‘Your Community’ is a series that hopes to bring recognition and business to the amazing entrepreneurs of our country, to appreciate the wealth of talent and sheer resilience of spirit that exists among our people. When spoken to, the majority of the SME’s indicate that their challenges are similar. They are struggling with access to market and access to finance. They need guidance and support to overcome such obstacles. This Column “Your Community” addresses the need to create awareness, by sharing their compelling stories so that potential customers out there can connect with them. WCIC along with many partner organisations conduct continuous capacity building programmes for SMEs to gain knowledge in all aspects of business development. Your Community provides exposure to inspirational women entrepreneurs by sharing their story and making the world know how these courageous ladies are forging ahead. We invite you to interact and engage with these entrepreneur and support local businesses. We feature this week an entrepreneur who has been supported by the WCIC in her journey.
Q Tell us about yourself?
Nilakshi Hasanthika hails from Ratnapura and today is the proud owner of Nilakshi Greetings which specialises in creating handmade cards to express your feelings and emotions irrespective of the occasion. “I characterise myself as one who will never give up once I have set my mind on a task. My story is simple and my desire is to be bigger and better in the future. I firmly believe that education opens many doors and is the core to one’s success. I possess a Bachelors Degree in Arts from the University of Kelaniya and a Diploma in Business Management from the University of Sri Jayawardanepura. Despite my professional qualifications, I chose to be an entrepreneur.
The year 2005 was when my story took a different turn. Financial pressure spiralled, I felt the need to step in and support the family income but securing traditional employment was not on the cards as I was pregnant with my eldest daughter. I had to move swiftly, take the lead and change the status co rather than reminisce over the predicament in hand. I deep dived and tapped into what I can do best – it certainly had to be a venture related to art and craft, so I chose to create handmade greeting cards to cater to any emotion or occasion.
Many people questioned my choice of business, as the market for handmade greeting cards was limited and non-progressive back in 2005. These sentiments didn’t frighten me rather they got my adrenaline pumping and I wanted to work against all odds. In June 2005, I accepted the challenge and commenced my venture – Nilakshi Greetings with only Rs 50 in my wallet just enough to purchase the basic materials such as Bristol board and a few ribbon flowers for my maiden batch of cards. I made my supplies available to the local bookshop in Kollonawa -my first customer and one who was never shy of providing constructive criticism. Feedback provided me with the opportunity to do better in the future.
Q How did you positively use the feedback?
Since childhood, I was known to be a sensitive person hence handling such feedback was a challenge but I rose to it. My inner voice kept pushing me forward and I wanted to progress so I opened my mind to make use of both positive and negative feedback.
Based on the feedback I had to spruce up the presentation and the finesse of the card so I was compelled to source higher quality materials and devote more time to fine tune the details of the cards and their appearence. At the outset, the quality focused strategy was certainly not commercially viable given the low margins but I witnessed that my cards gained more visibility among the local bookshops. The local bookshops, continued to replenish their stocks with higher volumes and my cash flow became steadier.
Every small win became my inspiration and my thirst to do better became intense. I continued to reinvest the proceeds received from sales to purchase new materials and enhance the creativity of every card.
The constructive criticism, I received went a long way. It stimulated and motivated me to do better. I progressed from small steps to quantum leaps and commenced supplying to Tillakaratne Textile outlets, Arpico Super Centres, The Lover outlets, florists and many local bookshops. Never fear to accept criticism, it brings out your super power.
Q Do you feel that modern networking platforms can be a threat to your business?
Modern networking platforms such as WhatsApp or Facebook are certainly trendy and convenient to the millennial customer and it may be deduced that the market for traditional cards is likely to decline with the more tech driven alternatives. However the market statics and performance data are completely the reverse. The market for greeting cards has steadily increased with special reference to the niche market of handmade cards. Unlike the imported cards that have generic words expressing an emotion a handwritten card gives the sender the opportunity to express their feeling in their own words.
Sending a greeting card is not just a tradition but a way of connecting and building relationships and I believe that it is unlikely to go out of fashion. However, I am a business woman and it is good to be certain of uncertainty as this prompts me to explore new opportunities to diversify and recreate.
