Because franchises are well developed and established business models you don’t have to invest the

same amount of time that starting a business from scratch requires.

Buying a franchise early in life can be a good idea, because you may not have as many responsibilities and commitments competing for your time and attention. Unlike a traditional job, franchise ownership gives you more

control over your life and affords you the freedom to pursue other

interests. In turn, it may open doors to other opportunities

beyond original expectations.If you are certain you

want a career in business but aren’t exactly sure which aspect of business to pursue, owning a franchise could be a great way to gain fi rst- hand knowledge of every aspect of the business world. It

will also give a ‘real world’ picture of where your true

interests and strengths lie.After awhile, you can

capitalise the experience gained to launch your own business,

knowing the pitfalls, how to recover when business is slow and exploit situations when conditions are favourable.

So, widen your eyes and your mind, to become a success.

36 MagazineEducation

By Nalin Goonewardene

Is Franchising ideal for you?

Entrepreneurship is a necessity of the society, not a mere luxury

anymore. Innovative entrepreneurships create a large market of customers and imminent success.

Edex Magazine met Dr. SujeewaRathnayake, Senior Fellow, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Moratuwa.

Entrepreneurs and future market trends “The next level of employment

will not be forthcoming from ‘too big to fail’ companies, such as Citibank, Toyota, who plan to curtail youth employment. The solution may lie in creating a cluster of small companies networked into a sustainable domain of entrepreneurship,” he opines.

‘Innovation occurs at various levels. Sri Lanka has a feasible market for opportunity driven innovations. Ground breaking innovations need large infrastructure development, which as a nation Sri Lanka has not reached yet; but given time, we can”, he opines.

“The trend in youth is geared towards progression. When we passed out as graduates, we were all looking for jobs. Students today, have a plethora of options. Many graduates get paid more than One Lakh, and there is an interest in innovation. The orientation towards innovation though slow and steady, should be encouraged” he says.

Dr. Rathnayake also infers that cultural norms are the most diffi cult barrier to overcome for entrepreneurial success. He was also genuinely concerned that innovative thoughts are siphoned off during childhood because of the uncertainty that entrepreneurship entails. This is one reason that entrepreneurship is not a fi rst preference.

SCRUM technique Dr. Rathnayake shared the SCRUM

technique that he practices in terms of innovation. SCRUM is an agile development concept that goes beyond technical matters. SCRUM believes in interactive goal setting processes where tentative targets are sequentially improved by feedback.

The scope is not to plan far ahead but break it to pieces that can be modifi ed. Dr. Rathnayake also observes

that, the curriculums are too theoretical in schools and universities, and not conducive for innovative and creative thinking. He feels that youth has to have passion and a drive towards success. He disregarded the age limit as a limiting factor, although he pointed out that the quality of work may differ with experience.

He also advocated ‘just-in-time-learning’ for youth as a best practice. His best advice is for youth to study the environment before committing to entrepreneurship. “Failures are stepping stones. A successful project carries many failed attempts along its journey. Be agile and committed”, he concluded.

By Ravendran Arunothayan

37Magazine Education

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

spell success

38 MagazineEducation

Becoming an Entrepreneur is not a piece of cake. There are many

challenges to face, and risks to take. But the trend seems to be that many are taking up the challenge to be an entrepreneur at a young age.

The Western world has produced many young successful entrepreneurs such as Mark Zukerberg of Facebook and Evan Spiegel of Snapchat.

And now South Asia is sprouting many young entrepreneurs as well.

Most young entrepreneurs have to face similar issues

when starting out, such as fi nancial barriers, lack of experience and even social stigma, depending on the culture.

Young entrepreneurs should not be deterred and should be focused and be willing to take calculated risks. These qualities have been epitomised is successful entrepreneurs, who have stood the test of time.

Failures are the Pillars of SuccessSome young entrepreneurs have

failed because of the lack of self-confi dence, or the inability to take constructive criticism. The failures, challenges and the diffi culties, can

all become stepping stones to success.

As such young entrepreneurs should have a vision and positive attitude to overcome negative thinking and even societal pressure.

Another deterrent could be, that youth are not taken seriously. They may come up with world-class products and services but the general consumers may not necessarily have faith in them. A fi xed mindset is another barrier, which

prevents young people from reaching their pinnacle. With the global trends of cutting down on workforce numbers, entrepreneurship may be the ideal solution for youth. Starting their own business maybe the best solutional professionally for the youth in concern and, globally.

