Blooming business for Amarawathi

Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

Living in a world of flowers provides immense pleasure and it is a fascinating experience. Any one is lucky if she or he can spend most of the time surrounded by flowers. Our country is blessed with varieties of flora and fauna and mother nature has been kind to create a greener environment for us to live. Dealing with flowers related venture has made Weerasinghe Mudiyanselage Amarawathi a successful businesswoman where her nursery caters to wide range of customers in Nuwara Eliya and across the country.

There is a growing demand for flower plants and seeds where the country is enjoying peace dividends at present. Many are interested in living in a cheerful atmosphere and flowers have become an ideal choice for them. Amarawathi has made impressive strides in her chosen field and through a difficult journey has come in a long way today.

She has accomplished what she wanted from this venture and happy that her family too benefits from her untiring efforts.

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 engaged in producing and supplying flower plants and seeds where my nursery is located in Nuwara Eliya. I started this business in a small way and this has grown in to a medium scale business within a short span of time. Our nursery is named Sandun Nursery which is the name of my son. We have different varieties of flowers. There are 400 to 450 flower plants in five to six different colours from each flower. I have customers from countrywide. We do wholesale as well as retailing.

There is a high demand for flower plants and at times we are unable to cater to this demand. Our buyers include exhibitors who showcase these flower plants at various exhibitions. This gives us publicity and helps the business to grow further.

Apart from flower plants we also provide cactus, foliage, herbs, plants and seeds of vegetables and fruits and Cyprus varieties.

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

A. My husband N.G. Kumarasiri is the livewire behind the business. He worked at the Pundalu Oya Town Council and is now retired.

He supports the business a great deal. I have a son and a daughter. My son is Sandun Akalanka and we have named the business after his name.

He is studying at the eight grade and is very supportive and helps the business in whatever manner possible.

My daughter Aparna Dinushi goes to montessori and is too small to understand our business. They are studying well and this has made our task easy. My husband and I share responsibilities and we spend quality time with our children.

The family support has made the business to grow rapidly.

Q. What were the challenges you faced?

A. At the initial stages we faced many difficulties with regard to funding and finding necessary resources. Finding suitable labour was another issue.

The input, technology and related resources were difficult to access. However, with the passing of time the situation improved and we were able to run a successful business.

I went to Pune India to receive international training. This provided useful business insights to further improve standards.

As this business has a large number of players the competition is high. We overcame this by differentiating our products and offering wide varieties to select from.

We introduce different plants imported from India, Thailand, Bangkok, the Netherlands and Australia. We change the out look of the nursery from time to time bring in latest plants to have a pleasant appearance. This novel approach has paid rich dividends for us.

Q: What are your goals?

A. We plan to expend the business in keeping with the growing demand. We aim at reaching the levels that maximize customer satisfaction in our offerings. The expansion will bring in additional benefits for customers and ourselves.

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

A. Yes. The pleasing qualities of women are an asset to any business. They could deal with customers cordially and this helps the business to grow and retain customers. The openness and helpfulness of women in business enable creating long standing business relationships. I am fortunate to receive the constant support of my husband and this too have helped in developing the business.

Q. What is your advice to women in business?

A. Women should put in great effort, commitment and determination with focused attention. Time management is very important and also need to strike a balance between family life and business. Reach your goals facing challenges with courage. Women need to seek family support in order to run a successful business.

Q: What were your achievements in family life and business?

A. With regard to family life, I am fortunate that I receive constant support and guidance from my husband. My son too is heavily involved in the business. The family support plays a vital role in the continuity and sustainability of the business. We are leading a comfortable life as we have our own house, vehicle and properties. We do not consider material things to be most important and always help others in their hour of need.

The business has reached satisfactory levels. We have received recognition and appreciation from our clients. The most valuable appreciation is the Silver Award presented by the Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year award ceremony for the micro category. These words and positive feedback motivate us to go that extra mile.

Many foreigners who visit our outlets help by providing flower seeds and information on plants. We have a close rapport with them. We receive good response from local customers as we have a large number of varieties of flower plants. This is an attractive business venture as home and office decoration is an essential part in our life. Flowers play a major role at different functions and therefore there is a continuous demand that we could supply our products. This is a viable venture and enables us to have economic gains.

Q: What is your contribution to society?

A. We are devoted Buddhists and contribute to the village temple. We contribute for village functions and community projects.

The Sandun Nursery and outlet is located at Nuwara Eliya Colombo main road and there are three production centres in Kotmale, Nuwara Eliya and Kurunegala. We have 12 permanent staff and a similar number of casual workers to help in production and sales. We look after these families ensuring their welfare. Flowers are a silent way of expressing feelings and they are produced through a process which is not as easy as having them for decorations and beautification. Sandun Nursery provides the opportunity to say it with flowers.