Q How do you cope with competition?
Competitors are my greatest motivators; competition brings out the best in me as I want to differentiate by creating an authentic look and feel to each and every greeting card.
Imported printed greeting cards with generic words have bulldozed the market given their volumes, accessibility and relatively cheaper prices. Previously the local consumer favoured imported products over the handmade greeting cards. It was a tough fight to secure shelf-space and gain visibility for a “Sri Lankan made” product among the local customers.
Trying to penetrate and gain spotlight certainly kept me active and energised. What Nilakshi Greetings offers is not only a greeting card but a personalised handmade card that is appealing to the modern customer.
My styles and designs have changed over the years, and are in sync with global and local trends. I ensure that Nilakshi Greeting Cards are visible to the customer by having sufficient stocks complemented with methodically arranged shelves at all supermarkets and shopping centers.
All it takes is your persistence and positive attitude to remain in the market by creating something unique. Today customers look for locally produced, environmentally friendly handmade cards, to express their personal feelings without worrying too much about the price tag. We welcome the demand and value our customers place on our products and giving a fair price for our greeting cards is one of the core values of Nilakshi Greetings. As an entrepreneur it is important to think on your feet which is what I did by diversifying my product portfolio and manufacturing wrapping papers. As an Entrepreneur you need to think SMART and always explore new opportunities to remain competitive in the market.
The market for greeting cards has steadily increased with special reference to the niche market of handmade cards.”
Q What are your future plans?
As a country Sri Lanka has so much to offer to the world including our rich history and cultural heritage and traditions. Sri Lankan arts and crafts are desired by the western world and are used even as home decorations and personal accessories.
On the other hand, Sri Lankans are known for their hospitality, warm smile and undying love for family and friends. Nilakshi Greetings wants to further endorse the Sri Lankan image by exporting wooden crafted greeting cards to USA, Europe and Australia. These greeting cards will include traditional wood carvings representing different cultures across Sri Lanka featuring different emotions.
Wooden crafted cards are centred around creativity and will use modern state of the art laser cutting technology. The commercial success of the concept would be dependent on the application of modern technology and the ability to secure a collaborative partnership to assist in International Marketing. There is a common saying that “if there is a will there is a way” and I am confident Nilakshi Greetings will strike a win.
Q Tell us about who helped you in achieving success?
Success is what we achieve with the help of everyone – the credit should go to all those who supported me through thick and thin. My success was certainly defined by my husband. He is my pillar of support who went beyond his call of duty and supported my dream to make Nilakshi Greetings a success. When I commenced business operations, I was a young mother trying to manage a business, home and the needs of an infant.
My husband stepped in and took all marketing activities under his wing. Nilakshi Greetings may have died a natural death if not for his tireless efforts to stack the cards at every local bookshop and store. His wasted and ripped out footwear are clear evidence of his commitment towards supporting me. His words were filled with encouragement and praise and he never uttered a word of complaint. Having his support makes me a millionaire and a content entrepreneur, perhaps a rare blessing to many. To me family is not defined by blood but by relationships, compassion and trust. The Women’s Chamber of Industry & Commerce (WCIC) is my family outside home since 2015. WCIC was at the forefront of providing knowledge via training programmes, mentoring support and exposing SME Entrepreneurs to new opportunities.
My participation at the 2015 Women Entrepreneur Awards was certainly an eye opener for me. The exposure and experience gained led me to secure the Merit Award at the Women Entrepreneur Awards (SME Category) in 2017. If you are a go getter seeking business growth and relationship building is critical and this is offered to you on a platter at WCIC.
Q What is your message to future entrepreneurs?
Study and educate yourself. It doesn’t mean that you have to secure a desk job. Get married and start a family. It doesn’t mean that you need be homebound, only responsible for household chores.
Be SAMRT – use your education, use your time, support your family and make yourself happy.
The Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) is the premier organisation supporting entrepreneurs and professional business-women. The membership is open to women who believe they can contribute to society as well as benefit from the many facilities the organisation creates.
