Today we’d like to introduce you to MARLON CANALES
Hi MARLON, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My career and professional journey started super early for me. Like many teenagers I desired independence so I left my home and dropped out of school at 16, moved in with my now wife and had a baby, all before I turned 17! LOL
As a 17 year old young father, I needed to make ends meet and become a provider. That’s where it all started.for me.
Trying multiple odd jobs like construction, warehouses, restaurants, I knew I wanted to do something more. I decided to venture into car sales, and after many no’s I was able to land an opportunity at a local used car Buy here pay here dealership in Buford Hwy.
It didn’t take me long to see how much money you could make selling cars, and the best part was since it was 100% commission based that there was no cap or ceiling to how much you were able to make so I decided to go all in on mastering my sales craft.
During the time I started my journey in the automotive industry it was a sort of transitional period where the internet had just began to become a marketplace option for car dealers so me being the youngest guy at the dealership they decided to promote me to internet sales manager which I proudly took on and decided to run with it and master those internet selling skills.
After 3 years with my first dealership, making great money, I decided my next mission was to become a finance manager, where I would be in charge of helping customers get a car loan. Unfortunately, my current job at the time did not have any openings at the time and it seemed almost non existing for it to become available in the near future so I decided to start looking for other opportunities.
During my search, I came across a recently opened used car lot in Buford hwy. When I met the owner it was like an explosion of chemistry happened, we really hit it off, him wanting to build an automotive empire, and me wanting to be a part of that.
So, he gave me the opportunity to join his very small team as the finance manager, at the time we were probably 3-5 guys and 30-40 car lot. We were both very hungry for growth and success so we were able to scale up from a 30-40 car lot to a 1500 car lot doing close to $100mm in sales 10 years later!
At this point, I am close to 13 years in the industry having been through it all ups and downs of the market, baby #2. The ambition in me decided to poke at me again with wanting to be a dealer owner so I decided then to pursue my own used car dealership.
I knew I needed a team so I talked to a couple of my closest connections that shared similar values and ambitions and we launched Autoshpere in the late summer of 2022 out of Lawrenceville, GA.
Autosphere, has taken on the market by a storm and we’ve had a very organic yet fast growth! We have been growing and we have plans to continue to scale to multiple locations and become a household brand for used car buying.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Thankfully, even though I was technically working under someone else in my career I had always been 100% commission based and I have been in charge of my personal success as well as the success of the departments I ran so I was able to learn first hand without risking my own money.
So, when it was time to build my own I sort of already had the blueprints for success.
Now, in business it’s never a cookie cutter plan, there are always lots of “uncontrollables” such as the economy, government, consumer behavior, inflation etc.
Which is why it’s extremely important to be disciplined and make smart decisions but also trust your gut instinct.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Autosphere?
Autosphere, is an automotive group we specialize in used car sales and service with a different approach than your typical used car dealership and/or mechanic shops.
We are very customer experience driven. we focus on getting to know each and every one of our customers, build relationships and help guide them through their used car buying needs or vehicle maintenance or repairs needs.
Besides being customer experience driven, we leverage technology to bring the transparency factor that unfortunately lacks in this industry and what ultimately set us apart, we want our customers to not just feel like we are honest but also have visual evidence of the work that goes behind our vehicles and processes.
As the CEO of Autosphere, what I am most proud of is our staff, this group of people have embraced and embodied the Autosphere values of respect, integrity and excellence with the highest level. I consider myself to not be in the car business as much but mainly my business is my people, coaching, developing, building and supporting them is my priority and they will take care of our customers!
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I have a bit of an introvert side. lol
I think that after being around people so much I enjoy a little time to myself, I like to do solo travels, go solo golfing, even have lunch or dinner by myself SOMETIMES.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.autospherega.com and https://autospheremotorsports.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autospherega/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autospherega
