Growth through shared vision

DEAN Horn, 42, had big shoes to fill when he took the baton from his dad in running the family business. The Super Tyres name has become synonymous with values such as trust and quality for over 40 years, and Horn had to ensure that the legacy endured.

Born in Durban, Horn attended St Henry’s Marist College, then moved on to the University of Port Elizabeth, which is now known as Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, to complete a degree in business management.

Horn’s parents, Bob and Jos Horn, started the Super Tyres brand on a wing and a prayer, and through sheer tenacity and resolve grew the business into the household name it has become as a leading tyre retailer.

Horn returned to Durban after completing his degree and joined the business as a dispatching clerk, working his way up through different administrative, operational and sales roles until eventually being appointed sales director in 2006.

In 2011, Horn eventually took over the reins of the business and has grown the company from a nine-store KZN retailer to a national operation trading out of 31 outlets.

The 22 new outlets are not retail tyre shops in the traditional sense, Horn said, but a combination of on-site depots and small outlets at car dealerships.

They were opened around the country, with seven in KZN, seven in Gauteng, four in Cape Town, two in Port Elizabeth and another in Bloemfontein.

This growth was forged through a persistent and unwavering vision, learning from mistakes along the way, building great relationships with customers and staff, and remaining true to the core values

– set by his parents – which had contributed to the overall success.

This enabled the business to triple in value over the past four years.

“I’ve had wonderful role models to emulate in the form of my parents, who taught me the fundamentals of business, but more about forging great relationships.

“I’m energised by leading and inspiring people to a greater future, and my position gives me a wonderful platform to do so.”

Horn has always adopted leadership roles at school and in sport, but didn’t learn about replicating this in business until much later. He learnt how to move away from working “in” the business to focus on working “on” the business, which proved to be a recipe for success.

Notwithstanding the guidance and advice from his parents,

Horn had to learn some tough business lessons like any emerging entrepreneur, and cites the help of a mentor as a way he was able to learn and grow, as well as having a way to hold himself accountable.

He offers the following snippets of advice to new business owners:

“Growth through continuous learning is important; so is finding the right people to work with who share your vision.

“Also, document your company’s vision and culture. Don’t assume people will understand how you want your business run. If you haven’t written it down, shared this with your team or got their buy-in, then the business will wander off in its own direction.”

Horn’s vision for the business is to ensure the continuity of building relationships with customers and wanting the business to inspire its employees and their families.

This is the very foundation on which the business was established.

Horn’s greatest motivation is to leave a lasting legacy, with the hope of being remembered as a great leader who inspired his team to success, while creating many opportunities for them.

Failure is a great teacher, and for Horn, a self-proclaimed procrastinator, his failures encouraged him to be better.

“I was a drastic procrastinator and the inevitable failures were such a stress for me to handle. Failure has since become my guide, and is an opportunity to learn, grow and move forward towards clearly defined goals and dreams.”

Horn takes pride in being a good businessman based on his positive mindset and using every opportunity to grow. His goal-setting ideology, backed by a strong vision and the motivation to help elevate lives, spurs him on.

It’s clear the vision that started the Super Tyres brand will be upheld through the generations, as evidenced by the winning of the coveted titles of Best Retailer and Fastest Growing Company at the Business Excellence Awards at the end of last year.

Horn is married to Sache and they have three daughters, Denne, Tyra and Jade.

www.supertyres.co.za