There are certain misconceptions about youth. People tend to think that being an entrepreneur means having a well-rounded education or dozens of qualifi cations, plus a good networking system.

Dare to beThe reality that an idea,

determination and initial capital are all contingent. Continuous and never ending improvement is also a necessary factor for the young entrepreneur to stay on course.

Keeping sight of weekly planning and engaging in a weekly check-list and also thinking of a contingency plan will be benefi cial.

The bottom-line is that being your own boss, and at the helm of your own enterprise is a discerning choice for the daring few. So enjoy challenges, seize opportunities and bring your ideas into life… if not you, who will?

Being in the hot seat can be coolBy Pasan Thilakasiri and Karina Prokopchuk

Evan Spiegel of Snapchat

E DEX magazine met Dr. Ajith Madurapperuma the Head of

the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Open University of Sri Lanka, who is leveraging his entrepreneurial knowledge to help youth focus and refi ne their unbridled ambitions.

Being a mentorYoung entrepreneurs are packed

with a bundle of ideas and exude confi dence like most young people. “I am not an entrepreneur myself, but I’m in the business of helping young entrepreneurs and my students to guide them to channel those ideas, whilst building confi dence in order to become successful, grooming them to be talented business leaders of the future,” he enthuses.

Solving a problem “Many start-ups and inventors

pursue an idea because they believe it will be popular. But the ideal is to identify a problem, that may not have an existing solution in the market”, says Dr. Madurapperuma. It’s not only the ability to implement a solution, but recognise when to innovate and modify the solution to continue meeting the needs of a changing market and society. This is what keeps generations of entrepreneurs thriving and successful, he observes.

Value-added qualities “Passion fuels the drive and

determination required to be successful, you have to love what you do”, he says. If you aren’t fully passionate about what you are doing, the stress and obstacles will consume you and eventually be responsible for your downfall. “I have seen lots of young determined and passionate entrepreneurs, yet they lack the business knowledge which requires to be successful in the industry.

So they need to constantly learn about how the business works” he elaborates. “They also need all the guidance, inspiration, and motivation they can get to succeed as entrepreneurs, and creating a good network will be an added advantage.

Building a generation of entrepreneurs

While children may not be able to grasp the in-depth details of every aspect of business like adult entrepreneurs, they’re a lot smarter and intuitive than we think. The skills, character traits our children can learn as ‘little’ entrepreneurs will help them thrive their entire lives.

“We have to start from home”, says Dr. Madurapperuma.

“In the USA parents help and encourage their kids by building lemonade stands. We need a little creativity like that to keep them motivated and interested, and moreover we have to encourage them to be entrepreneurs, not necessarily doctors or engineers”, he opines.

39Magazine Education

Changing the mindset of aspiring youth

By Maheshika Premachandra

40 MagazineSustainability

Walking around ‘Selyn’ we encountered Monkeys hanging

by their tails on high shelves, purple dolphins, dolls, dogs, elephants and tortoises, waiting to be bought as fabric gifts.

Engulfed in a riot of colour, we were delighted by the array and variety of handloom fabrics neatly stashed with ornaments, artefacts, jewellery, shoes, toys and linen-covered books.

We met Sandra Wanduragala, whose fabric enterprise, has encompassed social service and eco-tourism and revived the handloom industry.

Having pursued a career in law, she changed course by converting her small home in Kurunegala to a handloom. She thus found the niche in life to express creativity and encourage enterprise in many rural women through the handloom industry.

Empowering Rural CommunitiesSelyn connects with the women of

the deep rural villages, connecting them by bicycle as an easy mode of transport. Their skills are sharpened and a livelihood created. Wanduragala has

also established a “Diriya” fund which benefi ts women.

The women whom she champions are from Kurunegala and Batticaloa. “There are about thousand women working on handlooms in Kurunegala and its environs alone. The women have machines in their houses. We import the yarn from India, dye it locally, and then weave it here. The produce you see in the

shop, ready for sale, is the fabric”, she informs.

A complementary “Till” fund caters to the children of these women at work, at the day-care in Kurunegala. “We buy books, shoes and clothes for these little ones, with the money collected”, she smiles.

Building Broken LivesThere are many abused women who

are empowered to be productive, by coming in to mainstream society, and encouraged to fashion jewellery items, which uses cast away pieces of bright cloth.

Another brand “Salvage” uses the hands, hearts and minds of those

stricken with HIV Aids. Work goes on and the larger fabric of life seems to show many sides to the enigma of handlooms.

