Q: Tell us a little about yourself. Who is Mariah beyond the business?
Mariah:
My name is Mariah. I am a Canada-based tire technician and the co-founder of DAMA Mobile Tire Shop. I am also a wife and a mum to the most adorable boy in the world.
I would describe myself as someone who takes risks. I am spontaneous, determined and, above all, I love living life.
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Q: How did DAMA Mobile Tire Shop begin, and what inspired you and your husband to build the business?
Mariah:
My husband and I own the business together, and it really came from our shared passion for cars. Before we moved to Canada, my husband was involved in buying and selling cars.
When we moved to Canada in August last year, we essentially had to start our lives again from scratch. My husband got a job as a tire technician with a company, while I started working from home in customer support.
Starting over was difficult. After about six months in Canada, we began thinking seriously about how we could change our situation. We sat down together and started discussing different business ideas.
My husband initially suggested opening his own tire shop and renting a physical space. We immediately started searching for somewhere to rent, but the prices were far beyond our budget.
That sent us back to the drawing board.
I remember saying to him, “Why can’t we make it mobile?”
I asked whether all the necessary tire machines could operate from a moving truck, and he told me it was absolutely possible.
That same week, we got the truck and the machines we needed.
That was how DAMA Mobile Tire Shop started. Instead of allowing the cost of a physical location to stop us, we found another way to make the idea work.
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Q: What happened when you officially launched the business?
Mariah:
On the day we launched, I posted the business across our social media platforms, but my main focus was TikTok.
Within less than 24 hours, we received three bookings.
For me, that was enough confirmation.
I resigned from my work-from-home job that same day and decided to put my energy into supporting and building our business.
I also decided that I was going to learn the technical side of the job.
A lot of our customers find it interesting or amusing when they see a female tire technician. I continued documenting the journey on TikTok, and as I kept posting, more customers started coming in.
Social media became a very important part of our growth.
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Q: What is at the heart of DAMA Mobile Tire Shop?
Mariah:
Our mission is to provide excellent service with transparency.
The kind of work we do affects people’s safety. People’s lives can depend on whether a tire has been fitted or repaired correctly, so we cannot afford to be careless or make unnecessary mistakes.
The other important part of our mission is convenience.
We wanted to create a service where customers do not have to drive to a tire shop and wait for long periods of time.
We come to you.
We provide tire services from the comfort of our customers’ homes and at a time that is convenient for them.
That convenience is really at the heart of why we made the business mobile in the first place.
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Q: What has helped you build trust and loyalty with your customers?
Mariah:
One thing that has worked very well for us is following up after a job has been completed.
Usually, within 24 hours, we call or text the customer to ask whether everything is okay with the tires and whether they have experienced any issues.
We genuinely appreciate the feedback.
Customers also appreciate the fact that we check back with them. It makes them feel that we care about what happens after they have paid and the job has been completed.
That approach to customer service has resulted in a lot of referrals for us.
People recommend us because they remember how they were treated.
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Q: What has been one of the biggest challenges of running a mobile tire business in Canada?
Mariah:
The weather!
It is definitely one of our biggest challenges.
Canada is cold for much of the year, and because our work is mobile, a lot of it involves working outside.
You can imagine how difficult it can be working outdoors when the temperatures are extremely low.
We prepare ourselves as much as we can, but honestly, I don’t think working in that kind of cold is something you ever completely get used to.
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Q: Looking back at your previous business experience in Nigeria, is there anything you would have done differently?
Mariah:
I wish we had used social media more when we were involved in buying and selling cars in Nigeria.
The business was doing very well, but looking back, I believe digital marketing could have taken it much further.
I would have made greater use of social media and things like Google Ads.
Seeing what digital marketing has done for our business in Canada has completely changed my perspective.
It has helped us tremendously.
Today, a lot of our bookings come through the advertising and online marketing we do, and there are times when we are completely booked because of the ads we run.
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Q: Where do you see DAMA Mobile Tire Shop going from here?
Mariah:
I see us expanding.
I see us having more trucks, employing more people and eventually moving deeper into tire sales as well.
There is so much more that we want to build.
The mobile tire service is the beginning, rather than the end of what we envision for the company.
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Q: Beyond growing the company, what does success ultimately mean to you and your family?
Mariah:
We hope to build generational wealth through what we are creating.
But we also want our journey to motivate other young people.
We want people to look at our story and understand that it is possible to start again.
We moved to another country and had to build ourselves up from scratch. We didn’t necessarily have everything we needed at the beginning, but we worked with what we had and found a way to move forward.
I want young people to understand that they can accomplish so much when they truly put their minds to something.
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Q: You and your husband are not only married but business partners. How do you separate marriage from work?
Mariah:
When we’re working, the business comes first.
We don’t operate as husband and wife while we’re on the job.
I am still learning from my husband on the technical side of the business, so when we’re working, my responsibility is to focus, listen to his instructions and learn as much as I can.
We try to leave the “married” part at home and behave professionally when we are working.
I also think it helps that we were friends first.
There is already a level of understanding between us, so working together feels quite natural.
That friendship and understanding help us navigate both the business and our relationship.
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Q: As the business grows and you eventually build a larger team, what qualities will you look for in the people who work with you?
Mariah:
We are not currently hiring, but when we do, two of the biggest things we will look for are honesty and professionalism.
This is a business built around trust and people’s safety, so those qualities are very important to us.
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Q: What are five lessons life and entrepreneurship have taught you so far?
Mariah:
- Information is key.
- To make it in life, you have to be disciplined.
- You learn from your mistakes.
- Never stop trying.
- Love wins.
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Q: Finally, what would you say to someone who is afraid to take a chance on themselves?
Mariah:
Believe in yourself.
And remember that you are allowed to make mistakes.
Mistakes are part of learning, growing and becoming better. Don’t allow the fear of getting something wrong to stop you from trying in the first place.
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