[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Header” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_type=”circular” background_color_gradient_direction_radial=”top left” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(255,255,255,0.89) 30%|rgba(255,255,255,0) 80%” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(255,255,255,0.89)” background_color_gradient_start_position=”30%” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(255,255,255,0)” background_color_gradient_end_position=”80%” background_image=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/irfan-1.jpg” background_size=”custom” background_image_width=”75%” background_position=”top_center” width=”100%” min_height=”100px” custom_margin=”-12px||194px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-50px||194px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”8vw|1px|0|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.49)” transform_translate_linked=”off” min_height=”192px” custom_margin=”160px|auto|150px|auto|false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”61px|48px|61px|48px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Ogg|700|||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”44px” text_line_height=”1.2em” header_font=”Raleway|700|||||||” header_font_size=”80px” header_2_font_size=”28px” header_5_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_5_text_color=”#000000″ header_5_font_size=”20px” header_5_letter_spacing=”0.5em” header_5_line_height=”1.8em” custom_margin=”-30px||-2px|0px|false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-25px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|90px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|0px|||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” animation_style=”zoom” animation_intensity_zoom=”5%” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”27px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_tablet=”” text_line_height_phone=”1.2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone” header_font_size_tablet=”48px” header_font_size_phone=”28px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_5_font_size_tablet=”14px” header_5_font_size_phone=”12px” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ inline_fonts=”Montserrat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Building an Auto Empire: Triumph Over Challenges<\/b><\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Montreal Medium|500|||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”Montserrat||||||||” header_font_size=”80px” header_5_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_5_text_color=”#000000″ header_5_font_size=”20px” header_5_letter_spacing=”0.5em” header_5_line_height=”1.8em” width=”83.3%” min_height=”0px” custom_margin=”15px|129px|-22px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”10px|0px|0px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”0px|63px|||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|0px|||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” animation_style=”zoom” animation_intensity_zoom=”5%” text_line_height_tablet=”” text_line_height_phone=”1.8em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone” header_font_size_tablet=”48px” header_font_size_phone=”32px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_5_font_size_tablet=”14px” header_5_font_size_phone=”12px” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ inline_fonts=”Montserrat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Join <\/span>IRFAN ALI <\/b>as he shares how his childhood friend Akbar S\/O A Abdul Jabar went from washing cars in a dealership to venturing into his car detailing business.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ custom_margin=”-194px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.4″ min_height=”84px” custom_margin=”-80px|auto||auto|false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-145px|auto|-100px|auto|false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”30px||||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”About Us” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ min_height=”1420px” custom_margin=”-136px||-433px|||” custom_padding=”107px||44px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”-55px||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-35px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”2px|0|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”|0px||0px||true” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.19.4″ text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_line_height=”1.5em” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”Raleway|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”50px” header_2_line_height=”1.4em” header_5_font=”Montserrat||||||||” header_5_text_color=”#b3b3b3″ header_5_font_size=”14px” header_5_line_height=”0.5em” header_6_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_6_font_size=”16px” header_6_letter_spacing=”5px” header_6_line_height=”1.8em” max_width=”659px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px|79px|104px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-40px|79px|0px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|0px||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”15px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_2_font_size_phone=”25px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BY Hype Issue #59<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u201cFocus on your studies first and then you can dream about starting a business,\u201d said Akbar\u2019s mom, when he first told her that he wanted to start his <\/span>car detailing<\/span><\/a><\/span> business, <\/span>Calros Auto Detailing<\/span><\/a><\/span>, in 2018 when he was just 14.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/irfan-1.jpg” alt=”Pet Sitter” title_text=”irfan 1″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”427.9px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”31px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n 17-year-old Akbar detailing his first ever car, a Volkswagen Scirocco back in 2021. Photo courtesy of\u00a0 Mohammed Akbar.