SustainabilityWanduragala has

ventured in to eco-tourism. “I organise tailored tours

to villages and also offer traditional lunches on the ‘Nelum-kole’, and immerse the visitors in the traditions and the way of life of the villagers” she highlights.

We also do not waste the fabric by creating pulp from the residue, whilst every bit of cloth is either turned in to a minute piece of intricate jewellery, note-books, pouches, lanterns, cushions, clothes, shoes or toys, she notes with pride.

A Fabric EnterpriseRural women empowered

By Sharlene De ChickeraPix by Asel De Silva

Rural women empoweredRural women empowered

Sandra Wanduragala

“Your dreams are your own, focus and make it a reality, or you will be working to help someone realise theirs.”

Sri Lanka’s reputation in Global

Information Technology industry is on course to achieve unprecedented heights; with skilled knowledge workers and visionary business personnel, creating world class software.

Tony Weerasinghe, is one such visionary and the founder of Millennium Information Technologies (MIT), one of the largest, most successful Sri Lankan IT companies.

From an initial love for Engineering, Tony blazed a trail of success in e-commerce and IT, taking calculated risks and undaunted by crisis.

In the 1990s, Tony’s vision of starting an e-commerce company in Sri Lanka, saw the birthof E-channeling, the fi rst IT Company listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange.

MIT gradually gained a positive reputation of being a serious contender in the stock market software applications, and one the fastest systems in operation, at one time.

“We decided to sell MIT to our client London Stock Exchange (LSE), which had the credibility to cater to global stock markets”.

Joining the executive committee of the LSE, gave Tony good exposure to global business. Having resigned from LSE and MIT, he started Cainan Foundation.

Tony shares successful traits of entrepreneurs in this exclusive Skype interview.

“Firstly, I understood employees and partners. When I planned the MIT Campus in Malabe, everybody laughed at me, but it transformed in to a fully-fl edged facility, with the fastest, and a sustainable system. Secondly, I understood customers”, he says.

Be focused. This enables you to keep going when things don’t go in the expected way. The 9/11 attack cost us heavily, and our investors decided to give their internal outsourced business projects. However, I refused to change the business model from a product company to an outsourcing company. We recovered, sans any damage to our reputation as a specialised Stock Market Solutions Provider.

Youth should have confi dence in themselves and a strong self-belief. This has stood me in good stead. When I decided to sell MIT to the LSE, we all opted for shares and benefi ted.

Youth need to know that they too can be ‘catalysts’ for success in a

global arena. We aimed to develop, and developed systems which the world had never seen before, without perceiving ourselves as a third world country.

Think differently. This is typifi ed in E-channeling. Reasons for why you can’t do, should not be entertained, he opines.

Tony recommends the Government can empower entrepreneurs, providing the capital requirements while providing them with training and consultancy. The private sector can also join hands to empower”, he adds.

Tony also comments that IT knowledge is integral and eternal.

41Magazine Sustainability

By Navaka Navaratne “Live your dream and don’t give up”!

Tony Weerasinghe

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42 MagazineFeature

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~fƒp - Ry¥j »r»My£

A nnually an increasing number of students enroll in undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in business

offered by various local and international education providers in hopes of having a successful career as a business leader and as an entrepreneur. However, you will be amazed how little they know about selecting a recognized degree from an accredited university - which can make all the difference to the qualification they gain. Evidently, with the development in technology, communication and transport, the global market is expanding for businesses and various enterprises creating a huge range of opportunities for those who pursue a career in business. As the demand for business degrees increases, many education institutes offer specialized business programs that are becoming more and more common which however, might be limited to a paper qualification. Therefore students face the challenge of selecting a business degree that will help them outshine others as leaders in the business world and have the edge over other graduate in today’s competitive job market.

ANC Education, the pioneer of international higher education in Sri Lanka has been providing well recognized business degrees from prestigious universities in the world for over a decade with the vision to sharpen the knowledge and skills of Sri Lankan students who aspire to become leaders in the business world. ANC School of Business is focused on shaping the lives of students by preparing them to face the corporate world from the day one with the right set of knowledge and skills.

ANC as the largest provider of transnational education in Sri Lanka has given the benefits of international higher education to thousands of Sri Lankan students by giving them the choice of completing their American degree either in Sri Lanka or in their preferred destination overseas. At ANC, we help our students find the right path to achieve their life and career goals by offering them a range of internationally recognized business degrees in collaboration with highly reputed universities in the world such as Northwood University (NU) in the U.S.A.

