We ask Dilshan De Silva from Dilaks Consultants about his successful entrepreneurship journey in taking companies from good to great
Embarking on the journey of entrepreneurship could be rather daunting, but not without its rewards. When you have a passion for making a difference, the challenges one faces are stepping stones to reach your optimal.
Being in the ISO industry, Dilshan is committed towards uplifting standards of Sri Lankan industries to ensure customers get the best in quality and efficiency, while local industries thrive in the export market. We ask him how his consultancy business can help the local economy and the community in creating a sustainable future for Sri Lanka.
Did you believe that you would be an entrepreneur?
I always wanted to start something on my own, because I felt I had the skills and the talent. I was also inspired by many other entrepreneurs who were adding value to society. This was just a thought in my mind when I was very young.
Why did you decide on entrepreneurship at such a young age?
At 26 I decided to quit my job and start my own. It all started when I was studying for my CIMA exams and I met someone in ISO consultancy. From then I made a career in quality and demand planning until I felt I wanted to take on greater challenges.
The turning point was this book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” where I realized that we are all struggling to survive and manage in a high pressured environment sometimes with no vision or optimal use of talent. Being on my own I felt I could add more value to organizations, learn more and balance life so that I would appreciate each day better.
So what is your business?
I run a consultancy company. This simply means we assist organizations in obtaining the relevant ISO Certificates and ensuring proper quality standards are met.
ISO is an international set standards from the International Organization for Standardization. This ensures that there is uniformity in high standards across industries. It aligns processes, it gives confidence to customers, and can increase your brand value.
So why choose to be in ISO consultancy?
As I said before, it started with inspiration of someone who was doing something similar. But more importantly being an ISO consultant meant that I would be involved in many types of businesses and exposed to different companies. I liked the idea of learning. Many industries like construction, pharmaceuticals, trading, manufacturing, food and service industries require standardization. I find all this pretty interesting to be involved in. I also have strong analytical and training skills, which is important for ensuring proper implementation support for clients.
More importantly I felt ISO was a good service where I can actually help build better brands for Sri Lanka.
How does it help?
It adds brand value, it helps maintain standards. There are many that are available, and standards like ISO 9000, ISO 14000 can be used in all industries. Obtaining standards can improve processes and organizational output, deliver cost savings, reduce the impact of a problem and increase the speed of recovery. By making improvements in your organization year after year, you would see sustained quality standards maintained.
Another important thing is to give customers the assurance of the safety, quality and credibility of a brand. When you spend money to buy a product or service, you obviously want to know that it is spent well. This is what I endeavor to achieve through implementation of standards.
Do you think the use of ISO standardization is effectively used in Sri Lanka?
No. I feel that some companies opt for ISO for the purpose of marketing and branding only. ISO in simple terms is doing the right thing. There seems to be a void and lack of awareness on the process itself. If you don’t know the real purpose which is actually implementing proper standards and limit it to just a document only, the objective of obtaining an ISO standard is lost.
Companies must make ISO part of their normal recurring business and importance should be given to improving every aspect of their organization. Long standing companies could fall into the trap of complacency and assume their quality is good enough, customers are happy and there is no need to change or upgrade. This is a potential risk, because consumers evolve and are continuously upgrading knowledge; already the demand for ethical, safe, sustainably produced goods and services are rising. Organizations must be vigilant about this.
The other observation I made is that companies and brands that need to be taking certification are not doing so. This is an area that requires attention, especially if we want to serve our customers and help them have better quality brands.
How do you feel you are contributing to the Development of Sri Lankan economy?
Maintaining good practices, and continuous improvement in our products and services will help Sri Lanka thrive in its economy, exports and help customer & community progress. This is how I would like to contribute towards a sustainable, safe and better country.
A message for entrepreneurs?
If you have the ability and skill, do what you like. This gives you the freedom to contribute fully using your knowledge and ability. There would be challenges, unprecedented events and disappointments. At times like these, take a break, re-energize and start a new page.