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Fast forward six years down the road, Akbar has gained a loyal following in the automobile detailing scene through his sublime workmanship and tenacious disposition, which has sustained him in the competitive world of car detailing. At just 20, he boasts a catalogue of over 150 cars, ranging from luxurious Mercedes to sleek Lamborghinis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \n His clientele does not fall short either as he has detailed cars for high-profile individuals like the CEO of <\/span>W&F Motoring<\/span><\/span><\/a> and famous<\/span><\/span> realtors<\/span><\/a><\/span>. However, Akbar\u2019s journey to success was not an easy one; but is rather a tale of his perseverance, hard work, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \n \n <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Born into a family of butchers, Akbar was exposed to the business world from a young age and aspired to start his own business as he grew up. “I was fascinated by my uncle’s lifestyle. He would get up at 4:30 am every day to assist at our butcher shop and be home before I got back from school. He was his “own” boss, and that was one of the few reasons I wanted to be a business owner,” Akbar stated.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n On weekends, Akbar helped out at the shop, taking orders and packing meat, gaining customer service experience. He also learned negotiation skills by listening to his uncle’s discussions with suppliers.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Despite possessing business knowledge, Akbar’s extended family opposed his entrepreneurial ambitions at 13, considering him too young. The reality of financial struggles hit when he moved to his current home with his mother and two brothers, as she was the sole breadwinner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/irfan-2.png” alt=”Lion Dancing” title_text=”irfan 2″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”31px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The different variety of Fossil<\/a> <\/span>watches. Photo taken from Gear Patrol<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Wanting to financially support his mother, 15-year-old Akbar started his first business venture in 2019, selling Fossil watches typically priced over SGD 100. <\/span>Inspired by a birthday gift, he did some research and found Fossil watches were highly profitable for resale. “I used my academic bursary savings to purchase the watches at 20-30% below the market rate from a local supplier,” Akbar said. \u201cLucky for me, I managed to flip two to three watches per week through my social circle, which helped me invest in more watches.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \n Despite initial success, Akbar had to stop the business to focus on his N-level exams due to his mother\u2019s concerns about his education. This brief venture ignited his entrepreneurial spirit and taught him valuable business lessons.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/irfan-3.jpg” alt=”Lion Dancing” title_text=”irfan 3″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”31px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Akbar graduated in the top 10 percent of his cohort from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). Photo courtesy of\u00a0 Mohammed Akbar.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Driven by the passion to run his own business, Akbar studied hard and scored 16 points on his N-Level examinations. Although he qualified for the Direct Polytechnic Program (DPP), he had to reject it due to a lack of available vacancies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \n Since he knew he had about four months before pursuing his higher education, Akbar thought he would use this time to revive his watch business. But once again, his mom was against his idea as she, being a realist, felt that it would be better for Akbar to fund his tertiary education by taking up part-time jobs instead of pursuing his entrepreneurial aspirations due to their fiscal status.<\/span><\/p>\n While job hunting, Akbar found a dealership hiring car detailers without experience. Seeing an opportunity to gain new skills and fueled by his love for cars, he took the job. This seemingly small part-time gig unexpectedly led to the creation of Calros Auto Detailing.<\/span><\/p>\n \n \n \n \n Since Akbar was inexperienced in detailing cars, he was assigned a mentor at the car dealership to teach him the foundation of grooming cars. \u201cInitially, I got scolded by my mentor for even making petty mistakes like scrubbing the rims in the wrong direction, but the more vehicles I groomed, the more experienced I became,\u201d stated Akbar.<\/span><\/p>\n Within two months, he outshone his colleagues, driven by the desire to start his own business. After mastering detailing skills, Akbar left his part-time job in early February to pursue higher education. Before leaving, his mentor encouraged him to start his car detailing business.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n In 2020, Akbar founded his business amidst a global pandemic, defying naysayers like his friends who told him that he would not make it due to the prevalence of automobile detailing workshops. Undeterred, his commitment to high-quality and time-consuming services, like deep rim cleaning and engine bay detailing,\u00a0 quickly helped distinguish his business. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/irfan-4.png” alt=”Lion Dancing” title_text=”irfan 4″ force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_margin=”31px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u00a0Calros Auto Detailing\u2019s rating on Google. Image taken from\u00a0 Google<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montreal Medium||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” inline_fonts=”Montreal Medium” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Irfan Ali<\/b>
The UrbanWire Deputy Production Editor<\/b><\/p>\nPublished on<\/h5>\n
August 7, 2024<\/h5>\n
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<\/blockquote>\n
<\/blockquote>\n
Early Beginnings<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
First Venture into Business<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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His Educational Journey<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
Learning from a Mentor<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
From Vision to Reality<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n