Kenyan content creator and car dealer Lookman Hasham, popularly known as Lookie63, recently disclosed how he sold four luxury vehicles worth a combined KSh 120 million.
Speaking on the Financially Incorrect podcast, he disclosed that the vehicles included a Mercedes-Benz G63, two Range Rover Vogues and a Range Rover Sport. All of them were 2024 models.
The transactions marked a key milestone in his business as a car dealer.
Lookie grew up in a middle-class family. His father was a veteran businessman, and he operated several businesses such as garbage collection, security, and imports.
After sitting for his O-levels in 2015, Lookie enrolled in an IT diploma, but he dropped out during his first year.
“I left university in the first year and moved into business,” he recalled.
His first job was at his father’s office, before he landed another job at Ngara, which involved arranging merchandise on shelves.
Starting his own business
In 2016, Lookie convinced his father to loan him $1000, and he used the money to start a car spare parts importation business.
Using his father’s business connections in the UK, he started importing various items such as lights, bulbs, and other spare parts for the Kenyan market.
While many local spare parts suppliers would require three to five weeks to complete deliveries, Lookie said that he could deliver his products within ten days, which enabled him to attract a lot of customers.
His father later gave him an additional $1,000, which he used to expand his business.
This enabled him to accumulate approximately KSh 150,000 to KSh 180,000 within two to three months.
He also attended car meets, joined WhatsApp groups, and established an Instagram page called Allwheel Drive Nation Kenya to attract customers.
Building an Automotive Brand
Lookie’s fortunes changed for the better when his father gifted him a Subaru. He modified the vehicle, documenting the entire journey on social media.
The modification was so good that it attracted attention from many car enthusiasts who were interested in adding similar modifications to their vehicles.
Customers increasingly approached him to ask where he sourced the parts, and business boomed.
In 2021, he sold the Subaru for KSh 1.8 million, combined the proceeds with other savings, and bought a Mercedes-AMG C63 worth approximately KSh 5.8 million.
He later bought and sold another Mercedes, which he had nicknamed Mona Lisa. However, he disclosed that he sold the vehicle, which had garnered his brand tons of online traction, at a loss.
“I didn’t make any money. I took a very big loss on that car,” he said.
Making Money Through Commissions
As his online following grew beyond 150,000, Lookie began working with dealerships to promote and sell vehicles.
He partnered with other luxury car dealers such as Alusi, which enabled him to earn commissions from the customers that he referred.
One major transaction involved a Range Rover worth approximately KSh 15 million. Lookie later partnered with another dealership, which allowed him to secure the ksh 120 million deal.
According to Lookie, customer referrals have helped him secure most of these deals. He also earns money by brokering car sales and importing spare parts.
For instance, he can source a car part for KSh 100,000 and sell it for KSh 110,000, earning KSh 10,000.
According to him, Kenya’s automotive content industry has grown by leaps and bounds.
Content creators can now earn through brand sponsorships, vehicle sales, and spare-parts imports.
He also revealed that one of his ambitions is to own a Porsche GT3, which he hopes to finance through buying used cars, improving them, and reselling them at a profit.