Kim: I remember vividly the day back in Year 1986 when I visited a friend, who was working in a used car dealer as a dispatch. When I stepped into his office, I was really shocked to see his sales team smoking and gambling, blatantly ignoring the customers who were browsing the cars on display.

One particular salesperson even had the cheek to tell a customer very rudely to hurry up and buy on the spot as there were many other interested parties eyeing the same car. When the customer started negotiating on the price, the salesperson was very sarcastic and spoke very loudly, “You never do your homework? Our price is the cheapest – take it or leave it!!!”

I was stunned at how they treated their customers. “Must all used car dealers have a bad name?” I wondered. At that moment, I saw the opportunity to plug the hole in the used car market and be different. I firmly believed if I could provide my customers with good automotive solutions and deal in a fair and transparent manner, I would surely earn the trust of my customers and get many referrals.

After serving my National Service, I registered my company and started my one-man business at my mother’s rented unit located above a shophouse.

Kim: When I started the business, many friends mocked me and made snide remarks, “You are so poor! How do you do business without money?” I didn’t reply or get discouraged by their comments. I started the business by borrowing $5,000 from my friend and another $10,000 from my mother.

With the limited cash on hand, I purchased a car without making a full settlement to the Bank on the seller’s behalf until I managed to sell the unit. Working on this basis allowed me to purchase more cars with the limited capital on hand. I continued to roll the working capital as fast as I could for more deals.

Often, I had to endure sarcastic remarks from other car dealers, like the cheque I issued may be a rubber cheque. These struggles motivated me to work harder without complaining.

Kim: From Year 2000 to 2005, I was a volunteer at a Community Club. I assisted the MP of the constituency to walk the grounds during “meet-the-people sessions”, and helped plan community events. I took up such volunteer work, due to the strong encouragement of my mother. I remembered she once told me when I was a kid that since the Social Welfare unit had helped our family with financial aid, I should repay the kindness to society one day when I have a chance. In 2000, I felt that was the right time for me to do it.

I returned to the business after 5 years of serving in the Grassroots. Many of my fellow volunteers had left by then, and my wife needed help taking care of our 3 kids. When I was volunteering, I worked 7 days a week and was very busy attending meetings and events daily. I hardly had any time for my family. After deciding to leave the volunteer work, I adopted a “semi-retired” attitude while running my business as I was able to bring home a decent income to provide a comfortable living for my family.

One day, I met a friend who told me that God had given me the inborn talent to run businesses. He could see that I was able to run businesses effortlessly while achieving a decent profit, and to cherish and make good use of this ability. He told me to cherish and make good use of my ability. By expanding the business, I can create more jobs and help others at the same time with gainful employment.

For that reason, I rebuilt Dickson Group and transformed it from a traditional car dealership business to one which helps our dealer partners to succeed.

Kim: Whilst my long term vision is to transform the business to become a platform that connects people, I face challenges on how to integrate all my ideas together. I decided to further my studies so as to equip myself with the required knowledge to execute my ideas.

After going through several rounds of interviews with the University professor, I managed to enrol into an MBA program, with only my GCE O-level Certificate. I was told that the reason they accepted my application was due to my experience, proven track record and success in my existing business.

For me, studying is the most challenging thing I have done in life, and it is much tougher than running a business. As I was just a GCE O-Level student, it was really difficult for me to catch up in my studies. With the encouragement of my school’s professors, I studied really hard. Often, I was the first one to reach the class and the last one to leave.

I had to juggle between taking care of my business, studies, and my three kids. Every night, I waited for my kids to fall asleep before burning the midnight oil to cram for the exams. I remember studying till 2am – 3am daily, and then reporting to work at 9am sharp daily.

My first assignment was rejected seven times before I eventually received a pass. The MBA programme really helped to broaden my knowledge and equip me with different perspectives. This in turn helped me to consolidate my experiences and knowledge in a more structured manner, which I then used to help me run my businesses better.

In a nutshell, the knowledge acquired from the MBA provided me with the skillset to build a more Structured, Systematic and Scalable Organisation. On top of that, it also helped me to manage the Risks Exposure, Macro Views of the world’s Economic, Integrating of all Strategies and Market Intel to operate all the businesses in a more professional and holistic way.

Kim: In the motor industry, there’s still a lack of transparency. At Dickson Group, we create a good buying experience for all our customers by being fair and transparent in all our dealings. As our Dickson Group tagline says, “We don’t just sell products, we sell trust!”

Kim: In line with our vision to be a premier automotive solution provider in Singapore, offering a wide and comprehensive range of services and facilities that inspire trust and innovation; we hope to attain a significant market share in terms of the car transaction volume in the market.

Kim: I don’t not think I would have done anything differently, as I am very grateful with what I have achieved so far.

Kim: Having self-discipline to me is the most important principle, and it has served me well.