A business model in touch with your sole

Dubai: A business model that takes a close and personal look at shoes and their maintenance does not sound as if it will amount to much. But try telling that to Kimberly Mahmoud, director at Ndust Shoe Repair.

Coming from the US, where fine shoe repair services are commonplace, she decided to recreate a similar standard in Dubai and then take it from there.

"The whole concept was born out of our limited access to shoe repair and shoe shine services," said Kimberly. "There has been no innovation in the shoe repair business.

"There is really only one or two full-service shops within a 30- to 40-mile radius and no one offers home delivery.

"By talking to people, we found that there was a need for that type of service."

The name, Ndust came about through a play on words. "It's a unique way to say ‘end the dust' — our goal is to minimise some of the frustration associated with dusty shoes through our shoe repair services," Kimberly added for full measure.

Rather than be confined to an outlet and waiting for customers to come through, Ndust offers a door-to-door shoe shine and repair service at both commercial and residential addresses.

It also hit upon the novel idea of ferrying the newly repaired shoes across the city on branded scooters. A constantly on-the-move fleet will ensure that Ndust offers a quick turnaround time.

The hardest part in setting up the business was honing in on the right location. "My search was a huge effort for me, I first had to understand the market and explore multiple areas along with their surrounded community," Kimberly said.

"I ended up in Al Barsha because it's a place that is experiencing quite a big expansion, becoming a go-to place for many services. There are also an increasing number of people choosing to move here."

For now, the shop now will serve as the company's central hub before expanding to other areas of Dubai. She is looking to target the expatriate community in locations such as Discovery Gardens, Umm Suqeim and Arabian Ranches. Future clientele could also stretch to hotels and nearby businesses.

While most businesses experience a lull during summer, Kimberly says the wide spectrum of her target market will ensure she's busy all-year round. "Because our market is both commercial and residential, it doesn't change according to the season," she said.

So far, NDust's marketing has been aimed at the grass roots. "Our initial approach has been to really patronise and work with the local businesses in the surrounding area, and trying to form alliances and partner with other businesses," said Kimberly.

From the ground research, she learned that a lot of people didn't know where to get their shoes repaired and were even taking thems to their home countries whenever they flew back.

"The expat community is accustomed to trying to extend the life of their shoes having made a significant investment from the outset," Kimberly said. "There are people who have made significant investments in their shoes, so it's important to provide a service that lengthens their life."

As well as repairs, the company also plans to offer the option of adding embellishments to shoes such as zips, pins, etc. Ndust will also cater to orthopaedic customers and will be able to adjust shoes to suit.

"The business plan has changed over time — it turned out very different from our initial concept," Kimberly said. "For example, we thought we would outsource some of our work and realised it wasn't the best thing for us, so we decided to develop a truly on-site workshop," she said.

Kimberly Mahmoud's top five tips to start a business: