The Power of Personal Branding: Piyumi Hansamali's Success Story

In the world of luxury, the revelation that a Dior handbag, retailing for $2,800, costs just $57 to manufacture, sparked widespread discussions about the power of branding. This story, which emerged in July last year, highlighted how a brand's allure can significantly inflate the perceived value of its products.

Around the same time, Piyumi Hansamali, a rising star in the beauty industry, gained attention for her impressive success and wealth from her skincare range. Despite her achievements, the media coverage was often lukewarm, and at times, even dismissive.

Fast forward to late March 2025, and Piyumi's story has resurfaced. An inquiry revealed that she sells her products for ten times the cost of manufacture, with claims that items costing 5,000 to produce were sold for 35,000. However, this isn't entirely accurate. While she does sell a particular pack of cosmetics for 35,000, it contains six items, averaging around 6,000 each. A closer look at her page shows that the individual prices are slightly less than those at Spa Ceylon.

While the quality and manufacturing approval process of her products are beyond my expertise, it's clear that Piyumi's success is a testament to the power of personal branding. Much like Otara Gunewardene with Odel and Merrill J. Fernando with Dilmah in the pre-digital era, Piyumi and others have harnessed the digital attention economy to achieve remarkable success and wealth.

This trend is also evident in Sri Lankan entertainment, where acts like Wasthi and singers such as Shehan Meeranga command higher fees (800k and 1.5 million respectively) than more established artists. A recent example is the charismatic figure behind Wild Cookbook, who not only launched a restaurant but also celebrated 10 million followers on YouTube.

Instead of criticizing Piyumi, we should celebrate her achievements and learn from her journey. Her story exemplifies the transformative power of personal branding and the opportunities within the digital attention economy. By leveraging social media and digital platforms, individuals can achieve remarkable success and redefine traditional business models.

Piyumi's journey is a reminder that innovation and adaptability are key to thriving in today's fast-paced world. As we witness similar success stories in various industries, from fashion to entertainment, it's clear that the ability to capture and maintain digital attention is a valuable skill. Let's embrace these lessons and support those who are pioneering new paths to success.

Nelum Kuluna the Movie: A review

 Politics is no laughing matter.

With a title like Nelun Kuluna and an A-grade cast of talented actors playing serious roles, I walked into the theater expecting a very serious docu-drama. about politics, corruption, and power struggles.

I never expected to be laughing so much till my sides hurt.

It was only a couple of minutes after the movie started that I realized I was witnessing Sri Lanka’s first Dark Comedy.

It's very difficult to review a movie without giving away the plot.

But it could be described as a cock and bull story. Pun intended.

Something to do with a big erection. Just like the Nelum Kuluna

Let me say that finally, I realized the meaning of tentigo which is the English title of the movie.

I know Illango as a commercial director.

Generally, Illango’s style is lovely, beautiful very artistic shots. But this was completely the opposite.

Which is a good thing in my eyes. No one should be tied down to a single style.

Yet his creativity shone through.

From the title itself, to a single shot of a hand crank that is used to start old cars. To the arrack bottle placed on atop of a freshly filled grave.

In my opinion, the original Nelun Kuluna is a waste of time and money.

Definitely not this one.

Breaking up with a Bank

 

“Thank you for calling HSBC, we are recording this call to serve you better.”

“Serve you better? He ha what a blatant lie!” I laugh crazily and say to myself.

In the past few years I have heard this way too many times for my sanity.

Serving one better is the last thing they have on their mind.

In fact these guys would not know the meaning of the word service.

They have mastered the fine art of making it more and more impossible for their customer to access them. All in the name of efficiency.

The biggest culprit of course is their phone system. Called the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system.

Dialing into it means you’re entering a maze that takes you from pillar to post without being able to connect to a human.

You can always request a call back. I received the callback I requested one month later. At 11 pm!

Once, I had to put up a public post on Facebook to be able to get through to their customer care. Because calls were getting dropped as there weren’t sufficient staff to man their call center.

I have realized that this is done on purpose to ensure that the low value clients drop off in frustration.

Yet, I have been holding on tenaciously.

Mainly for emotional reasons.

This was my first bank account.

I still remember walking into their large branch nervously. As a teenager, this was unfamiliar territory to me.

The pretty lady behind the counter giving me a questionable look when I said I wanted to open an account.

Her look transforming into surprise when I pulled out the required cash from my pocket.

It has been at least 40 years since.

Over the years, I have also been a corporate client as well.

It was when they refused to grant us a 5 Million facility even though we had over a billion rupees going through our account over many years, that we realized that these banks are not meant for medium-scale local businesses like ours. Their primary purpose is to cater to their international clients.

Recently they upped the ante of making life difficult for their non-prime customers.

Now you have to maintain a minimum balance of 100k in your account. If not, you need to pay 2500 a month for the privilege.

Why would anyone want to keep 100k idle earning the lowest interest possible?

What added insult to injury was that they did not even provide a phone number to find out more information. Instead, directed you to their online chatbot.

When asked how I should close my account? All that the chatbot could tell me was to go to my banking app and send a secure message.

Which I did. I was sent an acknowledgement saying that they would respond within two days.

Guess what? As I write this more than two days have passed. They are yet to contact me.

I am definitely getting served better.