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| Sunday, 10 November 2002 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Personality Plus - No gain without pain: Hettigoda's formula for success Fact File Name : Dr Victor Hettigoda School : Rahula Vidyalaya, Matara Children : Two daughters and a son Present Position : Chairman Hettigoda Group Setting a goal and working towards achieving it, producing a quality product, treating the customers as kings, looking after the staff and not wasting a cent are the secrets of success for Chairman Hettigoda Group Dr Victor Hettigoda. "I was educated at Rahula Vidyalaya, Matara. I lost my mother when I was nine years old. Therefore, my education was disturbed and I had to return to the village school. I moved to Galle for my higher education." "I did two government and three private sector jobs before I ventured out to manufacture Siddhalepa. All these jobs taught me a different aspect of business and I am grateful to all the people who were kind to offer me these opportunities," he says. Birth of Siddhalepa The secret formula for Siddhalepa was given to Dr Hettigoda by his father, kidney specialist, Dr Henrick De Silva Hettigoda, who had got it from the Yogis of Himalaya, India. Dr Henrick De Silva Hettigoda had gone to the Himalayas to study medicine, but before studying medicine, he had to study astrology for five years. Once he completed that, he was permitted to study medicine. He learnt medicine under a teacher for 10 years. During this time the teacher fell ill. He had 10 students, but all left him except Dr Hettigoda who looked after him with love and care. Therefore, the teacher gave him the secret formula and Dr Hettigoda had it for several years before it was given to Dr Victor Hettigoda, his son. Though Dr Hettigoda had the formula handed to him by his father in writing, he did not have the initial capital to buy various raw materials such as leaves and roots. His mother-in-law had taken Rs 2500 on interest and given it to him to start the business. He was living with his family in a two-roomed annexe in Ratmalana. The raw material was stored in one room while they occupied the other room. He made Siddhalepa, packed it in a cardboard box and started distributing it, carrying the box on his head. But since it was a new product, nobody wanted to buy it. "Therefore, I gave some bottles free to people for use in their homes. Little by little sales started picking up, but I never wasted a cent. I slept on pavements and went without meals, because my goal was to succeed." Today, he has a staff of over 1,700 and 125 vehicles distributing his products island-wide. The products are also exported to 19 countries including Japan, UK and France. He has won many awards both Sri Lankan and international. Hettigoda Industries, Siddhalepa Ayurveda Hospitals, Siddhalepa Ayurveda Health Resort, Suraya Compost Fertiliser Pvt Ltd, Siddhalepa Pvt Ltd and Hettigoda Distributors come under the wings of the Hettigoda Group. All ventures are the brainchild of Dr Hettigoda. Experience Today everybody, including unemployed people, those with little education, wealthy people and pensioners, want to start a business. They do not do a market survey or a feasibility report, but act on impulse, merely following the present trend. This, he said, leads to the collapse of their businesses. "A person who wants to start a business should first analyse the type of business and check the ground conditions such as where to establish the business, what type of business - perishable or nonperishable, what is the initial capital, how much should come from own funds and how much from banks, rules and regulations applicable to the business, how to keep stocks and the selection of employees. "After you decide on the business and how to do it, you should have a financial plan as well as a project report and a feasibility report in hand before venturing out. "A person who has the basic rules in place will have the opportunity to be a proud owner of a business even if he/she does not have business knowledge," he predicts. Present business climate "If you have a goal, there is still space for new businesses to start and grow. The competitive market is an opportunity for the customer to select the best goods and services. Therefore, there is no reason to blame this market. I think the people who are blaming it are lazy," he added. There are so many things a person can learn from a competitive market such as packaging, design, quality as well as price. "Once a business is established, treating the customer as king, ensuring the best quality, reasonable price, keeping accounts, eliminating waste, treating the staff well and paying debts will help you succeed," says this successful businessman who has gone through the mill himself. He said that there are more failures than successes today in the business sector. Most people speak of problems and give reasons for failures. They blame the government for taking higher taxes and also criticise every government in power for not giving adequate incentives. But the reasons for their failure are carelessness, not recruiting the appropriate person, not giving a proper salary, investing in vehicles which they cannot afford, high telephone bills as well as adding on businesses that they do not know about. In his view, today there are enough opportunities to start businesses. There are also different finance companies which are not only willing to lend money at reasonable interest rates, but also guide the potential business person on the correct path. Since our country has an open economy, there is no shortage of goods to be sold in Sri Lanka or abroad. "Take advantage of the opportunities available such as new technology, educated youth, abilities and the natural resources to start the business and grow," Hettigoda said. Advertising Advertising is necessary for every business, be it the village tea kiosk, a shop in the town, a conglomerate or a distributor. But the method of advertising is different. A village tea kiosk can use hand bills, but this will not serve the purpose of a conglomerate which will have to use a different method of advertising. Reducing the prices by five cents, conducting a sale once in three months to sell goods which are not moving fast, helping the consumer take the goods he/she has purchased as well as having a clean and attractive shop or establishment are ways of attracting customers. On imitations Today it is difficult to purchase quality goods due to imitation goods flooding the market. However, even if people spend millions on advertising, if the product is an imitation, it will not sell. "The media has a major role to play in saving innocent customers who fall prey to these advertising gimmicks. Also there should be rules and regulations to advertise quality goods". Secret of saving " Everybody should make it a habit to write down the daily expenses in a book for one month. "At the end of the month, identify the unnecessary expenses and ensure that you do not to spend money on those things during the next month. Eat one good meal a day comprising fish, eggs or meat without taking these for all three meals. This will help you to start saving and once you take the first step, there will be no turning back," he said. Family Dr Hettigoda was born as the fifth in a family of seven boys and two girls at Kananke, Matara at his maternal grandparents' place "Lekam Gedara". His parents are Dr Henrick De Silva Hettigoda and Dona Caralyne Wickremaratna. He is married and has three children; two daughters and one son. (SG) |
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