“When I joined this business, I didn’t know that I would survive,” says Deepak Mehta, REALTORⓇ at RE/MAX Professionals Select in Naperville. “I didn’t have much knowledge of real estate in a country that I had moved to just a couple of years prior.”

Deepak, who grew up in India, was naturally drawn to entrepreneurial ventures. From a young age, he took on side jobs to have his own spending money and establish his independence. After earning an associate’s degree in civil engineering, he worked as a site engineer for about five years until joining his family’s business.

“My family had a home remodeling business and they trained me to be a good negotiator and a kind yet savvy businessman,” says Deepak. “I look up to my parents for believing in me when I was only in my 20s. They helped me take steps to start my own business, too.”

With such stellar on-the-job training and a two-year course in interior design behind him, Deepak ventured out on his own and for four years, operated his own home remodeling business in Bombay before moving to the United States, in 1998, for a new challenge. Initially, he got a job in retail while he considered his future career options.

“Encouraged by a friend, I ended up taking a course in real estate,” says Deepak. “At this course, I made some new connections who motivated me to become a REALTORⓇ. Here I am, twenty years later.”

While Deepak had so much experience in business and real estate under his belt, he found the industry, and how real estate is sold, in the US to be much different than it is in India. However, he saw that only real estate could fulfill his desire for independence and match his passion for homes and entrepreneurship. In his early years, he leaned on the advice and expertise of more experienced brokers as he navigated the early lessons, and he credits his success to his first brokerage, john greene REALTOR®. “They believed in me and trained me and helped me be who I’m today,” he says.

“I always feel there’s always something to learn from the people around you, as long as you’re open to learning new things,” he continues. “There’s always someone who knows more than you do.”

From the beginning, Deepak has been intrigued by what it takes to be successful as a REALTORⓇ. He’s found that the key is to focus on his clients’ needs above all else.

“Success is not how many homes I’ve sold, but how many clients I’ve made happy,” he says. “I believe that the real estate industry should be more client-centric rather than broker-centric. Big real estate companies always like to brag about how big they are in the market or how well-known they are nationwide. That is one thing I’ve never liked much.”

Deepak enjoys leveraging his past training in interior design to add value to his client relationships. Because of his expertise, he can make practical suggestions to prepare his clients’ homes for sale.

“It’s important to go the extra mile, and to be bold and give suggestions that are in their best interests,” he says. “Clients can tell when you’re looking out for them and not just there to make a quick buck.”

Outside of his business, Deepak spends much of his downtime with his family—his wife, Tina, and their daughters Rhea (19) and Trisha (17). Together, they love to travel, cook meals, and explore new restaurants. Giving back is also important to the family. They have long been active supporters of World Vision and Akshaya Patra, two organizations that provide resources to underprivileged people around the globe.

Looking forward, Deepak plans to focus on increasing his skills and knowledge of remodeling by doing more with his own investment properties and lending his help to clients. His ultimate goal is to build a home from the ground up—a practice he hopes will give him the experience needed to become a builder and developer. Based on his own journey, he knows that the best way to learn is to try something new and make the mistakes that inevitably come with stretching into new territory.

“It’s important to learn from your mistakes,” says Deepak. “Those mistakes will often make you a better person. I don’t count them as failures. They are part of the learning process—a step closer to doing things successfully and getting to where you want to be.”