Business
Paula Lindo
Yalla Mobile Tyre Services, led by Nalanee Jones, is the Trinidad and Tobago winner of the first leg of Barbadian company Goddard Enterprises Ltd’s (GEL) 100th anniversary competition.
She received US$5,000 as well as a year’s mentorship from the senior executives of the company towards bringing her idea into being.
Speaking at the awards ceremony on February 10, Jones, who runs Yalla Auto Ltd – Tyre Sales & Repairs, in Morvant, said the prize was a blessing in disguise.
“For the last three years, my team and I have been developing this business plan, and one of our major obstacles was financial support. With the pandemic it became even more difficult to acquire loans or even any support, so this was a blessing in disguise.
“I’m grateful not only for the financial support but I’m also excited for the mentor/mentee relationship. I can’t wait to see where this takes us. This year will be the year we get our project off the ground, I’m excited to grow a sustainable business and hopefully we could celebrate 100 years just like Goddard Enterprises.”
She said Yalla is an Egyptian (actually Arabic) word meaning “let’s go/let’s get moving!” which she took as inspiration when leaving university.
Ainsley Rajkumar, cluster general manager South Caribbean of GCG Group, the catering services arm of GEL, said the competition was a fantastic way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company, especially as other avenues of celebration were not available owing to the pandemic.
He described the concept behind Jones’s company.
“Yalla Mobile Tyre Services is an online tyre marketplace and mobile tyre services provider to be operated in TT. The marketplace aims to bring the largest assortment of tyre brands from partners, partnered tyre importers, to a virtual storefront.
“In addition, a mobile tyre service van brings the complete tyre shop experience to the customer, whether it’s at home, at work, or on the roadside. The service van will be equipped with onsite tyre delivery, equipment, and puncture repairs for both commercial and private customers. Being an on-the-go tyre service provider will allow you to cater to the on-the-go customer, especially in dire emergencies.
“’Personal,’ ‘convenient’ and ‘mobile’ are the three words used to describe the unique value Yalla Mobile Tyre Services will bring to the market, as it aims to disrupt an industry that has remained relatively undisturbed and with little or no innovation.”
Jones said she came up with the idea for the mobile tyre service while working at the tyre shop and seeing what customers were looking for.
“It really was about being in and understanding the business, and understanding that there really are some niches that people are not really hitting on. When people are looking for tyres, you have to call a couple of tyre shops before you get the right size and brand and the right price, and for me, answering phone calls and talking about tyres, I was like, ‘Why is there not a solution where people – you could scroll and find anything on the internet, so why isn’t there a solution like this for tyres?’
“I just believe that Yalla Mobile Tyre Services, we will bring that convenience to the marketplace, where people could shop online and have their tyres delivered to them and fitted/changed at their location. So I believe we’re coming in at a very niche market and I’m excited about it. It’s a product for myself, for women who just like to push to start, we just like to go, we don’t necessarily care about how it goes. So it’s really a product and a service for women, that would be the target market for this service.”
Jones said the centre would be launched in April.
GEL CEO and managing director Anthony Ali said the competition is the company’s way of giving back to the community.
“This provides a number of small businesspersons some guidance and direction so that they can better navigate the often difficult waters out there. We want to ensure that their businesses can grow and prosper, so we don’t just want to give them a cheque and leave it there. It is really about succession planning and ensuring a stronger business community going forward.”
The competition will span three years. Ali said the current ten winners will compete in 2022, and will be evaluated against their business plans at the end of the year.
“Three people will get another grant of US$12,500 and continued support over another year. They will then compete over another year and one will get the grand prize of US$25,000. So our commitment is a long-term one to make sure these companies survive.”
Yalla Mobile Tyre Services is one of ten businesses which won the first leg of the competition. The awardees comprise a wide variety of businesses: five from Barbados, four from the Caribbean, and one to a family member of an employee of GEL.
Each awardee is assigned two mentors, one senior GEL manager and one financial controller or accountant from one of the company’s subsidiaries. During the awards ceremony, Jones had a virtual introduction to her mentors, Nicholas Mackie and Andrez Greene, CEO and financial controller, respectively, of the auto division of Goddard Enterprises Ltd, Courtesy Garage Ltd.
WINNERS
The Barbadian winners are Alluhwi Comics – a creator of virtual comic books; MedRegis – an electronic health records system; Jem’s Gourmet Chocolates, Barbados – a gourmet chocolatier; BB’s Mushrooms – a mushroom farmer; and Mike’s Bajan Beverages – a manufacturer of rum punches.
The award to the family of a GEL staff member went to Cool Comfortz Frozen Delights – a manufacturer of artisanal frozen desserts.
From the Caribbean, the awardees are Yalla Mobile Tyre Services; CariWay (St Vincent) – an online booking platform for tours that includes virtual reality tours; Nella’s Tenda Ronis (Jamaica) – a producer of gluten-free pasta; and Z-Rise (Jamaica) – a community looking to improve the knowledge and skills of creative Caribbean people.
Yalla Auto Ltd –Tyre Sales & Repairs can be found on Facebook and Instagram at @yallatyres. The Mobile Tyre Centre website is https://yallamobilett.com/
