Standing on the grid of the Indy 500 with 250,000 people around you and 33 cars on the grid—there’s nothing like it.
At the age of 13 I was working on semi-trucks. And when I turned 18, I opened up my first shop in the U.K. It was mobile; just me and a set of tools.
In 1996, I got a call from Newport Beach, California that said “we need you to be a crew chief for the Indy Lights Team.”
With no hesitation, I said yes. I was the crew chief for a two-car team for about a year.
After moving from the U.K. to the U.S., I hopped around a bit. I lived in Oregon, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. I went from being a crew chief to replacing rear tires and fixing exotics.
In 1999, I worked my first Indy 500 race. And let me tell you: standing on the grid of the Indy 500 with 250,000 people around you and 33 cars on the grid—there’s nothing like it.
As you’re waiting for the car to drive up, your adrenaline will start pumping. Everyone is in their position, and you’re in charge of changing the outside rear tire.
Formula One guys can do it in 2 to 2.5 seconds because they have a group of 20 individuals, but when you’re the only one on a tire, and everyone’s counting on you, you do it in 5 to 7 seconds.
I remember they put a heart rate monitor on me when I was changing tires at the Long Beach Grand Prix. My heart rate went from 180 to 230 during that wheel change.
In 2007, I was asked to come to Houston, Texas to run an exotic repair shop down the road.
So, I turned that place around and decided to open up a shop of my own. Because I started off traveling the world when I was focusing on race cars, and the world’s a sphere, I named my shop Sphere Motorsports.
I started off contracting with race teams, and in 2009 I made the switch to exotic vehicle repairs. I knew the cars, and people knew I could work on them. So, within two hours of being open, I was already booking work.
“...they put a heart rate monitor on me when I was changing tires at the Long Beach Grand Prix. My heart rate went from 180 to 230 during that wheel change.”
But opening my own shop wasn’t easy. My learning curve wasn’t a “curve”; it went straight up. I struggled to manage the scope of repair time and the shop’s schedule as we started to grow.
And it’s impossible to prepare yourself for the amount of money you will invest as a shop owner.
But you have to go above and beyond for your shop’s equipment. You need a high-quality welder, compressor, tire machine, and lift. Investing in high-quality equipment will help your shop tenfold.
You have to take quality control (QC) seriously, too. Every car that enters the garage, it doesn’t matter what repairs we’ve done, gets a QC check.
We check the lug nuts, torque, and tire pressure before any customer hits the road.
Prepare to think about your shop more than anything else, but give yourself the ability to step away. Turn your gears off work-mode when you get the chance. At Sphere, we never work weekends.
“Investing in high-quality equipment will help your shop tenfold.”
And remind yourself, mistakes are inevitable. Sometimes we miss things because we are human. I made mistakes but I learned a ton and I’d go back and do it all again. It got me across the finish line to where I am now.
Entrepreneurs play a vital role in transforming our lives by disrupting markets and revolutionizing industries. We are thrilled that Sunil Patel, Founder & CEO of Tekmetric is to be recognized as a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year®. 2025 Gulf South program. As the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs, now in its 40th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is at the forefront of identifying game-changing business leaders. The program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corporation, Eric Yuan of Zoom, Jodi Berg of Vitamix and Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC.
We're honored to have Sunil recognized among so many other ambitious business leaders in the Gulf South. Learn more about the Entrepreneur Of The Year Gulf South program and follow us along on our journey to the regional awards celebration! Link to full article
Learn more about the story of Tekmetric and Sunil Patel in our latest documentary.
Tekmetric Community
Sunil Patel Earns Finalist in Entrepreneur Of The Year
We're happy to announce that our commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction has been recognized! For Spring 2025, G2 has awarded Tekmetric with a range of badges, including Momentum Leader, Best Results, Best Usability, Most Implementable, and Grid Leader.
These awards reflect our customers' experiences and trust in Tekmetric, highlighting their role in our success.
What These Badges Mean
Momentum Leader: We're leading the pack, constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of the automotive industry.
Best Results & Best Usability: Tekmetric is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, helping you achieve the results you want.
Most Implementable: Change can be scary – That's why we've made it easy to get started and integrate with Tekmetric so you can hit the ground running.
Grid Leader: This badge showcases how our customers describe Tekmetric as the go-to solution for auto shop management.
Thank You to Our Customers
We couldn't have done it without our customers! Your feedback and support drive us to continually improve and deliver the best possible shop management experience. We're excited to continue this journey with you and can't wait to see what we accomplish together in the future. We'll continue to innovate, listen to your feedback, and provide the tools you need to run your shop.
At Tekmetric, we understand that data security is more than just a priority—it's a responsibility. That’s why we are excited to announce that Tekmetric is now ISO/IEC 27001 certified! Combined with our SOC 2 Type II certification, this achievement underscores our commitment to keeping customer and partner data safe and maintaining systems that operate at the highest standards.
What is ISO/IEC 27001?
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally recognized standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). It represents a comprehensive framework for managing and protecting an organization’s information assets, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.
To obtain this certification, Tekmetric went through rigorous audits and a thorough examination of security protocols, risk management practices, and data protection measures.
As we continue to innovate shop management solutions to best support our customers, achieving this certification reinforces that our platform and internal workflows protect the highly sensitive data customers and partners trust us with.
What This Means for Tekmetric Customers
For Tekmetric customers, achieving ISO/IEC 27001 certification means you can trust that we adhere to the highest standards for information security.
Enhanced Data Security & Trust: Our certification guarantees that Tekmetric has stringent security measures in place to safeguard sensitive data, including customer information, financial records, and business data.
Reduced Risk of Data Breaches & Security Incidents: By adopting a proactive approach to risk management, Tekmetric minimizes the likelihood of security breaches and disruptions
Compliance & Regulatory Alignment: Our ISO/IEC 27001 certification helps customers demonstrate compliance with data protection regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA.
This certification reinforces our commitment to safeguarding your data, providing you with peace of mind and confidence in our Shop Management platform. To learn more about all our certifications and our commitment to security, visit our Trust Center.
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