Motivating young entrepreneurs during a pandemic
With entrepreneurship being the main subject area being discussed during the initial days of COVID-19 lockdowns and work from home, the Rotaract Club of Sri Lanka Institute of Information and Technology (RACSLIIT) commenced a series, titled “Kick starter” to motivate and encourage young entrepreneurs.
“Kick starter” is an initiative by the RACSLIIT to recognize and promote small businesses in the local community. “This is a project done under the third area of focus of COVID-19 –to STOP THE SPREAD- Beyond COVID19”, which was initiated by Rotaract in the Rotary International District 3220 Sri Lanka and Maldives to prevent the further transmission of the virus and restore the country back to normal,” says the Director Public Relations (2020-21), RACSLIIT, Rotaractor (Rtr.) Sharoni Anthony.
Five Friends Entertainment was among those featured in the video series. Pic courtesy Johan Fernando
The Rotaract Club of SLIIT was established in 2013 under the philanthropic patronage of the Rotary club of Battaramulla, with the aspiration of rendering social services to the community through the collective efforts of the undergraduates at SLIIT. The club affirms the thinking of in “Yes I can!” , which not only empowers the spirit within the board and its members but also the entire community to engage and collaborate in projects of service.
President Rtr Keheliya Rajaguru and Secretary Rtr. Vinuri Galagoda will lead the club for the year 2020-21. Together with the Board and the dedicated member base, Rotaract Club of SLIIT is striving to make a positive impact in its communities.
Kick starter was a video-based project that encouraged small businesses in the local community by featuring their business story on the club’s official social media pages. With over 9,000+ followers on Facebook and 2,000+ followers on Instagram, the business was promoted to a vast audience increasing the reach to customers by a great extent.
“At the same time, by sharing real life experiences of such small businesses, viewers are encouraged to engage in entrepreneurship. We followed a slogan – “ Start small. Think BIG. Hustle Hard”, which I believe, encompasses the whole idea behind the motive of the project,” added Sharoni.
The series was conducted by the Public Relations Avenue of the Club under the Community Service Avenue. The PR Avenue is headed by Co Directors Rtr. AzfaAzhar and Rtr. Sharoni Anthony.
“This avenue is mainly responsible for sharing about the Rotaract Movement and updates of club projects to the general public. We also do PR initiatives such as Kickstarter, that promote and target the Rotary areas of focus, the Sustainable Development Goals and other core concepts of Rotaract within the community”, added the team.
The Community Service avenue is headed by Director, Rtr. NishikiYapa. This Avenue is dedicated to improving lives and creating a better world while uplifting the living standard of the community through service.”Service above self” – is often regarded as the motto within this avenue.
The businesses selected for the interview series included; Sugarlogy, Ammfy, Mini Melts, Dai Lanka Auto Enterprises PVT LTD, Five Friends Entertainment, Happy Pill, 360 Squared, Thrift Net, The Confectionery- Sri Lanka, The Craft Tree- Sri Lanka and Eco Life.
“Having a variety of small businesses further increased the scope of Kickstarter and would reach a bigger audience in terms of creativity,” said Sharoni.
“We hope to make the public aware of these small businesses and their amazing products and services they offer. Through this we wish to encourage the public to support such small businesses and buy local. By doing so, we are able to support the community get through the pandemic and keep them motivated to keep ‘striving hard while continuing to grow. Furthermore, we hope to encourage the community towards self-employment by motivating them through these success stories,” she added.
The pandemic took its toll on small business owners who faced much hardships to survive through the crisis. We initiated Kickstarter for the benefit and motivation of small businesses in the local community while hoping to encourage self- employment which will benefit the country’s economy in the long run, she says.
The videos can be viewed on the Official Facebook page of the Rotaract Club of SLIIT as a series- Kickstarter and on their YouTube Channel (Rotaract SLIIT).