Steve Mercieca smiles when asked what distinguishes Quicklets and Zanzi Homes from other real estate companies and removes his shoes to reveal that he is wearing mismatching socks.
“I wear different coloured socks every day as a constant reminder to do things differently, to be more spontaneous, to bring a smile to somebody’s day and to work on improving the business,” the 30-year-old entrepreneur says.
Having co-founded the letting company Quicklets with his brother Michael and friend Sami Baddar in December 2013, quickly followed by Zanzi Homes real estate two years later, Mercieca is growing rapidly – in what at times could seem a saturated market – because of the unique way he operates.
One of the first things he did was secure the support of Baddar, an “internet genius”, to create a “super back office, designed to make the agent’s life much easier, and a Virtual Agent system”. These virtual affiliates send in leads and clients looking to purchase or rent, and in turn get a cut from the deal if secured. Meanwhile, his brother handled his accounts.
To date, the Quicklets Group has 1,156 virtual agents registered on its books, and the system has proved to be so effective that other companies have adopted it.
A man who struggles to sit in one place for too long, Mr Mercieca is constantly trying to come up with innovative ideas. One project he is extremely excited about is the upcoming course for real estate agents seeking to obtain the applicable licence to work in the field, as proposed by the recent property White Paper. This course, which starts on November 23, was born following discussions Mr Mercieca had with James Grech from Lead Training Services.
I wear different coloured socks every day as a constant reminder to do things differently, to be more spontaneous
Mr Mercieca is hopeful this certification will inject fresh impetus and enthusiasm in those seeking a career in real estate; a job that requires a huge dose of self-motivation, since income depends on closing a deal.
Finding the right people is often a struggle, but Mr Mercieca rewards his top people by allowing them to branch out in franchises of Quicklets and Zanzi Homes.
Mr Mercieca has always had a passion for property and homes, but his journey into real estate was a long, winding one fraught with numerous failed career choices before he eventually struck a successful formula.
Quoting from Henry Ford: “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently” – Mr Mercieca laughs when he remembers how he left a job at a bank after six years and set his sights on creating a monthly magazine. When that failed to take off he attempted to open a bar, but that too did not work so he tried his hand at selling insurance but got bored.
Once he started his letting company he spent six months juggling his new business venture with working full-time with an iGaming company, then spending his nights working as a receptionist in a hotel. This went on for three months before Quicklets finally took off.
“I’ve been broke for most of life, but I refuse to give up. I’m finally stabilising and my dream is to one day be comfortable enough to give back to those who are less fortunate.”
Throughout, Mr Mercieca has had a lot of detractors, but his advice to those attempting to follow their dream is to never give up even when the obstacles seem insurmountable.
“I’m over-ambitious so I always believed Quicklets would be a success, but then again I also believed all my other failed ventures would work,” he laughs, as he jumps off his chair and dashes off to achieve his daily mission of doing something different.