Mallika Perera excels in doll making

Hobby turns into lucrative business venture:

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

Dolls are fascinating items that bring immense pleasure to children, especially to girls. As children, majority of us were fortunate to have at least one doll in our childhood. However, we never thought that they could be made if we took some effort and mastered the art. Mallika Perera creates many of these dolls, a venture started as a hobby became a successful commercial entity today. Her creations are adorable and a treat to the eye where numerous children were lucky to have them.

She was interviewed by Daily News Business. Excerpts of the interview.

Q. What business are you engaged in and how do you set about it?

A. I engage in doll making and rag dolls making is my speciality. My venture under brand name “Dollys” was set up in 2005. I am the sole proprietor. I started making dolls as a hobby and the items were very popular among my friends. Gradually there were many orders and I was compelled to employ two to meet the growing demand. I have ten staff members working at Dollys at present.

The venture grew gradually and the items are a popular choice as children’s birthday gifts. The reason behind the expansion of business is because I gifted the dolls I made at the initial stage and I received an encouraging feedback. The word of mouth resulted in increase demand. I strive to maintain high quality products now.

I followed a course on rag doll and doll making under the guidance of Sriyani Tennakoon. This fascinated me and I tried out different items at home and mastered the art of doll making. I was blessed with artistic skills and this helps a great deal in the business to progress.

As the demand grew I converted a part of my house into a workshop where I produce to match market requirements. This made me easy to carry out both activities, house and business in a convenient way. At the initial stages I supplied these items to shops in Colombo and suburbs. The Lady J, leading one stop shopping complex owners Sumanadasa duo supported me in my endavour where I got a readymade market place. The bulk of items produced are showcased here. This was a huge opportunity for my products.

Currently I export to the Netherlands, a country that is very quality conscious. I have been exporting for the past few years as my products meet the required quality standards. I got the order through the Export Development Board. The Industrial Development Board too supported me.

I also participate in many trade exhibitions, organised by the Government and the private sector such as Shilpa, Deyata Kirula and Kedella to promote my products.

Q. How do you balance your family life and business?

A. My husband J.A. Perera is the livewire behind this successful venture. His encouragement and support gives me the strength to go that extra mile. He handles the marketing aspect and this gives me time to concentrate on production side. I continue the business which is blossoming due to the untiring family support. I have three daughters and two are married. The eldest daughter is a web designer and other two are working in banks one is a bank manager and the other is a banking officer.

I started the venture on commercial basis when my daughters were grown up. I had free time and wanted to utilize it meaningfully.

Q. What were the challenges you faced?

A. This is a hobby that turned into a successful business. At this stage I faced many challenges as it was the very first time that I did this on a large scale. The purchasing of materials, finding a market and costing the items were the challenges I faced.

Q. What are your goals?

A. I continually add items to the existing product range. I am proud to say that Dolly’s is one of the ventures that meet international standards in the soft toy industry. This gives me immense satisfaction.

I strive to continue this high quality and standards for the business to sustain and grow. I have plans for expansion as similar products in the market which mostly imported are expensive. I produce affordable and attractive items where there is a growing demand.

Q. Being a woman was it an advantage to be in business?

A. Being a woman was an advantage in this business. I design products for children who are very close to my heart. I imagine the happiness they get by these products. I am extra careful when using the materials and other accessories.

Q. What is your advice to women in business?

A. Women should be dedicated and have patience. These are key ingredients for success. Women have to face ups and downs in life courageously. They need to strike a balance between family and business as both are equally important. It is essential to find ways and means to make use of idle time fruitfully.

Q. What are your achievements in family and business?

A. In the family front, I am proud of my three daughters who are well educated and employed. All three are doing well and this gives me great satisfaction.

With regard to my business, I won the first place in a competition conducted by Lanka Hands. I depicted the famous Gajaman Nona as the award winning creation. I also have won several awards and recognition for my work. It is important for me that when my products are being rewarded.

All my efforts are to supply a quality product at an affordable price. I continue to maintain the same quality and standard to enable the long run of the industry. I have set an example by producing high quality items which are accepted in Europe also. This I consider an achievement.

Q. What is your contribution to society?

A. I help others in the industry especially differently able persons to do things right. I have been praised for guiding them. I conducted a number of TV programs in leading TV channels.

I also share my knowledge to people who are interested in doing this on a commercial basis.

Though, I conducted classes in the early days now it has been difficult due to time constraints.

However, I am willing and ready to extend a helping hand for anyone who needs my assistance.

I also intend to start classes again in the near future after re-scheduling my work.

My business falls under the category of the SME sector. This sector contributes largely to the country’s socio-economic development by way of revenue and employment generation.

However, the support the sector receives is not sufficient.

The soft toy industry needs skills development and recognition. This will benefit and encourage the new-comers to engage in a lucrative self-employment venture.

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In Sri Lanka although women contribute more than men to the national GDP, their participation is much less in many other areas including business and politics. Some women who do well in business are not featured in the media.

Therefore, Daily News Business began a Women in Business column to encourage and highlight women in business to fill this void.

We invite women in business (large and medium sectors) to send their details to [email protected] or by post. The suitable applicants will be featured in this column.