Elevate your ride with Neo Star Car Rentals
Tshukudu ‘Rhino’ Moepadira, the managing director of the multi-award-winning Neo Star Car Rentals & Travel Tours, runs a proudly South African company that specialises in nationwide car rentals, airport transfers in Durban, travel, tour holiday, and business packages in and around SA (Zambia, Lesotho, and Tanzania).
Neo Star Car Rentals also provides ticketing services for airline flight bookings, motorhomes, 4×4 campers, and day tours and excursions such as hiking, camping, zip-lining, abseiling, bungee jumping, and more.
The comprehensive car rental business was brought into existence by his love for the tourism industry that came from working for his late brother, Mr. Hloni Moepadira, who owned African-I-Travel & Tours. Moepadira explains that the part-time and holiday work exposed him to the magnificent world of tourism. Seeing his brother and his team assist clients with car rentals or day tours sparked his interest. “I told myself I would own a travel company, and here we are today, through my brothers and father’s inspiration and business acumen. I have come to build a multi-award-winning company. We have a long road ahead of us as we continue learning and making meaningful partnerships,” he adds.
Why Neo Star Car Rentals? Neo is his son’s name which means gift in Sesotho, and he believes the company is a gift to its customers. That being said, doing business in an industry that is always changing has its challenges. Fortunately, his motivation stems from people, passion, financial gains, expansion, and the transformative impact of generating employment opportunities, all while striving to enhance clients’ experiences.
When it comes to building his client base, Moepadira capitalises on his network and attends seminars, trade shows, and workshops- in person and/or virtually. He also credits his achievement to social media marketing, getting the company accredited with the necessary industry bodies, and using word of mouth. “We take care of our customers by giving them sublime service and beyond, and they become your brand ambassadors by simply spreading the word to their colleagues, family, and friends about our services,” he emphasises.
Even though it seems he has it all figured out, business isn’t always easy. Moepadira admits that there are challenges within the tourism industry. He adds, “Our challenges range from gatekeeping, pandemics like COVID-19, tough access into the rural market due to the limited buying power, and red tape when accessing international markets, however, the SA Tourism and KZN Tourism are doing their best to assist qualifying and compliant SME’s.”
Despite all this, the entrepreneurial journey has taught Moepadira that travel makes one modest because it’s a constant reminder of the tiny place we occupy. Thriving in this industry hinges on effective collaboration and necessary regulatory adjustments- this will improve customer experience and the return on investment (ROI) for SMEs. This is why Moepadira emphasises the importance of collaboration. “You cannot do it alone. Collaborating with other service providers makes your business life easier and customer experience expandable and satisfactory.”
To stay ahead of the rest requires upskilling, adaptability, and agility. A competitive advantage is recognising that customer satisfaction stems from customer demand is paramount. Navigating the changing landscape forces one to blend traditional methods with dynamic technological advancements- this strikes a harmonious equilibrium that caters to both traditional and millennial preferences.
To achieve this Neo Star Car Rentals’ organisational culture is accommodating, driven, productive, playful, jovial, vision-based, and more importantly results-driven.
As a leader, Moepadira upskills himself by consulting his mentors. He explains that he consults the channel partners, searches, and researches what the competition is doing and how they can leverage it to gain an upper hand on the competition. “I ask colleagues for ideas on how we can improve our services and customer experience.”
Despite riding the success wave, there is still fear. The fear of being hit by another pandemic, however, Moepadira explains that Wwth fear comes success, but success is relative and has a different definition for others. Moepadira defines success as making positive changes in his employees, and customer’s lives as well as his own. It’s about giving back to the less fortunate without expecting a reward, recognition or validation.
However, is there a secret to success or pattern to success? According to Moepadira, yes there is- it’s called showing up no matter what. “Discipline, passion, motivation, being teachable, learning about your industry and others connected, keeping your mind elastic by reading inspiring books, keeping a positive energy, and treating every individual with love and respect, is a formula for a successful entrepreneur. Lastly, do not forget WHY YOU STARTED and keep to your VISION,” he adds.
However, for him entrepreneurship isn’t just about making money but a difference in people’s lives. It is also about interacting and networking with influential people, change-makers, thought-provokers, politicians, and great business people. “Being inspired by our women in business making true inroads and impact in various industries. Winning awards showcases our sublime service, professionalism, business transformation, and our dedication to providing quality service,” Moepadira concludes.
