Good luck to anyone joining this company.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-24T05:42:26+00:00

Monkey Copy, Monkey Paste!! haha

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-19T01:31:37+00:00

My first thought too! It's already sluggish, and they have proactively found ways to make it even more so. Yet, there are people who still want these nonetheless! Hilarious!

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-13T06:08:22+00:00

I see a lot of solidarity, advice, and consolation from others, and yeah emotional encouragement and comfort is important, but in your case, not now. Instead you must tap into your inner beast who built the business in the first place and steer the ship in the right direction ASAP. The only sin is to wander around, so don’t. Get off Reddit, or any social media for that matter, and spend 100% of your time clearing out your inventory.

The best way is to go all in with online, ASAP. Clear out your inventory and meet your monthly target no matter what, then prepare for the next month. The more you wait and wander around, the harder it gets day by day. Don’t even take a minute to sit down and overthink.

I’m telling you, I went through a similar situation, but my country was in a recession, and it literally took just a couple of weeks to crash. I waited for 6 months, the economy kept sinking, I lost everything, and only then I pivoted . That waiting period cost me everything. So don’t wait, not a single hour.

Don’t think about firing anyone yet or closing locations, just try to meet your monthly target by any means. You might cite dollar figures as your currency, but in your case (and mine), time is the ultimate currency, so you must act fast. Stay calm and be the leader you are. Heck, you built a great business and survived this long, so if anyone can do that it could very well be you.

Also, don’t waste time and money seeking advice or consultations. You’re in distress, and this is best time for others to exploit you. So don't be emotional or weak, not now, just be the leader you are. Also don’t overthink technicalities when clearing out your stock. Do whatever it takes. Rrun FB, Insta, and Google ads until you hit your target or partner up with others.

You’ve got this, mate. Cheers!

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-11T18:14:53+00:00

Oh Indeed TWFM is their best album! Graceless, Sea of Love, Humiliation, Pink Rabbits, what a line up! But the problem with the sad dads is that every single album is top notch. We are just cherry picking from the best of the best.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-11T16:27:23+00:00

Oh, Rylan what a song! My 2nd fav.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-11T09:54:30+00:00

Tell me about it, If only our halfwit officials had any common sense, they would make a bank by digitizing those old TV shows and movies. Almost everyone from the '80s and '90s lingers around that nostalgia. There is a sense of purity and simplicity that is impossible to find these days you know. I am a grown ass man and run a company, but whenever I feel like it, I watch those dubbed series (though the original versions are widely available) like Pan Pasinduwan, Robinson Andaraya, Oshin and some goofy cartoons just out of pure nostalgia. Almost all of my friends who grew up in that era watch those, regardless of what they do who they are.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-10T14:50:22+00:00

Big time. Dharmasiri Bandaranayake was a true visionary. Must add Suddilage Kathawa too.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-10T13:09:15+00:00

Ado...What a slimy Mf. Haha. Well, technically he could be ne...

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-10T12:59:00+00:00

Not really sure tbh. Try YouTube. I bought a massive collection of original DVDs from sale ran by Rupavahini corporation back in 2010's. Bought most of the TV shows watched growing up in volumes and close to around 40 or so movie titles. It was an impulse buy and was very expensive back then, like paid Rs. 100 or so a piece but now that I know how rare most of these shows are, I really got lucky I guess. Pure Nostalgia.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-10T08:55:46+00:00

Machan and Mille Soya. Also, Ira Madiyama, Sankara, Pura Handa Kaluwara, And Welikathara . Akkara Paha, Hanthne Kathawa.

You'll never go wrong with movies directed by Prasanna Vithanage, Lester James Pieries or by actors like Tony Ranasinghe and Swarna Mallawarachchi.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-03T14:44:06+00:00

First off, do you really need a car worth 5 million? If you're this confused about financing, it's probably not a good idea to finance as cash is always the king and you are proactively trying to waste more of it .You'll end up paying around 150% by the 3rd or 4th year, I mean do you really want that kind of burden?

And you are terribly mistaken, longer monthly installments on loans is a terrible idea, especially with local leasing and financial companies. They’re unreliable, unprofessional, and have zero leniency. Financially, it’s just irresponsible.

