Women are born managers

Dilrukshi Dharmasena shows the way:

Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

Venturing into business needs special aptitudes, as everyone is not capable of tasting success. However, family background plays a key role in having a viable business operation and it also supports to have pre-knowledge on how to apply managerial skills to meet the end goals.

Chulani Dilrukshi Dharmasena

To engage in a profitable business needs accurate decision-making, proper management of human resources an effective and efficient operational system and an ability to think far. For Chulani Dilrukshi Dharmasena these pre-requisites and the essential qualities were in abundance and she steered her venture to remarkable heights achieving the desired results. She continues in her business which has a regular demand.

Her ambition is to become a significant player in the apparel industry which is within her reach.

She was interviewed by Daily News Business.

Excerpts of the interview.

Q: What is the business you are engaged in and how do you set about it?

A: I am presently engaged in the garments trade providing finished goods for the industry on a sub-contract basis. This involves the production of garments for both men and women. My items are exported on a regular basis. My clients include buyers from the USA and the UK. We have managed to maintain and sustain orders achieving stability in our operations and being competitive at the same time.

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

A: I am in a fortunate position of being born to parents who are involved in active business with a well-set organization running extremely profitably. My husband Srinath Anthony being a planter is very supportive of my being a businesswoman. Without his guidance, motivation and inspiration I could not have reached my goal. I have two children, daughter Hirushi and son Tharishma. They are well engaged in their educational fields and have indeed been an asset to me. They have been able to stay clear of many problems on their own.

These facts have been most helpful to me in management of business activities with time and energy at my command. The family unity have played a major role in striking a balance between family life and business. As it is important to spend quality time with my family I have adjusted my schedule to meet this requirement. This also has helped my children to do well in their lives.

Q: What were the challenges you faced?

A: Handling unskilled labourers brought in many a problem since most of them were without a technological background and faced difficulties in handling modern equipment. Constant supervision became a time killer. These difficulties had to be gradually overcome by instilling in the workers that the best preparation for tomorrow was to do today’s work wholeheartedly and with willpower.

Awards won by Chulani

Q: What are your goals?

A: My philosophy in life is ambition and perseverance. Having won 13 awards presented to small business enterprises, I was fortunate to receive the Gold Award for small category at the ceremony organized by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2009.

These awards were for hard work, commitment and courage for reaching greater heights in my chosen field. My goal is to constantly upgrade the quality of products to capture wider market opportunities and to maintain and sustain in it. Customer satisfaction is the key to have a viable venture and I strive to meet this.

Q: Was being a woman an advantage to be in business?

A: Advantage of being a woman is subjective. It depends on how well one could fit into the selected field of work. Constant attention to details is necessary to achieve success.

The memories of recent events keep rolling back in my mind where I have taken all the trouble to make my business move forward.

This is not an easy task. But as women we multi-task and maximum use of this capability is essential. I always consider that opportunities are the cornerstone of a major development. With this belief I have no doubt about the advantages that a business minded woman have.

Q: What is your advice to women in business?

A: Never do anything worth doing only by accident nor do any of your inventions by accident. They need to come through a proper plan with dedication and hard work.

Women need to best use time and resources and sharpen their skills in management.

As women are born managers they could go far by applying their skills and inner strength to run a rewarding business. Q: What were your achievements in family life and business?

A: I am a mother of two children and they are well- educated in their chosen fields. It is a pleasure to see them grow and being educated.

In addition to this consolation, I have my husband and my parents and two younger sisters all blessed with good health. The continued guidance offered to me by my business- oriented parents in Ratnapura will speak for the progress the business made. They have been the pillars of my frequent successes and I pay my gratitude for them. The family comes first for me and I always ensure their wellbeing no matter how busy I am with the business matters.

As for the business achievements, I think I have reached my goal not once but several times.

There are a number of awards I have won at provincial and national level since 1997.

Chulani with her family

I won the merit award at the Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997 and provincial bronze award in 1999, provincial merit award in 2000, provincial bronze award in 2001 and national merit award in 2001 and provincial bronze award in 2002 conducted by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL).

In 2000 I won the silver award at the Entrepreneur of the Year ceremony conducted by Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI). I received the provincial silver award for the CNCI Achiever of Industry Excellence Awards ceremony in 2002. The most memorable award in my career was the Gold Award won at the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 for small category conducted by the WCCI.

I also won two more awards last year, a provincial bronze at the Sri Lanka Entrepreneur of the Year and also the provincial woman entrepreneur award organized by the FCCISL.

I have attended several training programs to further my knowledge which in turn has a positive impact on my business venture.

Q: What is your contribution to society?

A: My success has helped many people, because I learnt that failure would help no one.

I believe in rendering a valuable service knowing that pleasant memories will last forever. I consider success to be a journey, not a destination. This concept I have instilled in my associates.

I have provided employment for 65 people and also trained many to have knowledge in technology. They have benefited from this, which have enabled them to climb the ladder of success in life.