The splendid enterprise

Linda Speldewinde, award winning fashion entrepreneur reveals her success strategies:

Suharshi PERERA

She calls herself a ‘strategist’. Having a theoretical mind that can see through the gaps and spotting needs pushed her to great heights in her domain-the creative industry and the home front.

Creations of some of her students

Having fashioned her thinking to match her roots running fast into the international arena, Linda Speldewinde bagged the award for the national winner of the International Young Fashion Entrepreneur 2009 (Creative Sector) presented by the British Council.

“I’m not a designer myself but I bring in the visionary aspect and direction to the final output,” the young and vibrant award winner says.

Speldewinde will vie for the International Young Fashion Entrepreneur 2009 award which is to be held in London, next month. Other eight contestants are from India, Brazil, Indonesia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Tunisia and Vietnam.

Being rewarded for her vision, ambition and her management strategies Speldewinde administers her own academy of design. While walking on the path designed for an ambitious woman with an eye for creativity, Speldewinde broke new grounds in the industry with Italian designer Titziano Picgono backing her.

“There is a very few design institutions in Sri Lanka. So the young designers here are denied international exposure and connect with global trends in designing,” she said.

Having brought up in Mount Lavinia and educated at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, the budding entrepreneur completed her higher studies in Management at the Post Graduate Institute of Management of the Sri Jayawardenepura University.

Though her senses were more inclined towards mathematics and facts and figures she inherited an eye for creativity.

“Playing chess and studying mathematics sharpened my thinking power and developed my senses to balance and effectively manage the time and resources,” she remarked. Being a wife, mother of two and at the sametime going up the ladder of success in her career, the art of balancing helped me enormously, she added.

“As a woman and mother I lead a very normal life. Nearly 99 per cent working for me are women. We need to identify the priorities.

I think women have such great capacity to be change agents in society.

They have many roles they play, that of mother, wife and sometimes working women or entrepreneur. All these roles develop a woman in to such a unique individual with diversity and many interests.

Women have a great capacity to reflect, appreciate life in its fullest sense and no matter which role they play, they have the capacity make society a better place. If you are a mother, by leaving society with wonderfully developed children who would make a contribution back. To achieve this requires lots of investment of a woman’s time.

Many problems in modern society evolve from neglected children of parents who have no time for them. It is important to remember that you are women and you have a special role and in achieving this role you are entitled to your own successes, your own struggles and your own vulnerabilities.

This is what makes you special”, she contemplates.

Linda Speldewinde treading the path to success

According to her, one should not go with the flow just to rise higher in life. “If that happens we tend to forget the bigger picture. Work is there to support life. Life comes first,” she observed.

Planning your work is also very important, she says.

“When you wake up in the morning you should plan the work and should be fully committed to what you do,” she added.

Managing time effectively and being focused are instrumental in her success, Speldewinde said.

She believes women are better entrepreneurs but the lack of confidence slows down their pace.

Read, reflect and think is her forte. “I read a lot. That’s how I improve my thinking. Books are my mentors.”

She has traveled around the world and it added a lot to her life. Winning the forthcoming contest will be an open corridor to take the creative industry in Sri Lanka to the global platform, she observed.

The challenge before us is to carve a Sri Lankan identity in the global creative industry, she said. And she is treading the path steadily towards success.

Eat your way to health

A healthy diet and lifestyle not only help you feel better but may also boost the immune system and contribute to long term prevention of serious illness. Regular exercise and a balanced diet can help you achieve a healthy body and sense of well-being.

Fat Attack

Too much fat is linked to increasing blood cholesterol levels and increased risk of coronary heart disease, as well as leading to obesity. Most of us eat too much of the wrong types of fat. This is saturated fat (found in foods such as pies, pastries and biscuits) and can lead to raised blood cholesterol levels whilst unsaturated fats such as oily fish, avocados, nuts and seeds can help to lower cholesterol.

For good health, it’s a good idea to cut down on the total amount of fat you eat and to choose lower fat options (foods that have 3g fat or less per 100g are considered low in fat).

Salt Assault

Eating too much salt is linked to raised blood pressure, which may lead to an increased risk of heart disease or stroke. Many people are unaware of how much salt they are consuming and do not realise the ‘hidden’ salt content in many food products.

Checking nutrition labels can help you manage your daily salt intake. Why not try choosing reduced salt alternatives? Look out for foods containing 1.25g salt or more per 100g (0.5g sodium or more per 100g) as an indication of products containing a lot of salt. Try to get into the habit of tasting your food before adding salt and you may find that you do not really need to add any, or try seasoning food with herbs and spices instead for added flavour.

Eat your way to health!

Fruit and vegetables should make up most of the food you eat each day - it is important that you eat a variety in order to benefit from different nutrients. Five portions of about 80 grams a day is a good, attainable target.

Try counting your portions of fruit and vegetables every day and find ways to add fruit and vegetables to every meal.

Try some of the tips below to increase your portion consumption.

Mashed carrot and sweet potato are full of nutrients and make a tasty alternative to traditional mashed potato - steam first and season with black pepper and a little butter.

Avocados contain more fat than most fruit and vegetable but can be eaten in moderation as they contain monounsaturated fatty acids which may help to lower cholesterol levels in the blood.

Avocados also contain lots of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E and vitamin B6. Add sliced avocado to salads and mix with tomato and other salad ingredients.

Spinach is another great source of vitamin C and also contains iron and folic acid - good for healthy blood and circulation.

Chopped vegetables add extra flavour and nutrients to any meal. Try adding vegetables to pasta sauces and to hot dishes, such as stews, casseroles or curries.

Thebeautybiz.com

‘Third-hand smoke’ - Parents be aware

Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air of second-hand smoke, but experts now have identified another smoking-related threat to children’s health that isn’t as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke.

That’s the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after smoke has cleared from a room.

The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they’re crawling or playing on the floor.

Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term “third-hand smoke” to describe these chemicals in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children.

“When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and smoke, and they think it’s okay because the second-hand smoke isn’t getting to their kids,” Winickoff continued.

“The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke,” he said.

“There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke, and they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with them.”

International Herald Tribune