A few facts about Northwood University: NU is one of America’s leading specialized business

universities with three residential American campuses, 29 extension centers in U.S., and International Program Centers in China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Switzerland. NU ranks 4thamong the top private business schools in the U.S.A. and is fully recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Sri Lanka as a foreign university. The award offered by NU is accepted in U.S.A., Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Middle-East for employment and higher education. NU has a unique working interaction with American business and industry on global scale. NU is also accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member if the North Central Association, U.S.A. The NU degree gives students access to acclaimed education with a global outlook and the award is geared to meet the demands of the industry with relevant academic content and practical knowledge. At ANC, we have a unique approach to education that gives students many academic advantages over other

students who obtain their qualifications from local education institutes. Our faculty consists of highly qualified professionals who have relevant master’s and doctorate degrees with experience and relevant industry exposure in the field of business – which reflect the high quality of education that we offer. ANC also has had the privilege of working with industry leaders and experienced individuals in the corporate world giving students the distinct advantage of networking with the corporategiants which provide students a great overview of the business world, a deep understanding and certain receptiveness.Upon graduation our students easily enter managerial roles in various industries and land solid well-paid jobs – and thrive in a global economy.Over many years, ANC School of Business has produced outstanding graduates who have excelled as entrepreneurs and marked their names as leaders in the corporate world.

The Co-op program at ANC, the most expansive cooperative education program in the country also facilitates students to gain work experience from 4 to 12 months to enhance their résumé. This program enables students to join major corporations in the country to get hands-on experience in the industry to apply what they learn in class to the real world while still being undergraduates. It is also a lucrative opportunity for students to explore the corporate world and find prospective employers before stepping to the world as graduates. This definitely helps our students to outperform other graduates as they enter the job market upon graduation. At ANC:• Our faculty encompasses an excellent academic panel with

PhD and Master Qualifications and with relevant industry exposure

• ANC Co-op Program is the Sri Lanka’s first ever cooperative education program and is among the largest and most renowned cooperative education programs

• We help students connect with top companies locally and internationally giving the opportunity to receive job placements with the corporate world while studying

• ANC sets the right environment for studies with top-notch facilities provided on par with international standards

• Our faculty contains all the amenities required for teaching and learning including access to partner universities, online library facilities and e-learning facilities such as Blackboard portal

• We provide students networking opportunities with professionals and industry leaders, through series of guest lectures, seminars and workshops, thus supplementing academic input with a rich learning experience

• We also assure smooth transfer of those who wish to transfer to selected universities overseas to complete their degreeANC School of Business is all about providing globally

recognized high quality education that gives you a common core with all the tools you need to launch your business career anywhere in the world andrise as far as you want in life.

For more information call 0777 44 99 55

ANC Education – Your Path to Become a Global Leader in Business

Marking Sri Lanka on the map after securing positions in the top ten listwere three youngsters who manoeuvred the art of scrabble. They are Janul de Silva aged 13 from Royal College (4th place),Thirandi De Silva aged 14 from Ladies College (6th place)and Lambotharan Yoganathan aged 17 from LIC Wattala (8th place) who represented Sri Lanka at the World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC) in Australia held this October.

Thus Sri Lanka became the only country with three fi nishers in the top ten and won the award for the best team. No other country had more than one player in the top ten. This is the fi rst time that Sri Lanka won the team award; the team was placed third in 2014.

In a tournament where a total of 106 players competed, this is quite an achievement.

Well done team!

Word Ninjas

Winning Scrabble Team

ESOFT, the leader in private sector, higher education in Sri Lanka will be opening a new chapter in its service to the nation by establishing a purpose built, state-of-the-art campus building in the heart of Colombo. Due to open in March 2016, this new building at No. 3, De Fonseka Road, Bambalapitiya is expected to create a world of opportunities for Sri Lankan students who wish to obtain an economical, internationally recognised qualification within a modern, academic environment.

This new eight storey location will feature facilities such as multimedia enabled classrooms, comprehensive library services, high tech computer laboratories and a variety of student recreation options. The computer labs are being equipped with the latest hardware/software and geared to provide unlimited access to the Internet through high speed broadband. A number of free

Wi-Fi hotspots will also be available throughout the building. The fully air-conditioned ESOFT library will be an excellent resource for research, containing a variety of text books, CDs, magazines and journals. It is being designed in a way that allows students to have a quiet place to study and reflect while ensuring that they can collaborate and be creative in groups. Several recreation areas as well as a spacious cafeteria are being built to enable students to mix, mingle and rejuvenate. The goal of constructing this new building was to provide local students with campus facilities which are comparable to facilities available in developed countries.

