Afnan Aziz, is the 16-year-old behind the “Wheels on Rent” initiative in Karachi.
Hibakidz spoke to Afnan to discover more about his endeavor, and here is what he has to say…
When and how did this idea of forming “Wheels on Rent” occur to you?
I started this business when the first lockdown was imposed in Karachi. This idea came to me when I was exploring my storage room and, in that room, I saw many of my family’s old cycles. I am actually a rower but due to COVID-19 rowing was stopped. With a sporty background, I had to find a way to play some sort of sport and that sport turned out to be cycling. I restored those cycles and started riding them. Whenever I used to ride, I’d see many people cycling and then my close family and friends started borrowing cycles from me. Then the idea of “Wheels on Rent” came to me.
Are you also an enthusiast cyclist?
The lockdown period made me completely change my primary sport from rowing to cycling. During the lockdown, I used to ride casually along with renting out bikes. One day, a Sindh cycling official approached me. He used to see me cycle every day on the loop. He told me that I have potential and can take on cycling as a serious sport. With some guidance, I could even join a professional cycling team. Then from that day onwards I took cycling seriously and started training. About after a month I reached a level where I was inducted into Bikestan Crank Addicts after passing their tough trials. After training with my new team, I was selected to represent them in the U-17 category in the 5th National Road Cycling Championship. The hard work that I did really worked as I won gold in the ITT event, achieving the title of U-17 national champion.
Did the COVID-19 pandemic help your business to thrive?
The COVID-19 pandemic boosted my business. It was very rare for any cycle to be free on any day. Clients would begin renting bikes from about after Iftar time till Sehri. There were days in which I had to give my personal cycle for rent as the demand was very high during the peak of the pandemic. It made my business thrive.
Do your studies get impacted by running this business?
“Wheels on Rent” hasn’t impacted my studies at all; in fact it improved them. By running this business I got a glimpse of practical life and what’s ahead of me. This business has also taught me how to spend my money wisely. Not only this, but it also made me a more organized teenager.
What has your family’s role been in your business?
My family has played a really important role. They have been very supportive since day one. Not only this but my family also promoted my venture a lot amongst their friends and family. My father taught me how to go about the business, my mother helped me with marketing and getting the word out, and my brother assisted me in the servicing of the cycles.
Who has been your mentor?
I would say that my mentor has been my grandfather. He has taught me how to overcome problems, how to find a way out through tough times, and also, how to be a better person. He has also given me many tips on how to make my small business successful.
What qualities does an entrepreneur require to run a home-based business?
You need to be patient and hardworking. In my case, I used to service all my cycles in the afternoon in the scorching heat. You also have to know how to spend your money wisely; not only this but you should be strong enough to accept the fact that you will have to face a loss one day or the other. Once, a client returned a damaged bike and refused to pay for it, causing me a loss of a hefty amount of money.
What is the future vision of “Wheels on Rent”?
I aim to ensure that the teenagers and even the adults of my community are engaged in some sort of sport.
Interview by Amal Hanif
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