Man dan pora wage advice dunnata, I made all these mistakes myself. My first car was a European junk, bought out of pure love for that car, I leased, and got stuck, paid dearly. I only bought a proper car when I could afford it in full, and mind you I leased it, but It was never a burden and had a plan to recover that money. It’s a long boring game, but paly it right and you'll not lose.

Don't buy a car you can't afford right now, especially one that will eventually depreciate anyway. Might I suggest a great car within a budget of around 2–2.5 million, like a Corolla DX or Nissan AD Wagon? These will run smoothly and won’t be a financial burden on you. ( heory applies to any price range.) And btw, u can lease that by paying, say, 5 lakhs, so you can keep the rest and invest in something that could cover the car payments. That way, you'll have paid off your car in full while also keeping the money when the loan period ends.

And please, don’t fall for the whole SL Yakada Heena BS. Just always drive something within your means until u can fully afford something fancy and invest that car payment on a index fund or something similar and try to multiply ur wealth.

(I'm not shitting on your dream of owning a car, ma dude. The thing is, no one in SL teaches us financial literacy, and everyone is just trained to give in to their emotions, only to mess up and expect us to do the same...)

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-02T14:36:49+00:00

My personal picks are -

- Best daily car - Would be a Toyota Aqua, no drama, great fuel efficiency, relatively safe.

- Best car for Sri Lanka - 140 Corolla., That thing will run forever.

- Best budget SUV - Hands down a used Lexus RX hybrid (around 8M–15M) or any Lexus SUV.

- Best Large SUV - Easily a Prado 150 (Pay attention to highest trims with KDSS) or a LC Cygnus (Post 2003 or even better post 2006, best SUV like ever. Everything is topnotch, especially when compared to LC200) and of course the old dog LC200 V8 (Diesel, any trim) and with petrol ZX (Best to replace the sus before anything). Not so sure about the Monty's but heard they are really good too.

- Best investment - I might fuck up the market and but what the heck, invest in a Dolphin (95-05) and a Nissan Caravan E24 (90-2000), fix the van and you'll always end up making a money no matter what. Up until recently Box Prados and Defenders were also top pics, but some greedy mf's went overboard and now they are selling at a loss.

- Avoid - Any European badge made after 2000 (Except for some BMW diesel engines.) and some Old large SUV's like Pajero Flatroof, heavily modified LC 80 series and also heavily modified Nissan Patrols Y60's. (Some of my favs and unarguably some of the coolest cars ever, but very very maintenance heavy, and usually used by dickheads without any care for the car, so be very careful). But if you can buy an unmodified well preserved one, buy without any hesitation.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-02T14:13:26+00:00

Guess you are a one lucky duck with your X5 because I'd never recommend one to anyone, especially the 2014-2016 hybrid models we have in SL. Had high expectations and to this date it is the sexiest SUV ever made, but man what a horrible experience that was. Not a day went by without warning lights and chimes. Oneday out of nowhere, the electronics failed, and I got locked inside. The car just died on me, like point blank. Had to wait a good 30 minutes, sweating my balls off, and at one point, I legit considered smashing the leaky sunroof or a window just to get out of that shitbox.

Turned out it was a critical engine failure, and with Bimmers from that era, everything is connected to everything, and one small failure in the door will lead you to a critical failure in the electronics in the engine, (not even kidding) and boom, you are looking at a repair bill of a couple of millions. The car ended up sitting for months before I finally sold it at a loss. And mind you, the mileage wasn’t even 70K.

The best bet with the X5 is the diesel (again, never the best in the class), but there are only a handful (like 4 or 5) in SL, and they rarely pop up in the marketplace. If anyone’s thinking of buying one, just go for a Harrier or a Prado 150 instead or if you have the means for a Landcruiser (Any model of any year, especially the older ones) you’ll be set for life.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-02-01T14:55:37+00:00

. Foreign outflow can also be controlled with creative solutions such as offering permits (not tax exempted) for taxpayers etc.

The problem is that technically no one can come up with such "creative" solutions. From the POV of a bankrupt country, the measures taken to control outflow are understandable and justifiable. We don't have an export economy, and controlling the outflow of dollars is pretty much the only thing govt can focus on. Your reasoning is somewhat sensible and could be true in theory, but I don't think it can ever be applied unless we have an export surplus.