ESOFT is the most trusted name in Sri Lanka for high quality education and creates opportunities for over 20,000 youth each year.

ESOFT METRO CAMPUS to open new, state-of-the-art building in

the heart of Colombo

If you have got good results for the local AL exam,this may be your one in life time opportunity!In order to mark Northshore’s first Graduation Ceremony scheduled to be held in February 2016, we are offering ten full scholarships for students with very good AL results.

These scholarships will enable deserving students to complete the following engineering programmes of University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, UK absolutely free of charge:

BEng (Hons) in Civil EngineeringBEng (Hons) in Electrical &

Engineering The category of students we seek

are those who are destined to become Engineers, but are less likely to be selected to a state University to follow an engineering programme. Such students may be luckier if they get selected to our scholarship scheme as UWE, Bristol is a prestigious University with a World Ranking of 783, which is far above any of the state Universities offering engineering programmes in Sri Lanka.

To be eligible for the scholarships, you must have obtained three B passes or above in the mathematics stream (equivalent results include A, B, C and A, A, S). However, if you are among thebest five students in your school, we may consider you for the full scholarships even with lower results than three B passes or equivalent. Students who do their studies well will also stand a

chance to progress into master’s level and obtain the MEng degree after four years.

Apart from the full scholarshipsscheme, our concessionary loan scheme is another student support service we offer this year. For a limited number of students with good AL results, a concessionary bank loan scheme is availablefor January 2016 Intake, where Northshore will assume responsibility in guaranteeing repayment of the loan. Here again, we need the recommendation from the School Principal that the student has the capacity to successfully complete the three year Engineering programme.

We all know that good things are always in short supply. Therefore, our scholarship

offer will only last up to 15th January 2016 and you have got to act fast. As they say “Opportunity Knocks Only Once” and this may be your turn!

Eligible students can now contact Mr. Irshad on 071 5500 800or Ms. Roshini on 0115 990000for applications and to arrange an interview.

Inquiry@northshore.lkwww.northshore.lk

Ten Full Scholarships for Engineering Students at Northshore for January 2016 Intake

48 MagazineFeature

Truly Sri Lankan in a Global ContextV aruni Amunugama Fernando,

Entrepreneur, and Joint Managing Director of TRIAD shares her thoughts on ‘entrepreneurship’ and gives an insight at the zenith of her Team Triad.

Following a dream and being creative has allowed Varuni to be independent, have tremendous job satisfaction and enjoy local and global recognition.

Sharlene De Chickera interviewed the successful ‘lady-Entrepreneur’ in a seemingly ‘man’s world’.

Entrepreneurship represents ideas, innovation, talent, and the organisation in concern, such as TRIAD that acquires a set of values and skills, and most often risk is an inescapable part.

When we started out my colleague Dilith Jayaweera was the leader, and I being the visionary. I was the one who ‘lived-in-the-moment’ and Dilith was the strategist. Together we have compiled creative solutions. He was practical with fi nances. I was the one who spent on niceties.

However we are like-minded in terms of enhancing Sri Lanka, and are an indomitable team!

Today TRIAD is the mother company of 19 other subsidiaries, and we have backwardly integrated, comprising

100 plus team members. As an ‘entrepreneur’ I believe in challenging convention. I have the creative licence to create concepts that refl ect the inherent values and culture of Sri Lanka.

However, it is really the people in the rural areas whom I respect. Sometimes I wish I was born a

man, as a woman has a schedule to conform to. Triad has had its trials and tribulations. I have always maintained a positive attitude, and look on the positive side of things.

I have also integrated my professional and personal life and both areas give me contentment.

Dream BrandI wanted to build a brand, and

agency with a local name which was truly Sri Lankan. And bring out the inherent cultural values, norms and ethics through creatives and make it a mirror to the world.

My personal infl uences have been my father, who has always said to

be humble. His simplicity has been an inspiration to me. I also would like to cite my colleague, Dilith, who is the ‘creative-genius’. I also adhere to the Buddhist philosophy and the precepts of Lord Buddha as a ‘guiding-light’.

‘Honesty’ and ‘integrity’ are the two pillars that have

ensured that our company has gone from strength

to strength.For youth

in particular, entrepreneurship is an excellent option to channel their energy, creativity

and perspectives into fi nding creative

solutions.

By Sharlene De Chickera