Nethila Gamage is an entrepreneur and the founder of ‘Cinnamon Chat with Nethila’ at just 11 years old!

‘Cinnamon Chat with Nethila’ is a Youtube channel where Nethila interviews successful entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka to discover the secrets to their success. His interviews are simple but entertaining and insightful, perfect for his young audience.

Nethila believes that entrepreneurial skills need to be taught young and is an important skill missing from the school syllabus. He seeks to inspire young kids like himself to test their limits and get creative when starting their very own business and becoming a ‘Kidpreneur’.

As of now Nethila has almost 500 subscribers on his youtube channel and 500+ connections on LinkedIn. He is steadily expanding his network to other countries as well and is beginning to receive international recognition. Appearing on talk shows to share his very own success story, Nethila is challenging everyone to step out of their comfort zones and step into something new.

Chokolaate Magazine had the privilege of interviewing Nethila to ask him about his experience as an entrepreneur, his advice for future ‘kidpreneurs’ and more.

So tell me a little bit about yourself. Where do you school? What are your interests?

My name is Nethila Nimsath. I am from Sri Lanka. I’m enrolled at  Royal institute International school, Nugegoda. I like playing badminton and riding my skateboard.

What or who inspired Cinnamon Chat with Nethila? 

I had to interview a guest unexpectedly for a YouTube video produced by my father. He and I both realized that I could have my own channel instead of appearing for his work. In my YouTube channel I interview successful entrepreneurs and professionals to inspire the younger generations through their success and failure stories. I am also building my personal brand to become an international podcast host and to create awareness about my upcoming start-up.

You’ve said before it’s important for kids to learn entrepreneurial skills from a young age? Why do you think that way?

In this fast changing world some skills are becoming outdated. The future demands entrepreneurial skills not only from business owners but from managers too. Some of these skills are networking skills, marketing skills, problem solving skills and adaptability. Learning these skills at a young age will benefit anyone in the future.

As a child with your own business you must need someone to guide you. Who is this someone in your life? What are some valuable lessons they have taught you?

That someone would be my dad. He has supported me throughout my entire journey and guided me to where I am. He still supports me and helps me with my startup. He has taught me the ways of entrepreneurship. I learned from him that I can empower and inspire other kids.

At 11 years you’re still schooling. How do you balance your studies with your work?

I maintain a google calendar for my work because unlike my school work, work related activities are not routine. My YouTube channel related work mostly takes place during holidays. I spend about 30 minutes daily on LinkedIn getting connected to entrepreneurs and kidpreneurs. My start-up related work takes another 30 minutes daily.

You must have encountered challenges in your journey to become a kidpreneur. What were they and how did you overcome them?

Apart from my parents I get a lot of support from international podcasters, channels, NGOs and individuals. I am yet to see the same enthusiasm from local communities. Funding for my start-up is a challenge and currently I’m bootstrapping for it. I may have to pay back my dad as soon as I make money.

Any advice for kids hoping to start a business?

I will be launching my startup in March 2021 and it is to teach entrepreneurship to kids. In other countries kids launch businesses or do part time work during summer holidays. My advice is to start a business based on your hobbies, interests or skills. Kids should ask for help from parents, teachers and experienced people and connect with other kidpreneurs like myself through LinkedIn and YouTube. I would also like to invite parents to check my start-up when I launch it soon.

Do you have a book/movie you would recommend for kids your age?

I recommend the movie “The Founder’’ which is the story behind the success of MC Donald’s. You can learn about the importance of a quality product, how to scale a business, how to use franchise models and the art of negotiation. I recommend the book “Who Moved My Cheese’’ by Spencer Johnson. It is a book about adapting to change and how to deal with change.

Nethila is proof that age is just a number and that hard work and passion is what it takes to achieve your dreams. You can connect with Nethila on LinkedIn and subscribe to his Youtube channel to keep up with this inspiring little entrepreneur. Remember to keep an eye out for his start-up!

Batya Peter