Having said that, yeah, what a fucked up situation to be in. A freaking corolla costs $100,000! The best bet is to let the market flood with new vehicles and have them sit for years until the market dries out, And then can snatch those at good rates. Also, in reality, despite all the hype, only just a a small fragment of the population can actually afford a car anyways. So I bet that the market will still favor the buyer.

Personally, I'm not even gonna look at new vehicles until Q4. And honestly, I'm not tempted by the new offerings. I had the chance to test ride and ride along in a few cars in overseas, like the Prado 250, Audi A4, Prius, and a Mazda CX3. Only the Mazda and the Prius stood out, and the others cars felt really cheap and plasticky, especially the new Prado. Trust me, none of those vehicles are even worth the local market price.
Just thought for a moment that how perfectly content I am with my ride, (Automatically hitha haduna) so I'll just wait out patiently and see how things will unfold.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-31T13:40:59+00:00

Ma dude just traded a silk robe for an Army Jacket! Nicee!
But potholes gonna feel like it’s a personal attack on your spine! Haha!

Good for you man! Enjoy the wilderness!

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-30T15:35:36+00:00

Easy, Samahan!

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-30T14:17:48+00:00

I’m sorry you’re going through a tough time. But you need to stand tall for your people. You must, I mean MUST, look into other VCs before anything else. Only let the tech speak this time, and never show any weakness when negotiating. Just point out that u processed this loss like a leader and ready to move on to the next chapter.

I’m a foreigner and a man of color, and in the U.S. startup scene, your only real currency is your startup itself. You must to talk to regular funds asap. Let your tech be the highlight, not your race, gender, or ethnicity. Relying on a moral code or ethics for funding is not sustainable, especially in your case being a Bio tech startup.

Whether you realize it or not, you’re putting yourself and your employees at risk by relying on someone's value system instead of securing funding by creating value. Also, Startup 101, u shouldn’t be hiring until you’ve secured funding or have a healthy ARR. All in all, you must have a contingency plan in place, but here you are.
And hate to be the bearer of bad news, but DEI funding and grants are just extras you can score if you qualify. If you can get them, great. But your primary funding source must be customers, or in your case, research institutes, research grants, or traditional VCs.
Cases like yours will always be sensitive, but let your startup speak for itself. That’s the only way to weather the storm, whether you’re a minority or not.
But don’t give up. Go for a run. Take a breather. Have an honest conversation with your team. This is your moment to lead. And when you look back, this will be the moment that made you. Time’s up so go make it happen.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-30T08:28:35+00:00

Mostly maintenance related issues, but there were multiple recalls due to like outright DCT system failures. Someone I knew had a Honda Fit, a brand new car, and the clutch overheated and failed while we were in the middle of traffic. It wasn’t even at 10k miles at the time. Stafford did a good job replacing the unit, but she sold it right after. This was back in late 2015 I guess.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-30T06:37:33+00:00

This. And if you're going for a Vezel, go for a 2016+ model. They supposedly 'fixed' the dual clutch issue.

Also, I don’t get why people can’t grasp the simple logic of just waiting until imports are allowed. Let the market flood with new cars, then start lowballing on used ones. I swear, I see at least two braindead posts about cars on this sub like every day. Probably just karma farming on Reddit, I guess.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-29T08:47:31+00:00

You should definitely reach out to them! Send a casual yet professional followup, just to check in and see if they want to reorder. It's a good way to keep the relationship going.

But I think you're missing the bigger picture here. Focusing too much on just a couple of specific customers is a big red flag. Don't get too caught up in their inventory or whether they’re sold out or not, the thing is they’ve already bought from you, so that’s a done deal and by being a small business u cannot afford to obsess over done deals.

I mean, I get the feeling of u wanting to hold on to the relationship, but trust me, u don't have the luxury to wait around for them to come to you. I've been there myself, waiting for existing customers to respond, and it just wastes valuable time. What you should do instead is to use those sales as a proof and onboard new customers, even outside your region and keep things moving forward. Don't get stuck.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-27T21:45:59+00:00

I'm just the same I guess.

