“Better the balance better the world”
The most attractive thing about a woman they say is her confidence. With all the buzz about women’s day we at LBN embarked on a new initiative of recognising strong women who can inspire and build not just young women out there but also the young men. Because women are to be celebrated everyday not just one day of the year !
Today we have a talented and rising entrepreneur Piyumi Nanayakkara the founder of a unique range of cosmetics and personal care products. Her brand Heritancy Manufacturers, is known for its ethical values, is completely vegetarian, has no alcohol and no harmful additives. We had the opportunity to discuss with Piyumi about her journey as an entrepreneur.
What was your childhood dream ?
I was always creative as a child, and was very interested in making something new, creating interesting things and experimenting. I liked art and crafts, so I always knew that my future held something exciting and innovative.
How would you describe yourself ?
Well I am definitely task oriented! But most of all I would describe myself as a confident woman who believes in herself. You can achieve anything if you set your goals high and I am someone who would persistently strive to be the best I can be.
Why did you decide to start your own business ?
I had worked in the cosmetics industry and always had a fascination for aromas and herbal products. I also believe that every individual just needs their potential to be discovered or enriched through the right products that take care of them. My Bsc. In Biochemistry, Microbiology and Genetics offered me a great platform to do further research into what kind of products I could introduce to make people confident and comfortable by taking care of their body, beauty and wellbeing.
What are the challenges faced in your journey ?
Well I started off as a home industry on a small scale. My first products were handmade soaps which I made in different colours and shapes. I Initially got a stall at the good market and slowly built my clientele through this.
My biggest challenges were finance, stress and time. In the first few years we made little or no profit and I had to work hard, night and day. I couldn’t hire a team at the time so I single handedly did everything from making the products, packing them and even the invoicing and finance. I had to put all my effort and time towards making my brand a success. But I never gave up. I knew that hard work pays off.
Today I have a factory and a team of dedicated staff to assist me in my range of soaps, scrubs, shampoos, toners and a variety of personal care and cosmetics products. We also provide guest room amenities to over 35 villas and hotels.
How do your products make a difference ?
Our products are vegetarian and contains no animal derivatives. We believe in ethical brands and make sure they are safe on the skin and body. We have no parabens, alcohol or harmful additives.
Our concept is eco friendly products with no artificial additives, colours or fragrances.
What is the role of women in society and life ?
Women are special because they have to play multiple roles. Especially for this gender, balancing personal life and career is important. She is seen as the person to protect the family unit and influence her children, siblings or friends. So I would say she is a role model and she has to bear a lot of responsibility.
Do you think women can do great business?
Yes for sure ! women can balance and allocate time because they have always been expected to play multiple roles; a mentor, supporter, supervisor to the people around them. I believe women have a deep understanding of people and can build meaningful relationships.
This of course naturally makes them good networkers! I thing the most important strenghth they possess is the ability to face challenges and resilience to forge ahead.
Do you think more women should become entrepreneurs ?
Yes, because they can be independent and use their abilities to offer something unique to customers. This will also make them more confident and allow them to explore their full potential
Some words of wisdom for the ladies out there ?
Start small. Start with passion. Give it your all. There would be times that your challenges will make you want to give up. But keep moving forward. You will fly.
Some advise for the men ?
Support ladies, encourage, appreciate, listen and understand them. Give them opportunities based on skills, abilities and knowledge.
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