Wisdom Selorm is the founder and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Triumphant Real Estates. Established in the year 2015, Triumphant Real Estates is part of Ghana’s largest independent real estate agencies, helping people from all walks of life to buy, sell or rent a house(s).
Despite being relatively young in Ghana’s real estate industry, Triumphant Real Estates is widely known for its outstanding customer service which is next to none in the industry.
“Our agency is becoming successful due to the excellent work and integrity of our staff which is something we value and are proud of. Our local knowledge is of utmost importance and together with continual development, we are able to deliver the desired results needed plus first-class service to our customers,” founder-cum-CEO, Selorm, tells Business and Financial Times (B&FT), Mohammed Awal.
“Whether you are looking to buy, sell, let or rent in Accra and its environs, we would be delighted to be of help to you. We believe our team is among the best in the business today, whiles we take our profession very seriously, which is why we give you complete peace of mind. You are in safe hands when you come to us. In fact, Accra and its surrounding areas offer a wide range of property types, making it a draw for investors, young families, and singles alike,” he added.
The journey
Triumphant Real Estate is the outcome of a revelation from God— ‘a gift from God’ was how Selorm put it during an hour chat with the B&FT in his office at Manet-Spintex, a suburb of Accra, Ghana’s capital. Selorm received the revelation for the real estate company in 2009 whilst praying in the Achimota Forest. “That was when the revelation came that, ‘I’m giving you this to change the face of the earth with,” he recalls with a heavily wide grin.
A full-time pastor, Selorm decided to act and make the revelation a reality after years of studying real estate from seasoned agents and developers. The Triumphant Real Estate CEO and founder started serving God as a preacher in 2002. “I left whatever I was doing to become a man of God. I was into business then. It was a strong calling so I couldn’t do anything about it,” he says. “So, in the process of prayers and everything that was when the Lord gave me this (Triumphant Real Estate) at Achimota forest whilst I was praying.”
Birthing the real estate in the man of God
‘La patience est amere, mais son fruit est doux’ is a French proverb which in English means ‘Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet.’ Understanding the essence of patience, Selorm attached himself to Dr. Foster Kum-Ankama Sarpong, the owner and CEO of Designs Resources Estates as an apprentice to learn and appreciate the nuances surrounding the real estate industry before venturing in.
“So, he really birthed out the real estate in me. He started teaching me how to write simple sentences to post on real estate platforms—property market, realtors corner, sell your properties among others. He took me under his wings and exposed me to the world of real estate,” recalls Selorm.
Revelation, unabated dreams, and actualization amid COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic played a critical role in the registration and certification of Triumphant Real Estate. Despite being established in 2015, Selorm registered the company in December 2020 and had his certificate in January 2021.
Ghana recorded its first case of the virus on March 12, 2020, from two people who arrived in the country—a Ghanaian and a Norwegian national. The country has recorded some 125,000 cases since the first two cases with 1,118 deaths, according to data from the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
Touching on what really pushed him into real estate beyond the Achimota forest revelation, Selorm says calmly that: “The truth is that I always see myself building in my dreams. It is something that happens to me a lot. I will see myself building dams, harbors, and the road connecting cities, towns, and nations. When I awake I draw the way the whole thing was in my dream. It kept on coming. The dream kept on coming unabatedly.”
Selorm is an entrepreneur by birth. He went straight into business after graduating from Christian Methodist Secondary School previously located at Kokomlemle (now on the Kasoa-Winneba Road). He was forced to forgo his desire to further his studies at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) following the death of his sister. “After her demise, the family settled on me to inherit her business which I ran for two years,” he recalls.
The struggles of being pastor-cum-CEO of Triumphant Real Estates
“It is not an easy task,” Selorm tells B&FT. “But I realized that as far as God has given me the idea and the talent and the revelation he’d make a way for me to penetrate the market,” he adds.
Described by his staff as “a very busy person,” Selorm says the time he gives his pastoral work reduced drastically since deciding to make reality the revelation given him by God.
“Those days by this time I would be in an auditorium praying or reading my Bible. But now look at me over here. All things being equal, it is a gift from God, not from my own will. I served God faithfully and he wanted to reward me and gave me this to do. I don’t think it’s a problem. And, when I get the opportunity to counsel, pray or talk to somebody, I do it the way it must be done,” he states.
The excitement of being an entrepreneur
Selorm loves to go out there to make a difference. He hates when people go out there looking for accolades and living up to peoples’ perceived idea of making a difference or being successful.
A believer in creating one’s own definition of happiness, Selorm says he feels fulfilled and content in seeing constructions going up and solving peoples’ accommodation problems and making sure that the structures “we are building or whatever we are doing corresponds to what the law says.”
On building his customer base despite embarking on little or no media adverts, Selorm says: “It’s all about referrals” due to his enthusiastic and honestly transparent approach to business. The secret is how you handle your client. When someone directs somebody to you, how to handle that person will make or unmake you. When you treat those clients well, they’ll always refer others to you,” he states.
He adds that: “I’m a pastor and the way you treat your flocks is the same way they will also go out and say my pastor is very good. When you send him your issues he’s not going to put it outside and be talking about it. I treat people like myself.”
Advice to prospective entrepreneurs in real estate.
For Selorm, for one to be a good real estate developer or agent he or she needs to be time conscious. “It’s…very…very important, your client wants to meet you or wants to see this property, you make sure that you are there before he or she gets there. Time management is very…very important.”
