From collecting toy cars as a child to bringing in electric vehicles

When Mr Soh Ming was a child, he collected Hot Wheels toy cars.

- Sue-Ann Tan Business Correspondent

(BRIAN TEO)

His interest in cars never waned. Now 28 years old, he is the founder and managing director of Volt Auto, the authorised distributor in Singapore for Dongfeng electric vehicles (EVs).

He started out as an entrepreneur in the midst of the pandemic in 2021, founding Icon Cars with just $1,000. It was a car dealership that used social media marketing techniques on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

He sold the business in 2023 when he realised he wanted to find his own brand and build it, rather than simply marketing other cars. He started Volt Auto in 2024.

After completing his O-level exams at 16, he worked part-time in companies such as Grab, where he was “involved in sales, specifically converting taxi drivers to the Grab platform to help increase driver supply”.

“That mix of tech, operations and sales gave me the foundation to build something of my own,” he said. He was at Grab for about a year.

“It was a great learning experience in ground-up hustle, persuasion and understanding people’s motivations. I went from a part-time sales job to building a team of 100 all the way to the acquisition of Uber in Singapore.”

He also decided not to pursue further studies after O levels.

“I realised at that point in time that working will allow me to gain knowledge and wisdom that education isn’t able to. Is that the right mindset? I can’t say for everyone, as we all learn differently,” he said.

As he started Icon Cars with a small capital, he had to learn to be efficient with operational costs and startup costs, but without compromising on the quality of service and customer experience.