SHENAAZ SINGH, ON THE ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY OF NEAL’S TYRES.
Spending some time with store owner, Shenaaz Singh, reminded me of what it takes to become successful. Often, it is what people do not see: The late hours; the sacrifices; the fine balance between navigating the pressures of business with family life. Most of all, it takes persistence and resilience to overcome the tough times that businesses across all industry sectors, will inevitably encounter.
Shenaaz spoke candidly to us about how she and husband, Neal, went from one small start-up servicing channel in 1994, to establishing five dedicated tyre outlets across Kwazulu-Natal in 2025.
Shenaaz, how did you end up in the tyre industry? I am assuming this was not a career path you envisaged for yourself post-Matric?
You are correct. In fact, after matric, I entered Nursing School, with aspirations of becoming a nurse, but I did not complete the course due to ill health on the part of family members, who were in need of daily care. I landed an administrative position with a fencing company, run by a wonderful entrepreneurial husband-and-wife team, that introduced me to common business practices and taught me the basics of running a business, including book-keeping and accounting – skills I am grateful for, today. Quite unexpectedly,
I was introduced to the tyre industry by my husband, Neal, who was offered an opportunity by Trentyre, to service breakdowns in the Ladysmith area and surrounds, some 30 years ago. In those days, Trentyre was the only tyre company to offer a nationwide breakdown service. Neal took up the opportunity, armed with only one vehicle and his determination to provide this much-needed service to the best of his ability, even if it meant attending to the broken-down vehicle himself.
His impeccable work ethic coupled with positive reports from the customers he was servicing, paid off handsomely, with the breakdown service soon expanding into other parts of the province, at Trentyre’s request. The next step for us, was securing premises in Ladysmith – our hometown – to provide the local community with a retail store, as well as a truck tyre servicing centre. With Neal occupied in managing the breakdown side of the business, I took over
the admin for both entities, and stationed myself at Neal’s Tyres, Ladysmith, taking on the responsibility of running the store, negotiating deals and taking charge of stock inventory. In addition, if Neal was busy attending to a breakdown, I would step in to assist with special stock requirements and deliveries. No task was too much, or too strenuous.
I firmly believe that there is a solution to every problem, so when the occasion demanded it, I found a way to get the job done. Of course, the workload was heavy – especially in the beginning – with Neal and I often working 16-hour-days in order to keep up. But, we did it. Eventually, we grew to the point where we could hire additional staff, to assist with counter sales and other office duties.
When did you join the Dunlop franchise?
We had never considered the possibility of taking up a franchise opportunity, having grown used to managing the business independently. But, in 2019, we were approached by Dunlop and offered an opportunity to join the Dunlop franchise network, in return for committing to a stipulated monthly sales target – which, back then, seemed like an impossible feat.
Nevertheless, we decided to take the risk, and have not looked back. The monthly target we were a little fearful of, turned out to be a ‘non-issue’, and the Dunlop team did everything they could to support us, by way of marketing, signage and in-store promotions. More important, there was no interference from them over the way we ran our business. To the contrary, our alliance with Dunlop only served to enhance the business, catapulting it to where it is today and they remain valued partners in our business, to this day.
How did you navigate the challenges of Covid-19, to come through on the other side?
We registered as essential services and we managed to overcome the months to pay staff and meet our debit orders. Countless hours were spent navigating the TERS benefits for the staff who were unable to work. Often, to ensure we could submit without the system crashing, we would wake up at midnight to submit the necessary TERS paperwork.
How many stores do you currently have?
In addition to our flagship store in Ladysmith, we now have satellite branches offering a 24/7 service on tyre repairs in Howick, Newcastle, Harrismith and Estcourt. Estcourt fully caters for trucks, while offering truck washes, wheel alignment and mechanical maintenance, where required.
I believe you have two children. How did you manage the demands of motherhood alongside your work commitments?
Balancing the two is not easy, as many working women have discovered, but it is possible if you are organised and are lucky to have support from family. Plus, thankfully, Neal and I have always worked as a team, both in business and where it concerns the family. Our children are now young adults, with one now a Chartered Accountant and other still at university pursuing a career in Computer Studies, which has obviously freed up some of my time.
