Paying It Forward to Help Female Entrepreneurs Around the World | My Member Story

The visionary behind Kalaia skincare products, Gaya Samarasingha, is smart, tenacious and driven. Once Gaya sets her mind to something, there is no doubt she will achieve it. While getting her business off the ground, she endured several challenges—including surviving a global pandemic.

Gaya’s story about entrepreneurship and overcoming obstacles may sound familiar. Where the difference—and inspiration—lies is in Gaya’s resolve to choose to believe in herself and help other women business owners succeed.

Humble beginnings

A native of Sri Lanka, Gaya ventured to the United States to attend a university. “I came to the United States 20 years ago with two suitcases, a few hundred dollars and the love of my life.” After graduating, Gaya planned to pursue an MBA, but life had other plans.

With the 2008 market crash, Gaya lost her scholarship which put pressure on her and her husband to find employment within 60 days or their visas would expire. Their only other option was to return to Sri Lanka.

The couple sold everything they owned of value and packed the bare necessities into their small car. They lived for a month in their car as they tried to find a solution. Seven days before their visas’ expiration date, Gaya’s husband was offered a job. Soon after, she was offered a scholarship to get her MBA at Iowa State University. They have made the most of these opportunities to stay in the states.

Born to be a business owner

Gaya wasn’t the first person in her family to start a business. The entrepreneurial spirit is ingrained in her family's DNA. Her childhood was lovingly shaped by the hard work and determination of her mother who built one business after another.

“I think [my mother] was my inspiration to take on this path to being an entrepreneur,” Gaya fondly acknowledges. Like her mother, she was irresistibly drawn to the exhilarating chaos of launching and growing businesses and knew this was what she really wanted to do.

Founding Kalaia

After finishing her MBA, Gaya secured a job in IT. Soon afterward, however, she discovered it was not for her, and she moved to positions in sales and marketing. She eventually became an executive in the beauty space. But that persistent desire to create something unique continued to tug at her. “It kept nagging at me that I wanted to start something of my own,” she says.

With the support of her husband, Gaya began to develop a skincare product line and soon Kalaia was born. She collaborated with chemists and formulators to transform her vision into reality. Using ingredients rooted in her cultural heritage, she curated a skincare collection she was truly proud of.

Coming to a crossroads

Needing more capital for production, Gaya decided to seek out an investor. Her research led her to investors who advised her to put everything she and her husband had worked for on the line—starting with their home and retirement savings. Frustrated with this approach, she opted for an alternative. “If I was going to take that risk, I thought I might as well take it myself and not have to be accountable to someone else,” she explains.

Enter Mountain America Credit Union. Gaya had chosen Mountain America as her personal financial institution in 2017 based on a recommendation from a neighbor. Naturally, the credit union is where she looked to find the best loan option to fund her business herself.

The benefits of being a self-funded business owner

The pandemic wreaked havoc on most businesses, especially small businesses. Numerous challenges and hardships forced many to close their doors. A home equity loan from Mountain America allowed Gaya’s business to persevere through these difficult years. Now on the other side, she has a strong, healthy and growing company.

She credits Mountain America for helping save her business. “They gave me the attention I needed to sort it out and figure out my best option, and I am very grateful for that.”

Paying it forward

Over the years, Gaya has encountered skepticism about her capabilities as a female business owner. “When my mom started her entrepreneurial journey over three decades ago back in Sri Lanka, all she asked for was a $100 loan. She was denied because she didn’t have anything to put down as collateral,” she remembers. “I was naive to think resources for women in business would be different in the 21st century, especially in the United States. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

Having faced disbelief herself, it was important to Gaya for Kalaia to be more than just another company selling a product. She created Kalaia Cares where a portion of every Kalaia purchase goes directly to fund microloans for women establishing their own businesses. She loves reading women’s application submissions and connecting with them through shared experiences.

Over the past seven years, Gaya’s philanthropic effort has facilitated 75 loans for women in 35 countries—and still counting!

It’s a true honor to play a small part in what Kalaia is doing and all that it represents. Gaya, we’re proud to be your financial partner and enjoy watching you change lives around the world.