Randeep Reehal, CEO of The Pink Garage, is remarkably the only Sikh Indian woman in the UK that is fully running a car garage. Randeep recently sat down on The Women in Business Radio Show to discuss her experience establishing herself in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Sitting down with hosts Sian Murphy and Adelle Martin, Randeep talked about how her experience working at her father’s garage, Courtwood Car Services, inspired her to pursue a career in the motor industry after she became conscious of the need for a woman-friendly business approach.
Randeep said: “I realised over the years that I was working in the family business how relieved people felt when they heard me talk on the phone and realised that there’s a woman who understands cars.
“A lot of the time women would come down to the garage and weren’t exactly sure of what they’re talking about, or their husband has sent them down to report a problem that they had little understanding around. Seeing another woman there who knew what she was doing just reassured them. This was what really encouraged me to continue my career in the industry.
“So, I learnt the trade because I wanted to serve and make a difference for women. I wanted to learn the job and what goes on with cars to explain it clearly to people who don’t quite get it all.”
This would ultimately lead onto Randeep starting her own business, The Pink Garage, as a spinout from the family business. Its purpose is to provide clearly outlined services to other female motorists and promote opportunities for women to work in the sector.
Randeep explained: “Generally speaking, there isn’t enough skills trade anyway regardless of whether you’re going to be a carpenter, electrician or something else. But the motor trade is really struggling with that and we want to address it.
“I can teach women to come into the trade even though I haven’t done a qualification myself. Although I haven’t been all hands on and I don’t know every nut and bolt in a car, I have a sound experience and understanding of general motoring and how to get the best from your car. In running my business, I bridge the gap from reception to workshop and tell the customer exactly what’s going on with their car.”
Elaborating further on the need to improve communication between mechanics and women customers in the industry, Randeep added: “I understand how some male mechanics feel when they see a woman because they don’t want to come across as rude. But in terms of communication and how they interact with women, women can be made to feel vulnerable or stupid in the sense that they can’t digest the information and have little understanding of what they’re going to be charged despite the best efforts of the mechanic.
“I always see relief on a woman’s face when they see me. People see garages as a stress zone and there’s anxiety around what’s going to unfold. Women can seem distressed about the state of their cars and if you as a mechanic are unsure of how to deal with that, it can create unwanted tension. Because everyone’s in panic mode, even when you try to explain to the customer what’s wrong it doesn’t always register. So, I made an effort to get emotional about cars in a way and be able to explain issues to people in layman’s terms.”
The full interview with Randeep Reehal on The Women in Business Radio Show can be found here.
