By Rishabh Shah

Rayhan Ratnasekera is a 12th-grade student at St Augustine CHS, he’s also the 4th interviewed business owner in the Titan’s Tycoon roster! Rayhan dabbles in all kinds of sports but has developed an interest in football (soccer). This has brought him to volunteer as a coach with Stoufville SC and Richmond Hill SC. He is interested in anything to do with cars, whether it is maintenance, cleaning, or the unique features that have always captivated him. Rayhan wants to pursue business and has his eyes on a real estate license in the future.

Rayhan has recently started a car cleaning business with 2 other friends. He was introduced to the world of cars by his father, when Rayhan was 11-12, he spent tons of time cleaning his dad’s car. In an interview with me, he said that he felt at peace or relaxed when cleaning cars. The introduction of cleaning cars to him at an earlier age planted the seed of possibly making money from it later on in life. Rayhan also said that he wanted to do it for a while, but it was always inconvenient and borderline impossible to consistently have free time together with his partners. By 12th grade though, he and his business partners have gotten their driver’s licenses allowing them to communicate and spark the beginning of this business. 

When talking to Rayhan, I asked him how he would restart his business if given a 2nd chance. His answer was a thoughtful one. He said that “if given a second chance, I would have started my business at a different time. When I started, I put myself in a bad position to service the cars due to bad weather. Starting in the warmer months would benefit me business-wise. Also, I wouldn’t expect success immediately”. Rayhan believed that he was far too excited at the beginning resulting in him burning out early on in the business’s existence. I also asked him about how he knew how much to charge. He said that they used a revenue-cost equation to generate fair prices for their time and effort. They also charge different prices for different sizes of cars, sedans, crossovers, and SUVs all vary in surface areas, meaning more time for larger vehicles. 

Rayhan’s advice to a newer car-washer or business owner is simple: 

  • Have some likeminded friends 
  • Always be productive, not only during the business
  • Always be on the lookout to market or for new opportunities
  • Stay on the grind/always have a working mindset

That concludes this edition of Titan’s Tycoon featuring Rayhan Ratnasekera. We wish you the best of luck in post-secondary no-matter what pathway you take! Stay tuned for the next article…

Fun Fact: Rayhan and his friends have cleaned BMW M3s and M4s!

Work Cited

Ratnasekera, Rayhan. Interview. Conducted by Rishabh Shah. Wednesday, May 1st, 2024