POLOKWANE – The difference between life and death might just be a clear view at night. With this in mind Garth Nagel started GZ Spot, a car headlight restoration company.
He explained that although the name can be thought to be provoking, because people often misread it, it has a special meaning than just catching people’s attention.
“The G doesn’t just stand for my name, it also signifies my religious background. I pray a lot, so the ‘G’ also stands for a higher-being. The spot plays with the fact that in the business I’m in, one always has to be spot-on, you can’t afford to make mistakes,” he explained.
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Nagel capitalised on the gap he identified in the market, after noticing that new model car headlights are made from plastic which deteriorates with time, affecting visibility. “When I bought my bakkie in 2014, I experienced the problem where, after some time, I couldn’t see clearly at night. I went to people who helped me and four months down the line, I had the same problem, only worse,” he added. That was enough motivation for him to do research and see it as a business opportunity. He shared that he had to do a lot of research about what is within legal bounds on making changes to headlights.
He hopes to create employment and also use the business as a means of providing training for young people in rural areas, to allow them to make use of their skills to get work opportunities. Nagel also plans to expand beyond lights and would like to offer more services and have more businesses under the GZ Spot banner.
“I want to go into clothing and opening up a few clubs, but it won’t just be about that. I am also going to have community uplifting projects, something positive within the community,” he said.
His advice to young people is to do as much research as possible and not give-up because nothing comes easy in life. “It is never too late to start something. This also applies to older people, age should not disqualify you from opportunities,” he concluded.
