Empowering Local Entrepreneurs: Mother Sri Lanka and NEDA Hold Comprehensive Branding and Marketing Workshop for SMEs.

Mother Sri Lanka (MSL), in strategic partnership with the National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA), successfully presented an immersive “Branding and Marketing for SME Growth” workshop on May 28, 2025, at the NEDA Auditorium. The full-day event, which ran from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., brought together 42 SMEs from throughout the island for practical training on how to establish resilient, competitive brands in today’s dynamic economy.

The workshop was designed to address important gaps that many SMEs confront on their path to long-term success, particularly in branding strategy, marketing communications, customer engagement, and digital marketing. Prof. Nalin Abeysekara, a senior professor in Open University Sri Lanka, a well-known marketing scholar, led participants as the resource person through the following carefully curated modules using academic research and field experience in SME development, consumer behavior, and strategic marketing, encouraging them to think beyond traditional marketing and focus on creating emotionally resonant, purpose-driven brands:

• Understanding Brand Fundamentals: Developing brand identities, values, and storylines that reflect Sri Lankan cultural authenticity and business vision.
• Strategic Marketing for SMEs: Tools and frameworks for identifying client segments, positioning products and services effectively, and developing integrated marketing strategies.
• Leveraging Digital Media: Focused on cost-effective digital methods, including influencer alliances, content marketing and analytics, as well as narrative techniques that engage with local and worldwide audiences.
• Export Market Readiness: Developing export-ready marketing plans matched with shifting consumer trends

Dr. Janaki Kuruppu, Chairperson of the Mother Sri Lanka Foundation, also graced the event as a guest speaker by emphasizing the importance of cultivating a national identity through entrepreneurship and urged SMEs to use branding not just as a commercial tool, but as a means of cultural expression and social responsibility. Meanwhile, she conducted an informative session on “Developing the 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) for a “Brand” where practical guidance was given on how entrepreneurs can tailor these key elements to their specific markets. The session also included insights on how to conduct simple and effective market research to understand customer preferences, competitive landscapes, and pricing strategies highlighting the benefits of data-driven decision-making and local relevance in product development.

Adding further value to the workshop, an officer from NEDA delivered a comprehensive session on brand name and logo registration, explaining the legal and procedural steps required to formally protect an enterprise’s intellectual property. Participants were guided through the registration process, including how to check for existing trademarks, prepare documentation, and maintain ownership rights etc. This session was especially valuable for SMEs seeking to scale their operations with credibility, both locally and internationally.

The entire workshop provided a chance for Sri Lanka’s SMEs, the backbone of the economy, to gain complete confidence in the principles of brand building and smart, data-driven marketing tactics in order to open new markets and promote long-term growth, even in highly competitive industries based on such thematic sessions. Participants engaged in hands-on group activities, live case-study evaluations, and one-on-one coaching sessions to help them compete successfully on regional and global platforms. The entire event fostered active involvement, real-time problem solving, and peer learning, ensuring that entrepreneurs from a variety of industries, including food and beverage, fashion, crafts, services, and technology, were able to contextualize the lessons to their specific challenges.

As a transformative experience to the participants, this was a brilliant opportunity for the SMEs to go forward with their own personalized ultimate goal, an action plan, and a Certificate of Participation from MSL and NEDA where Mother Sri Lanka also announced plans to provide follow-up mentorship sessions and digital clinics to ensure ongoing assistance for participating SMEs.