What does it feel like to have your childhood friend also be your business partner?
The co-founders of Sphere Automobile - Sam and Roy - have the perfect answer to this, having grown up together. A shared love of cars brought the pair together, but it was their common aspiration to be entrepreneurs that saw them through the years.
Sphere Automobile has taken many forms through trial and error before the co-founders crystallised the business model it currently operates on.
Today, the dealership has established itself as an industry leader, having been minted an Sgcarmart Premium Dealer 2024. Adding to its array of freshly badged accolades is its receipt of the CaseTrust-Singapore Vehicle Traders Association (SVTA) Accreditation in 2023. This pays testament to the firm's above-board, strict practices that adhere to price transparency standards.
Sphere Automobile is a story of two friends' dreams made possible by passion. And perhaps, more symbolically, a growth story that's accompanied by blood, sweat and tears.
When passion translates to service excellence
Sam and Roy took their driving licence at the first chance. When they passed, they knew instinctively that they wanted to do something car related.
Yet, at 18 years old, they had plenty of drive but no capital. That did nothing to quell their hunger.
The young lads started out in logistics alongside providing limousine services for a Chinese tourism company. Getting their hands on anything remotely connected to automotives was their foremost priority. Through that experience, they saw an opportunity in the vehicle rental space and ventured into it. It didn't take long for Sam and Roy to later get on-board the business of exporting cars.
These may seem like a series of steps yoked to opportunistic practices. But in the keen eyes of the enterprising, these presented as valuable lessons not to be missed out on. The high regularity with which a used vehicle had to be scrapped and exported naturally came across as a chance to internalise it in-house so customers could benefit from the seamless spectrum of services.
At 19, the duo was hungry.
Unfortunately, as if a rite of passage for all who step into the realm of entrepreneurship, Sam and Roy stumbled in the early stages of setting up shop. "Car exports turned out to be far more complex than we imagined. It was challenging trying to build contacts with buyers located overseas, let alone having to navigate the procedures locally and abroad," the partners tell me.
They were scammed of a sizeable sum of money in their first year. But they learnt, improvised, and shifted their focus to a more customer-centric existence.
The Sphere Automobile-exclusive warranty package - which covers the engine and gearbox - lasts a car until the end of its COE lifespan. The owners explain that this helps to address a common concern with purchasing used cars: The exorbitant costs of repair and maintenance owing to the age of the vehicle.
To give customers an even greater peace of mind, Sphere Automobile has teamed up with a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI) workshop. This arrangement ensures customers are fully aware of a car's condition before they commit to a purchase. At Sphere Automobile, expect no less of the transparency it offers. It comes as no surprise that the dealership is already part of the Sgcarmart Buysafe programme that lets you shop for your dream car, worry-free.
Something about interacting with Sam and Roy just feels so genuine, one that's not motivated purely by business objectives. Perhaps it's because they got a head start in their journey, or perhaps the 28-year old owners are still raring to forge fearlessly forward. But to reconcile this with their passion for cars will demystify any doubt you may have over their continuous pursuit of service excellence.
Building on the industry insights they've gathered over the years, Sphere Automobile has now solidified its core trade of buying and selling cars.
The dream team: Tiding through Covid-19 and beyond
'Teamwork makes the dream work' isn't a cliche for the dealership - it is the principle on which the team functions.
Sphere Automobile's comprehensive service support that begins at the start of a customer's journey is proof. Don't be alarmed if you get added into a WhatsApp group chat with a cross-functional team from the dealership; their dedicated professionals will assist you in your purchases, through your car loan, after-sale delivery touch-up, and promised deals.
But this is only the beginning. The chat doesn't close after the deal is sealed. It lives on as a vessel of communication between customers and Sphere Automobile. "By keeping our automotive solutions just a text away, we assure customers that we will be there for them whenever they need our assistance." Sam and Roy believe that this personalised touchpoint is key to building a pool of long-term clientele.
This conviction is carried on to other aspects of their work. When Covid-19 struck and set the business back, the team did not relent. Instead, the members came together and conceived of an idea that was, again, driven by a shared vision of doing more for their customers.
It was during this time that Sphere Automobile's 'doorstep service' was introduced. What this service entails is having the car that caught your fancy be driven right up to you so you can have a better look and feel of it, in person.
Sam tells me that it all began with a desire to solve the problem where customers can't come to their premises to view cars. "We thought, since customers couldn't come to us, we could go to them," he adds. It was an instant big hit: An average of about 5 to 8 such daily trips were made at the peak of Covid-19.
Though the thick of the pandemic is behind us, the 'doorstep service' remains a popular pick among the car hopefuls who knock on Sphere Automobile's doors. Today, one in three customers would ask for the personalised car viewing service owing to tight personal schedules. Sphere Automobile takes their value-added service a step further by keeping their showroom open until 3:00am (at times up till 4:00am) just for those who can only make it then.
"The customer does not owe us any obligation to buy the car(s) they choose to view. To us, however, there is a duty to bring solutions to our customers."
Here's the best part: Sphere Automobile's tight-knitted team of 30 members are one in furthering the business' objectives.
Discover the difference today
If you're thinking of getting a used car, why not discover the difference at Sphere Automobile? You can expect nothing less than unparalleled attention to detail and a customised car buying experience like no other.
Beyond being just another car sales platform, Sphere symbolises the fruition of dreams driven by an unwavering love of these four-wheeled, pre-loved machines. Trust them when they say they know exactly what you're looking for because the team is just as big about cars than you can possibly imagine.
These, to me, are reasons enough to place your vote of confidence in Sphere Automobile. Simply because, there is no winning recipe that's more absolute than hard work layered on a drive to excel, finished with a generous sprinkle of passion.
Find out for yourself by heading down to Sphere Automobile located at REVV West Corporation Hub, 1 Corporation Drive, #01-15 Singapore 619775. Or ring them up at 9247 9123 / 9880 4840.
