Sri Lankan women are finding their love in creativity today. Their inventiveness has led them to reach new heights and go shoulder to shoulder with people from more developed parts of the world. However, some have been sighting their rich Sri Lankan culture as a hindrance in creativity.

True, Sri Lanka has been a male dominant region. To some extent, males have been restricting women in becoming more social. With free flow of communication and small business ideas for women blocked, creativity is getting suppressed.

How Restricted have Sri Lankan Women Been?

The creativity naturally stems from home. Sri Lankan women find interest in wearing and cooking. But limitations imposed from husbands hardly let them sport fashionable clothing. Even today in many families when it comes to cooking, their husbands or in-laws usually influence the menu for the day.

This accursed trend has been around for years and even though Sirimavo Bandaranaike took charge as world’s first-ever female prime minister back in 1960, the mentality in general remained the same. However, since the boom of IT in Sri Lanka, this perception has been facing a slow, but gradual decline. More Sri Lankan women are now exploring their creative and entrepreneurial side. As a result, we have numerous women stepping up as full-time entrepreneurs.

The Best Time for Sri Lankan Women to Set Up Their Business

Increasing opportunities for women entrepreneurs in business makes this decade, the best time to start considering these business opportunities for women seriously. Our women today have the opportunity to start the business with as little investment as a few thousand Sri Lankan Rupees. Some of such small business ideas for women in Sri Lanka are being shared in following lines.

1. e-Commerce and Online Trading

A good number of women with education in Sri Lanka have a computer in their home. Whether it is a smartphone, tablet, a laptop or a good old fashioned desktop, women have access to a working machine along with the internet. Women use their computing devices for communication, education and for entertainment. But hardly few women realize the potential of computer as a trade mate.

The world is engaged in a new generation of trading – online trading. With B2B and B2C websites, any business can rise as a global phenomenon. Whatever business women choose to do, they can just take it online and start expanding it beyond Sri Lankan borders paving the way for Sri Lankan women in international trade and business

2. Gluten-free Baked Products

With education and awareness, a sudden change in attitude has also been experienced. Sri Lanka, along with the rest of the world has become more gluten intolerant. This intolerance is perfect business opportunities for women entrepreneurs to provide their fellow Sri Lankans with gluten-free baked products at a decent profit margin.

3. Food and Cookery
Sri Lankan women begin their journey of creativity from food. By the time they are able to start a small business, they have enough skills in food and cookery to make a fortune for them. Some of the potent business opportunities for women of Sri Lanka, in foods include:

• Healthy foods
• Selling rare, exotic fruits /nuts
• Healthy snacks
• Frozen Foods
• Fisheries
• Popcorn
• Chocolate Making

The field of cooking literally has no limits. From simple dishes to the most lavish ones, Sri Lankan market is open to women who wish to make most of this opportunity. Moreover, kitchen items and accessories can be used as a trading idea. Investment in the field of cookery is also very, very limited.

4. Pet Food & Accessories

Sri Lankans love pets. Dogs are the most common pets across Sri Lanka. If women just observe how many people in the neighborhood have pets, they might be fascinated to see the potential in the market for pet food. These women can tap into this potential market and become the sole provider of pet food to neighborhood.

Another thing to do is to provide collars and other accessories for Sri Lankan pets. Apart from collars, there is a potential for pet toys as well. Manufacturing of these accessories is cost-friendly and the market is big. A safe and sure bet for women who want to start with little capital. In addition there are auto-food dispensers for cats and dogs that ‘feeds’ the adorable creatures when their owners are not at home. With a bit more investment, even bigger profits can be reaped.

5. Spice Selling and Export

Indian Subcontinent has a taste for spice.  Residents of south-East Asian countries like their meals when they’re spiced up. Even when they are abroad, they miss their spicy dishes. Spice up the lives of such people by manufacturing and exporting spices. Spices involve minimum cost and address a big target market, therefore substantial profitability.

6. Quick Coffee Outlets

This is a new concept in Sri Lanka. Unlike ordinary coffee centers, quick coffee outlets mean fast service without comprising the quality. A quick coffee centre, a place where the Lankans can discuss the latest movie they just saw, or have quick, informal meetings while sipping their favorite frappuccino coffee is just what the busy Sri Lankans need. Give them a free Wi-Fi and they will be helplessly attracted to the place.

7. Personalized Story Books for Kids
Sri Lanka is itself the land of fables and fairy tales. Even the name ‘Lanka’ has a unique story behind it. Why not turn this land of stories into a profitable land of stories? Using creativity and writing personalized stories for kids, women can earn money and express their creativity at the same time.

8. Gramophone Records

Retirees love spending time listening to classical music. Since the days Binaca Geetmala used to air over Radio Ceylon to the days where gramophone became hot-sellers, Sri Lankan retirees have a taste for golden-age music. But the obsolescence of those records has become troublesome for Sri Lankan music lovers. Women can start catering for such a segment with minimum investment.

9. Uniform Making and Dress Repairing

Uniforms are common across Sri Lanka. Most of the school and high school kids wear them, many college students wear them and even many employees cannot do without them. The need of uniform is already there. Women just need to step in and take control, starting from their area. Investment is very little and the effect of word-of-mouth marketing is huge.

10. Clothes Designing and Stall

Not every family in Sri Lanka can afford pricey clothing. Even with a decreasing poverty rate, expensive clothing isn’t affordable by everyone. On the other hand, popularity rate of fashionable clothing is also climbing. Opportune Sri Lankan women can become a retailer of branded but used apparel.

In addition, they can design their own clothing and sell them locally or even internationally. The trend of boutiques and fashion designing is also getting popular in Sri Lanka and subcontinent in general. With the right branding and initial investment of few thousand rupees, a business with guaranteed returns can be commenced.

Dress repairing is also a category best-suited for women with capital issues. With least investment, Sri Lankan women have an opportunity to get things going. As their popularity stretches out to farther corners, they can grow in scope as well.

11. Paper Bags

With the surge of consciousness across Sri Lanka, more and more citizens are avoiding plastic bags and are seeking an alternative. The potential is inherent in this industry. Women just need to make the most of it, make paper bags and market them with the plastic-awareness campaigning.

12. Basket Weaving

Small-scale business opportunities for women that requires very little investment is all needed. This business has also been one of the oldest and most successful businesses for women. With the touch of modern art and culture, baskets can result in decent profits with a potential of expansion as people are looking for baskets for use as well as for decoration.

13. Beauty Products

Beauty is synonymous with women, not just in Sin Lanka, but across the planet. With more beauty products appearing on shelves every day, a demand for such items can be easily assessed. Many of the products on the shelves of Sri Lanka’s supermarkets are synthetic, i.e. they are made from synthetic ingredients. Women at their homes can exploit this opportunity by introducing a range of 100% natural skin care products. The product-range women can introduce includes:

• Natural cosmetics
• Natural handmade soaps
• Shampoos
• Conditioners
• Facial masks
• Creams and lotions
• Other skincare products

Marketing such products is not so hard either. With so many me-too brands and synthetic products on shelves, it becomes quite easy for women to differentiate their product-range from the rest. With the category distinguished, chances of selling will shoot.
Sri Lanka is still in the process of development. This development also takes into account the mental development of Sri Lanka. As higher education becomes more common, civilians become more aware and as new trends develop, more women are expected to start their own business or select from these small business ideas for women. In less than a decade, more Business opportunities for women entrepreneurs will represent Sri Lanka than ever before.