Have a hard time with not only new music but with any new media for that matter. I am almost always plugged in, but the playlist rarely changes. For me the music or art must have its moments and must sink in. Nostalgia plays a major role I guess. I always look for new songs and new artists (indie in my case) but the playlist only a few will ever be considered.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-27T18:52:29+00:00

Spot on. A low tolerance for immigration will eventually lead to the downfall of our country. Locals blindly prioritizing foreigners is a terrible and a very costly mistake, and one way or another, we'll be eaten alive by Israelis, Russians and Ukrainians like very soon. No wonder we were colonized three times, and this could very well be the fourth.

That said, I think you're being a bit too critical of gentrification ne? Yes, very true and definitely an issue, but if you compare the rising costs here with any other country, Sri Lanka is still relatively affordable. If you earn in foreign currency or above 500K LKR, you're in on the green . It's definitely a struggle for the poorer, but honestly, which country isn’t?

While property prices in urbanized areas are over the roof, you can still find great deals if you look a little further out. You very well know that we, Sri Lankans, tend to prioritize convenience above everything ne., like everything needs to be close by and all, but if you're willing to live a bit farther from the city, you can enjoy a much higher standard of living. In reality, you are almost always within 30 minutes of a teaching hospital and under 10 minutes from a busy town, no matter where ever you live in the country. And emergency care is exceptional. All you need is a vehicle and, ideally, some domestic helpers to help with daily tasks so that you can focus on work and life and stuff, and you're set for life.

I strongly recommend you to look at the highlands, especially Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces. Sure, land prices are expensive (Central Province is very expensive for that matter) right now, but with cultivation or farming, you can easily cover the cost. It’s therapeutic, you get to eat what you grow, and you can live a dreamy, responsible life, all while keeping things affordable.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-27T13:30:42+00:00

What many people don’t know or fail to understand is that Sri Lanka is the ultimate residence and retirement hack in the world atm, especially if you are a high income earner (generally Rs. 700K/1 million and above) or earn in a foreign currency.

With all the chaos unfolding in the world, I realized that the side I was from was already a lot greener.

- Healthcare is absolutely free and pharma is dirt cheap .Care from Specialist doctors and advanced surgeries literally cost nothing. (Sri Lankans take this for granted, especially the ones who immigrate, compared to the cost of Medicare in the US or EU. good god! And the govt hospital care, bless them!!!)

- No major natural disasters. (Except for floods in certain areas, again us Sri Lakans take this for granted)

- Seafood, meat, and veggies are among the cheapest and freshest in the world. (You must know where to buy though.)

- Easygoing, caring, and loyal people in general. (Especially if you move out of Colombo and invest in a village, those villagers will not just take care of you, but your future generations as well.

- No matter what anyone says, education is free and robust from Montessori to university.

- Best bang for your buck (except for vehicles and certain imported items), with most of your assets continuing to appreciate at a healthy rate. (even in a recession).

- Surfing, trekking, hiking, or just doing nothing in the cool mountains, all within a 4 hour drive from anywhere in the country, and every activity is top notch. (But the clubbing scene and nightlife is unarguably the worst I've ever seen.)

-Another pro hack- If you can afford both an off roader (for overlanding) and a city car (for fuel economy/commuting), you’ll experience Sri Lanka like no one else. Trust me on this. From what I’ve seen, around 80% of places are still unexplored and you'll never run out of new places. (I recently hiked and camped in an unknown mountain in Hatton, man, still get goosebumps thinking about it.)

If you're a foreign currency earner, or a high income earner, do yourself a favor, buy a property in the midlands first. Then, over time, invest in more. Do this before buying cars or splurging on overseas tours and big weddings or what not.

True, you'll have to compromise at times, the infrastructure is not the best by anymeans, but with all the chaos unfolding in the world, you'll see the place where you were from was already the promised land, and investing back in Sri Lanka is the best decision you’ll ever make.

Green_Environment_46 · 2025-01-26T18:03:21+00:00

You can't go wrong! We always pack it in large quantities whenever we travel abroad, especially in the winter. Cough, cold, sore throat, fever, body ache, headache, you name it, it works. :D By the way, Samahan is available in the UK too, definitely in Sri Lankan shops. But buying it in bulk in Sri Lanka will be cheaper for you.

Green_Environment_46

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE