HÀ NỘI — More than 30 youths wash and dry hundreds of branded pairs of shoes every day in a company in District 3, HCM City, returning them to customers within a day.

Every month, the youths clear thousands of pairs of shoes for more than 1,200 customers.

The work is busy, but the company’s director, Lê Hoàng Minh Nhật, manages all the work via camera only, and receives daily reports via email.

Few would imagine that the 22-year-old director is a student of the Business Administration Faculty of the International University under the HCM City National University.

More than a year ago, Nhật borrowed VNĐ15 million (US$660) for his start-up.

At first, he washed every pair of shoes himself. Now he pays dozens of millions of đồng per month to hire rooms and workers for the company with marketing, personnel and customer care units.

Nhật’s idea to found the Extrim Shoes Care Company started with a simple thought “Nobody did it, so I will do it.”

Back then Nhật wanted to wash his shoes, and he wished that if only he could call someone, ask him/her to wash them and then give back them within a day.

Nhật searched online, but could not find any services like this. Thus he started to implement his idea. He borrowed money from his friends to buy equipment made from the US, print packing, name cards, publish advertisements and study how to clean shoes.

“When I washed shoes for the first time, I was very worried as they were the customer’s property. If I damaged them, how could I compensated the customer?” Nhật told Tuổi trẻ (Youth) newspaper.

“Then I told myself that I should wash the shoes carefully like they are mine,” he said.

On many days Nhật is busy receiving shoes, washing them, drying them and then giving back to customers, sleeping three or four hours per day only.

Seeing Nhật suffering exhaustion due to his work, his parents urged him to stop.

“They told me they took care of me and brought me up not to wash shoes for strangers,” Nhật said.

Nhật many nights worried about the company’s future. And realising that the demand for washing shoes is high, Nhật borrowed more than VNĐ500 million ($22,200) to hire rooms, employ workers and promote his trademark.

“I was quite adventurous but I believe that I can do it,” he said.

“If I do not conduct my idea quickly, some others can steal the idea, thus I cannot hesitate, I must widen my company’s scale,” Nhật said.

Nhật said that last year the company’s takings were more than VNĐ800 million ($35,500). This year the company will open its services to other cities. — VNS