Life style
Power of social media to grow their businesses
Despite being faced with an uncertain economic future and gender-related barriers, women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka have risen to the challenge and demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability by turning to social media to not only sustain but to grow their businesses to new levels.
Meet Nishadi Gamage, a young woman from Yatinuwara who turned her dream of starting a business into reality. She came up with Crafting Hawi, a home-based business that actively uses social media as a primary tool to promote her handcrafted wedding invitations, wedding cake boxes, party invitations and similar handcrafted products. Her captivating creations are posted on Facebook and Instagram to help build engagement with potential customers and obtain orders.
Nishadi commenced her business in early 2019 using Facebook where she simply uploaded photos and details of her creations to her page. However, her business was transformed later that year once she was presented with the opportunity to participate in the Suhuruliya program in Yatinuwara where she gained an in-depth understanding of how to market and grow her business using digital tools.
The Suhuruliya program is a program of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) and the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment. Meta, formerly known as the Facebook company, partnered with the initiative through its SheMeans Business program to support women-owned businesses and to enable the social and economic empowerment of women in Sri Lanka through ICT-enabled entrepreneurship. SheMeansBusiness is focused on leveling the playing field by ensuring women have equal access to tools and networks that will allow their businesses to thrive. It also seeks to celebrate and spotlight women who despite the additional challenges they face, continue to drive their businesses to success.
Nishadi immediately put her newly-acquired knowledge into action by using Facebook and has been receiving a very positive response ever since, leading to impressive growth of her business. Although she received only a couple of orders monthly in the months prior to her training, today she operates at maximum capacity handling 30-50 orders per month out of which approximately 60-70 percent have been generated strictly via Facebook promotions.
Over the years, she has also expanded her knowledge on product photography so that she can take better photos of her creations while sourcing various machinery to streamline her production operations. She is also making plans to open her own store in Yatinuwara in the near future.
“I have been successfully running my business on social media for four years. There is a lot of interest in wedding and party invitations. Thanks to digital tools, I can reach a wider audience with a much lesser investment and can take on a lot of orders.” – Nishadi Gamage
Another Sri Lankan woman who has successfully embarked on her entrepreneurial journey is T.M.B. Tennakoon who runs Thuru Sisila Plant Nursery. Based in the hill country town of Welimada, the business markets a wide range of flowers and plants. Following several years of reasonable growth, in 2019, Tennakoon attended the Suhuruliya training session where she was able to gain insights into Facebook promotions. She gradually began using her new knowledge to market her business on Facebook.
During the period of 2020-2022 when they were travel restrictions, 90 percent of her business was done through Facebook. Currently, 40 percent of her monthly income comes through her Facebook page. Since using social media for marketing, she has seen her business grow by over 50 percent. She now employs five full-time workers, has expanded her greenhouse from 300 sq. ft to 7,500 sq. ft. and has converted her store into a modern showroom to provide greater convenience to customers.
“I started my business a long time ago and built it up gradually, one step at a time. During the early days, suppliers came to my house to buy my flowers and plants, but later I realized that they were irregular with their visits. That’s when I started to promote my business on social media using Facebook and WhatsApp. Soon I started getting lots of orders and identified a new mechanism to deliver flowers to customers.” – T.M.B Tennakoon
On March 15 this year, ICTA, the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment and Meta, hosted a national forum to celebrate the achievements of Sri Lankan women entrepreneurs who are using digital platforms for business. They announced the impact of the program over the last five years and deliberated the plan for the next phase of women’s economic development as part of their partnership on the Suhuruliya program contributed through Meta’s SheMeansBusiness initiative. Tennakoon’s success was recognized at the event and she won the award for “Best Suhuruliya Entrepreneur’ in the Badulla District.
As a key partner, Meta enhanced the technological aspects of the Suhuruliya initiative by introducing its expertise and advanced tools to help educate women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka about the power of digital technologies to grow their businesses while also making them more resilient to the fluctuations of today’s challenging economy. Currently, over 17,000 women entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka have received training on digital skills. Furthermore, impact surveys have revealed that the overall income levels of trained women entrepreneurs had increased by 36 percent and a total addition of LKR 1.2 billion in annual income in businesses of trained women entrepreneurs have been recorded.
For more information about how Meta is providing access to resources and training for women-owned businesses, visit www.facebook.com/business/shemeansbusiness.
Institute of Hospitality Sri Lanka
The 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the UK-based Institute of Hospitality’s Sri Lanka Chapter was held recently at the Ramada Hotel Colombo,.The event provided an evening of camaraderie , reflection of the past and present achievements,setting new benchmarks for the future
The AGM had the presence of two distinguished guests, the Chief Guest Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and the Guest of Honour British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick. Their inspiring speeches were lauded by all hoteliers who were present at the occasion
A special thanks was extended to Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality UK, along with his team, sponsors, committee members, and all attendees for making the event memorable.
Dr. Harsha Jayasingh, Past President of the Institute of Hospitality (UK) Sri Lanka Chapter, emphasised the Institute’s longstanding history and the strength of its Sri Lankan branch. “The Institute of Hospitality (IH) UK has a history of 86 years, and we are proud to be the Sri Lanka Branch. IH Sri Lanka is much stronger now with many members from all areas of the hospitality industry,” he stated.
