By Pranavesh Sivakumar 

Yanika Amarasekera-Siyaguna has made it to the prestigious Forbes, listing her as one of the three Sri Lankans in Asia’s 30 under 30, the only woman from Sri Lanka in this edition. Here she unravels her Forbes feat, her business of Silver Aisle and how she juggles it all sitting on the LB Corporate Board as an Independent Director. Below are excerpts from an interview between Yanika and Daily Mirror Life.

Q: A Forbes feat, Yanika. Has it sunk in, to start with? 
I think so. Honestly, the first couple of days were crazy. But then, after that it was fine. The first few days were intense. After that though, it was back to business as usual.

Q: What inspired you to go into this venture?
I had moved back to Sri Lanka (after my Master’s in London) and I knew I wanted to do something, just that I quite did not know what. And then, I came across the concept of an online wedding registry, which is how it is done in the United States. The only difference was, that the online part was new, even to the US. But the idea of all these vendors being on one consolidated platform, that was a brand-new concept.

The moment I saw this, I knew this was smart and workable. I just had to mention it to my dad, and he instantly gravitated to this idea because when he and my mom got married, they had received multiple gifts including rice cookers. So, he realized the gap in the market this could solve. For people unfamiliar with an online wedding gift registry, it’s basically when a couple gets married, there are all these items they obviously need to start their life together. They come on to our website, which features multiple brands (Paradise, Abans, Ghandara etc). Couples, basically, create their wish list of items they like to get as wedding gifts.

Then, they share the registry information with the wedding guests, who visit our website and purchase what they like. We handle the logistics and have it delivered to the couple. That is essentially what the process is.

When I pitched it to my father, he instantly realized how useful it could be, and the gap it could sell, and he really encouraged me to start it. That is how it came about. But unfortunately, we launched two months before Covid, when all weddings were postponed or cancelled indefinitely. During that first lockdown, I needed to get some kind of revenue going, because we already had certain sunk costs. Due to that, I launched an additional service to the platform, the gifting site - high-end gifting for all occasions and that took off, immediately. That is actually, what made our brand known. With time as the pandemic settled, the wedding registry also evolved and grew as well.

Q: You’re leading by example driving force behind this? 
Honestly, nothing specific. I have always been ambitious. I have always wanted to be successful in whatever I am doing. I had a very good example of very successful parents because they are hardworking and have a good work ethic. I learnt from them. My mother also instilled the necessity for a woman to be financially independent and self-sufficient since I was little. There was no option but to do well and make money for herself. They have been my driving force.

Q: What do you consider your leadership style? 
That has changed over time. I have become tougher. Just because I think, in Sri Lanka, that is what people respond to, unfortunately. I like to think I am very fair and understanding but I have also become tougher than when I started out.

Q: Please tell us how you strike fame and fortune at the age of 30. 
(Grins) Honestly, certainly no fortune. I am just starting to grow, so nowhere certainly close to fortune. Even fame, it feels nice to be recognised by a prestigious publication. More than anything, it feels rewarding because the work of an entrepreneur of start-up founder day in, and day out is grinding. It can feel like a thankless job. Doing the same thing over and again feels tedious. Lot of hard work and it does feel nice to be recognized for the work you put in.

Q: How do you manage to succeed in two contrasting fields – the Silver Aisle and the Corporate Board of LB Finance? 
The most important thing and this is something my dad has always said – common sense gets you far. That is kind of the common denominator. Just looking at everyday problems, of course, LB Finance is a lot more technical. But it has often felt, that it’s just finance. Having said that, a lot of the things you come across, or a lot of the decisions you make kind of do bottle down to – common sense. If you follow that, you are going to be okay.

Q: You launched this as a wedding affair. Then slowly and steadily expanded into other areas. What prompted you to do this? 
First, we launched as a wedding registry. Then it expanded into a gifting service for all occasions – birthdays, anniversaries etc. Golf is just one category of gifting we have, that is the experiences. On the gifting side, we have cakes, flowers, and gourmet hampers. Experiences, under which you get – golf, horse riding etc etc. We also have all these exciting, dining packages from different and
swanky restaurants across Colombo. We have spa experiences. We have all these different categories but to answer your question it was just millennials’ love experiences, and they value that over other things. That’s why I kind of introduced that. The experiences have been going very well.

Q: What’s your message and advice to youngsters aspiring to achieve the same? 
You’ve to be ready to work hard. Be hungry. That is kind of what start-up life is. But beyond that, stand for what you're passionate about. All the clichés stand true. Finding that interesting does make day-to-day, easy. Find that thing you have an interest in. Honestly, it does not have to be the thing you are passionate about, because you don’t even know what it is you are passionate about. I’m still figuring out what I’m passionate about. Discipline is also such an important thing. You will find motivation draining out and becoming demotivated. That is when discipline will hold you and keep you on course.

Rapid fire questions 

Q: Colombo or London? Colombo
Q: WhatsApp call or Normal Call: Normal call
Q: Early bird or night owl: Early bird
Q: Sun or rain: Sun
Q: Coastal areas or cold areas: Cold areas
Q: Your dream wedding guest you would love catering to: My best friend’s wedding
Q: Bollywood or Hollywood: Bollywood.