"Awaken the Entrepreneur within you." - YouthBIZ 2018

As told by Rtr. Dinithi Dissanayake

“Think out of the box”; one of the main thriving reasons to become a successful entrepreneur and also the thesis of the keynote speech of “YouthBIZ”, the fourth session of ‘Are You Ready 2018’.

Being an entrepreneur is a dream of many individuals, but the sad story is that only a few have succeeded in it. As undergraduates, we receive technical knowledge but when we go out to the industry, we need experience and practice to survive. Thus, successful people can always act as a mentor for us. Bridging this gap. Rotaract Club of University of Moratuwa introduced its novel initiative, “YouthBIZ” as a preparatory session of ”Are You Ready? 2018”. The session was held on the 01st of November at the Civil Auditorium from 6.00 p.m. onward with two keynote speeches and a panel discussion.

Mr. Dhanika Perera, CEO of Bhasha, was the main keynote speaker of the evening. His speech was woven around the idea of how to think out of the box. His experience as the founder of ‘Helakuru ‘and ‘PayHere’ was valuable for the undergraduates of University of Moratuwa as he himself was a proud product of the university. His speech motivated everyone to take all the chances to invent something new or precisely ‘to challenge the status quo’. His examples and activities surely made a vast change of the reluctant minds of the listeners to keep the first step forward in becoming an entrepreneur.

Mr. Mihira Wickramarachchi, Managing Director of Wickramarachchi Opticians also shared his journey as an entrepreneur. His speech surely made an impact as he was filled with experience and knowledge in the particular industry being a successful entrepreneur for more than 20 years. He talked about how an entrepreneur can make a profit in the most tactful way with the essence of how to play wisely in the market, proving the facts with incidents and experiences of his own life.

Up next was the panel discussion with the esteemed presence of Mr. Dhanika Perera, Mr. Mihira Wickramarachchi and Mr. Dulinda Perera, CEO of IKon Marketing. The session was conducted by Ms. Shenali Welikala. The three panelists were from three different age categories and three different areas of the market. Thus, the audience was exposed to almost all the thinking patterns and the crucial factors for being a successful young entrepreneur.

First, the panelists gave their ideas on the most frequently asked questions,  and then the audience got the chance to get clarify their own doubts from the panelists. The active participation of the audience showed the success of the panel discussion. One of the main ideas depicted through the panel discussion was not to think about the capital
and other factors; if you have a good idea, it’s best to get started as quickly as possible. Then, you
will find the ways and means to continue your venture. All the panelists shared their experience about their ups and downs and the bad decisions they took in their journey. That was indeed helpful because the own experience of three successful entrepreneurs was of high value for the enthusiastic listeners.

‘Focus on what you are currently doing, don’t try to be multi-functioning. If it’s studies, study. If its business, engage in the business. If you try to do many things at the same time it’s difficult. Rather allocate the time wisely for your priorities. Then you can balance your studies and your entrepreneurial journey,’ marked Mr. Dulinda Perera being both an entrepreneur and an undergraduate of the university.

YouthBIZ undoubtedly was a great session for all the youngsters who dream of being a successful entrepreneur.