Dr. Jayasingh highlighted the significant role of tourism in Sri Lanka’s economy,. He said tourism it is the third-largest source of revenue for the country. “Tourism accounts for about 13.3% of total foreign exchange earnings and employs 450,000 people directly and indirectly. The hospitality industry in this island of pearl holds tremendous potential for economic growth, job creations, and cultural exchange,” he added.
He also pointed out more women should be attracted to the industry and advocated for the use of technology in hospitality sector to attract the younger generation.
The newly appointed Chairman Ramesh Dassanayake spoke about the challenges faced by the industry, including the reluctance of youth to join the sector. . Dassanayake expressed concerns over the migration of staff between hotels and the overall ‘brain drain’ in the sector. ” We must maintain high standards in the hotel We must try to attract tourists to Sri Lanka, we must have with many facilities Hence, hotel schools and other professional institutions involved in skills development mustincrease their intakes,” he pointed out.
Chief Guest Sajith Premadasa emphasised the importance of eco tourism and said “We need to have an environmental policy related to tourism in place,” . .
The 32nd AGM of the Institute of Hospitality UK, Sri Lanka Chapter, was a testament to the strength and potential of Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry. The insights and commitments shared during the event set a new benchmark for the future.(ZC)
Pix by Thushara Attapathu
Life style
He recognizes human identity beyond boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
Visit of Sri Gurudev to Sri Lanka
Humanitarian, spiritual leader and Global Ambassador of Peace Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Sri Gurudev) was in Sri Lanka on a three day tour on the invitation of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunewardene. Gurudev who inspired a wave of volunteerism and service to moot one of the largest volunteer-based organisations in the world – The Art of Living – visited the various projects under the aegis of the foundation and launched twelve vocational and technical centers around the island. He was accompanied by thousands of followers from Sri Lanka and around the world.
Gurudev who visited Sri Lanka for the sixth time also had a first day cover launched in honour of his visit. He is a strong proponent of spreading happiness, using the unique Sudarshan Kriya, yoga, meditation and practical wisdom to unite people, empower individuals and transform communities. His programmes provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life, while his non-profit organisations recognize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
The Art of Living which has more than 30,000 teachers and over one million volunteers across 180 countries has touched in excess of five hundred million people around the world. CNN called it “Life Changing” and The Washington Post headlined it, “Fresh air to millions”.
In Trincomalee, Gurudev met with war victims and had a heartwarming engagement with the children from the children’s homes run by the Foundation. He also visited the Koneswara Temple in Trincomalee and graced the Kumbhabhishekam at Seetha ecogPnize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion. Amman temple at Nuwara Eliya. He held discussions with the trustees on the progress of the foundation’s social service projects, while also holding a special event – Ekamuthuwa – attended by a large number of dignitaries and his devotees from around the world.
His time with the Prime Minister was spent discussing the prospects of unity in diversity and uniting Sri Lanka by adding happiness into the formula of living. In addition he had discussions with the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, prominent business stewards and civil society leaders.
by Zanita Careem
Envison your dream wedding day come to life at the Epitome Hotel, a prestigious city hotel in Kurunegala offering an unrivalled luxury rendors experience for weddings.
The venue is designed to embody opulence and luxury from all quarters for a spectacular wedding in kurunegala,Thier ballroom is the largest banquet facility in Sri Lanka It can be divided into six luxurious pillarless wedding halls on the ground floor and 25pax smaller banquet halls.
It can be easily named as a five star heaven in the heart of the city contributing to a myriad of immense experiences tailored to inspire and delight wedding experiences.
From opulent décor set up to exquisite table decor, lavish food, every detail is meticulously curated to spark your imagination and ignite creativity for a perfect wedding. The previous prestigious wedding shows season one and season two attracted large crowds
were unique events which gave the wedding vendors and potential clients had an opportunity to connect and interact with each other. Beyond being a showcase it was a chance for the wedding vendors to unite and contribute to the vibrancy of the wedding industry. The wedding show covered all area of the bridal industry providing a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became the most popular bridal exhibitions in Kurunegala.This bridal exhibitions allowed brides and grooms to experience first hand the products and services available from suppliers in Sri Lanka
These wedding shows held at The Epitome created a benchmark and gave an opportunity for vendors to create connections to the utmost satisfaction said Harshan Lakshita Executive Director. of the magnificent Hotel
Our wedding shows featured experts and professionals in every field‘ It covered all areas of the bridal industry provided a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became most popular bridal exhibition in this region.We are always open to everyone to join us at our wedding shows in the future. It is an opportunity to discover the incredible talent within our local wedding and bridal vendors to make meaningful relationships and plan thier special day at our breathtaking hotel The Epitome said General Manager Kavinda Caldera
The Epitome Hotel’s bridal show which will be held end of June will buzz with great ideas,advice and inspiration for all those who plan thier dream wedding
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The Hotel Epitome’s Wedding Season 3 will marked excellence, celebration and inspiration for those in the wedding industry. The exhibition halls will resonate with ideas on exquisite bridal wear to decor, florists , photography etc and showshowcase the rich tapestry of talent within the local wedding industry. .
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