Voice of Nayomi Handunnetti – ‘Founder of “The Siren”

SLIE VOice online: It is a great pleasure meeting You Nayomi –Would you like to share your inspiring story of becoming an entrepreneur & the entrepreneurial journey with SLIE VOice-online?

• Nayomi: Yes, Thank you for inviting me to SLIE Voice online and I’m thrilled to share my story.

 I’m Nayomi Handunnetti born in Sri Lanka to a Sinhala Father and a Tamil mother. My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was 15 years old and I had to bear the hardship of taking her place in the family while cooking, cleaning, studying, and playing sport at the same time. My brother and sister were a great strength to me at that time. My mom died of Cervical Cancer when I was 19 and all hope was lost at that time. However, I regained my strength to move on and I started studying again at the age of 20 and started working as well. This is how I started my professional career.

Moving on to my professional career, I am an Entrepreneur & a marketing professional, with over 20 years of experience working for some of the biggest corporate names in the Global Market place. My specialty is in Marketing, Hospitality, and Tourism & Travel. I also have a proven track record in following international business processes to successfully deliver large-scale projects, while keeping to stringent requirements and timelines. My customer-focused approach has been one of the key pillars behind my achievements.

Before my Entrepreneurship journey, I worked for some of the biggest companies in Sri Lanka. Namely, MAS Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, SriLankan Airlines & E-W Information Systems (Pvt) Ltd. All of these outstanding organizations have given me a lot of opportunities to shine & achieve my personal goals.

I started my Entrepreneurship journey with Handun Villas & Restaurants in 2017, which I take great pleasure & pride in, as the brand was built from scratch by my team and me. Website – www.handunvillas.com.

I am the founder of “The Siren” which is a groundbreaking marketing consulting firm that was formed in 2020 to assist the marketing heads in companies to shorten their strenuous process. We aim at providing integrated consultancy services in branding, marketing, sales, and strategy to help companies identify their real problems and to solve them effectively with our resources. The Siren team is led by me and we are experienced to transform the way that the businesses operate. In addition to these businesses, I’m a commercial farmer, growing various crops to contribute to the food demand in Sri Lanka.

SLIE VOice online: Our readers are very much delighted about your achievements during the past two decades?

• Nayomi: My highest qualification is MBA from Buckinghamshire New University UK. I also have an executive MSC in Marketing from Asiae University Malaysia and I am a Certified Management Accountant (Aus). I also have a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK.

I have won various Awards & Accolades throughout my professional career. The awards are listed below:

– School under fifteen athletic Championship 1995

– Youngest Candidate to complete Practical and Theory – Royal Schools of Music London 1996

– Finalist Petite/Teen Miss Sri Lanka – Studio 9 2000

– Rookie Salesperson of the year – IBM Sri Lanka 2001

– Asia top 50 Woman Leader Award – CMO Asia 2018

– Women Super achiever Award – World HRD Congress 2017

– Most Influential Marketing Leader – World Brand Congress 2019

– Small Scale Entrepreneur of the year – one of the top three finalists 2012

– Upcoming woman Entrepreneur of the year WIM Sri Lanka & Maldives – 2021

SLIE VOice online: What is the secret behind the Dynamic lady Nayomi, is it work-life balance?

• Nayomi: Yes, it’s always been a work-life balance for me as I prioritize my day to cater to the demands of work, family & health;       I am married with two great girls who are 16 & 10.
• My purpose in life is to create jobs for people, and I use my voice to support “Women Entrepreneurship”
• I hold two voluntary positions with Global Good Will Ambassador & Global Mentor at Women Empowered Global.
• My interests are Fitness & meeting new people
• Tips for youth from my life journey –

–      There will always be setbacks but don’t lose focus on your end goal.

–      Failure is a part of life and it’s totally okay to fail.

–      Define your own success.

–      Don’t compare yourself to others.

–      Always be an Ethical and trustworthy person.

–      Be consistent with everything you do.

SLIE Voice online: Who are you’re Competitors?

• Nayomi: Personally, I only compete with myself to become a better person than I was yesterday.

SLIE Voice online: The challenges and opportunities when doing business in Sri Lanka?

• Nayomi: As a female Entrepreneur there are challenges as well as many opportunities and Challenges

–          The domestic work-related responsibilities

–          Lack of funding is another issue faced by the female Entrepreneur where the personal assets are at risk when applying for loans.

–          Access to the Internet and the cost to do so is another challenge faced by women

SLIE Voice online: What are your future plans Nayomi?

• Nayomi: I’m co-founding a company focusing on exports. I plan to focus on that business.

SLIE Voice online: What is the NEED-FOR the Hour for Sri Lanka to boost entrepreneurial culture & Your advice to Potential entrepreneurs in facing the Challenges and Constraints in the New Normal environment?

• Nayomi:
• I think the new normal Environment has created many opportunities for budding Entrepreneurs due to the following reasons:
• It is now accepted in the society of many parts of the world regarding the support from a woman towards contribution to the family income. Further, the economic uncertainty has led women to join the workforce. Many have taken up an entrepreneurship journey as they can balance their work and family life better. 
• Covid-19 has helped businesses to rapidly adopt digital means to run the existing business as well as expand their businesses. Customers now look to purchase goods online and suppliers seem to cater to the demand. Hence, employees are able to work remotely.
• Women have more access to become Entrepreneurs than ever before. The shifts towards virtual and remote interactions create more room for women to do business. Women face competing responsibilities managing a household and running a business therefore, the accepted virtual and remote interactions will help making the post-Covid era a better normal.