African Shoe Shine King

Suede slip-ons, elegant high-heels or lace-up brogues — whatever shoes you wear in an important business meeting you want to look your shiny best. Some people apply polish with a brush and others choose a cloth, while those coming from afar often leave the task to the capable hands of craftsmen who can make travel-worn footwear look like brand new.

If someone has shined your shoes in a South African airport, it’s probably thanks to Lere Mgayiya.

“We’re the biggest shoe-shine company in Africa,” he explains without sounding arrogant. “In Johannesburg we shine about 350 pairs of shoes a day, and about 120 pairs in Cape Town and another 120 in Durban.” In total, Lere’s Shoe Shine business has 45 employees across the three major airports, and the boss is now eyeing partnerships in America and UK, as well as expansion across Africa.

SAB Foundation

On this particularly day, Mgayiya, 40, is wearing Clarks — black slip-ons. With annual revenue nearing 2.5 million rand ($227,000), his demeanor resembles his feet — comfortable.

But things weren’t always on such a sure footing for Mgayiya. The resourceful South African had to go through a string of failures to get to where he is today — a spectacular entrepreneurial journey of risk, belief and reward.

Business Beginnings

Before he could start shining shoes, Mgayiya pawned his fridge to buy business equipment. But on his first day Mgayiya and his sole employee arrived to bad news. “The supplier I had paid to provide pedestals failed to deliver,” Mgayiya remembers. “I polished shoes in my lap.”

In the beginning, both staff members worked flat out 5am to 9pm every day of the week except Sunday. “I left the house before my family woke up, and only got home after my young daughter had gone to sleep,” he recalls. “It was tough.”

But customer numbers soon got a boost after a client suggested that the business name should highlight the personal, chatty aspect of the business. “Airport Shoeshine” became “Lere’s Shoe Shine,” and people liked it — after just four months. the team had grown to five and business was booming.

Big Plans

Success in Cape Town didn’t cool Mgayiya’s ambition, and after a year he got a chance to pitch to the person in charge of all South African airports. She liked his idea, and expansion started soon after. At its height, the company had 60 employees in five airports across the country. Today, Mgayiya has scaled back to the three major ones: Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.