TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024
ANISHA FRANCIS
MAPUSA: When Josephine D’Souza took over her husband’s small car and bike wash in the late 1990’s, she did not have much experience running a business – but as a
mother of five young children, she knew how to get things clean.
In 1991, her husband, Sylvester D’Souza had started the car wash in a small shed opposite the Football Ground in Mapusa, with meagre savings from his years working as a defence mechanic in Muscat. A few years later, Sylvester fell ill, and passed away. “When my husband passed, I could not sit at home and feel sad about it, I had five children to raise,” says Josephine, in a matter-of-fact way.
Today, Josephine is 72 years old, and her once-humble carwash, ‘Good Shine Elma’ (named after her daughter), is now a shiny, swanky enterprise with a workforce of around 20, which also offers a wide range of detailing services for high-end vehicles. Josephine is still the matriarch, showing up at work every day, interacting with customers
and dealing with persistent problems of finding and training workers.
“She truly is a tough lady, with an iron will. There are many times when I get tired, I give up when many things go wrong. But she never shies away from a difficult situation or conversation,” says Elly, Jospehine’s only son. After a stint in the UK, Elly returned to Goa eight years ago, to help his mother with the car wash business. “Things were quite difficult for her after my dad passed away – mum somehow managed everything- took care of us, cooked for us, ensured that we studied well, dropped and picked us up from school when she could- along with running a physically-demanding business. She is truly remarkable,” says Elly. Josephine on the other hand credits her son for expanding the business.
The five siblings- Elly and his four sisters – also pitched in to wash cars after school and on holidays. “We were one of the first to provide this service at a time when there were hardly any cars on Goa’s streets. I remember charging Rs 13 per car wash,” he reminisces fondly. Today, their services have expanded to include tyre work, ceramic coating, pricey polishing jobs, scratch-resistant wraps and the like, which sometimes cost upwards of a lakh. “And we have the clientele who want to take good care of their luxury cars and motorbikes. We are busy all the time but mum always has a handle on things,” says Elly.
“If you start a business you can stand on your own feet, you don’t have to be under anyone, you can be your own boss. Even after my husband’s death, I managed to educate all my kids well- I sent my eldest daughter to London to study MBA and she now works for the government in London. My youngest daughter is also abroad, in Australia, and my son also worked overseas before coming to join me. I trust them to keep ‘Good Shine Elma’ in sparkling shape always, I am happy now,” she signs off.
