We recently connected with AJAY LUND and have shared our conversation below.

AJAY , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career

A formal education is becoming so expensive that it is deterring some from attending universities and forcing them into the workplace.

I would change all bachelor’s degrees to 3 years instead of 4. By doing this you will get out into the workforce quicker, start generating revenue, and really find out if what you are doing is truly what you want to do. It does not make sense to go to college and relearn some of the basics you were taught in high school. This will dramatically cut costs as well. Curriculums need to be highly specialized in the field that you are learning about, and those classes should be started as soon as possible!

AJAY , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I took a chauffeur job for one of the biggest limo companies around. I met someone that offered me a job in car sales. One thing led to another and about 10 years later I was finally able to open a car lot! Not many times does something like that happen. You know who you are, THANK YOU it made all the difference and had I not met you, I do not know if I would be in the automotive industry.

Buying a car should be simple but for whatever reason it does not seem to be that way for most. “Past experiences dictate future behaviors” is way to true. Most have experienced negative things at some point. Either with the actual vehicle they itself, or something else such as the financing end, the price, the promises that were told to them but never kept, etc. You get my drift. It creates the fear of it happening the next time, so customers are much more guarded in that way.

We really do everything we can to set the tone and not mismanage your expectations. Your happiness with your purchase is the most important thing to us. Unfortunately, cars are machines and do have problems and sometimes things may happen. We do our best to make sure you don’t experience anything unforeseen!

I have been fortunate to see ALOT in the auto industry. It has been critical in allowing us to operate differently than most. By working at one of the highest volume stores in the country as well as one of the premier independent dealerships, I gained a ton of experience. Traveling state to state and managing sales events at both franchise dealers and independent stores gave me insight into other demographics and markets outside of Florida. Utilizing all my experiences is translating well for both us and customers!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was a year or so into the car business, and I was a car salesman. It was late one night at work, and I was frustrated with myself because I was about to miss my monthly bonus by one car deal. I was talking with one of the sales managers, he said, ” the only way you can change certain things is to put your name on the building”. That moment stuck with me. I knew at some point I was going to get after it in my own way.

I was still years away from being able to pull it off. My goal for those 10 years was to become an expert. I started to ask all types of questions to all different people within the dealership I was at. I learned a ton. Then once I got into management, my eyes really opened. I soaked up as much as I could.

I almost subconsciously made the decision to open my car dealership. I saved as much as I could and pressed as long as I felt necessary and then decided to PIVOT on my own.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I am a big believer in risk. However, it is important to take calculated risks and not just full blown gambles. I took a risk, and it was a major setback. It took some time to get over, but you reap what you sow and that’s exactly what happened. “A setback it a setup for a comeback” and I was not going to let it stop what I wanted. It caused me to step on the gas and produce as much as I could for a few more years until I was able to launch Streamline Auto!

I check out mentally when people tell me something is risky. EVERYTHING is risky in some way shape or form.

I was eager to prove to myself that I could get back to where I needed to be. To me that was the exciting part about it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.streamlineautotampa.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Streamlineauto813