Paving the way

We are also in building management, design and architecture, building contracting, retail, and we also have our own real estate investment arm, that is currently invested primarily in commercial space on long leases around the city. Our group directly employs over 500 people around the world. We are headquartered here in Dubai, where we run most of our operation from, but we also have offices in Zanzibar, and Malawi.

How did you start Infinity Group?

Our entire family has been involved in international business throughout the years, but we have operated under many different company names. Historically, our group has operated in aviation, real estate, jewellery, retail, and trading over a time period of over 30 years. Infinity Group came to be after rebranding all of our operating entities under one umbrella, and now we focus primarily on real estate, and its support services.

It’s been the culmination of our lives work to create Infinity Group. We have also been very fortunate to have an amazing team that has been working with us relentlessly throughout the years, and if not for them we would surely not be where we are today.

The rebranding occurred when we bought over two different building management companies, Place Strata Management, and Al Mudeer Strata Management. The companies, pre-acquisition were not performing as well as they should have been, and we felt that a rebrand of both entities was required while we optimised the company, its team, and worked to improve our customer service.

This merger brought to life Infinity Strata Management, and today it is one of the largest building management companies in Dubai, but more importantly also one of the highest rated ones in the entire market.

Do you see Infinity Group venturing outside of Real Estate?

Our belief has always been that it’s better to be specialised in one sector, as opposed to spread ourselves everywhere. It makes it easier to focus, our teams have common synergies that allow for cost optimisation, and more importantly it makes it much easier to stay more up to date about our knowledge in the sector.

Real estate is one of the largest drivers of revenue in Dubai and in the world. As such it’s safe to say that we feel there is a lot of value we can create. A diversification strategy is there of course, but it has more to do with different sub classes within the real estate sector; (i.e.) investing in hotels, offices, apartments, warehousing, developments, etc… It’s also of course possible to diversify our investments within the same field, but in different geographical regions.

A phrase from Bruce Lee comes to mind in regards to this question, which was “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” In today’s competitive world of business, it’s only those with specialised market knowledge and experience that will really be able compete in this global market.

In Real estate, you are also competing with some of the largest developers around the world that have been able to poach and employ some of the smartest people. If you want to compete with them, you really do have to be very specialised and good at what you do.

Why do you think someone would choose to work with Infinity Group?

That’s a great question, and I do not think there is one simple answer; but if I had to summarise it into a few points it would be the following. First of all, as we look to be a development partner across different verticals we always try to go above and beyond for our clients to develop the relationship with them to cross-sell our other services.

We have found it more likely often then not that if we are able to do good quality work, in a timely manner for our clients that they will generally be very satisfied. This market is quite competitive, and as such clients do not always get the level of quality of service that they would accept, as a lot of companies have a very different philosophy of business than we do.

Simply put; other companies continue to look to develop business from other clients, we look to develop more business from the same clients. Quality of clients, as opposed to quantity.

Secondly, family values are at the core of our organisation. Each business unit is being spearheaded by a member of our family and their respective teams; what generally ends up happening is that most of us will usually end up collaborating and working together with a client. Our clients in turn become an extension of that very family, and in the same way that a family would sit in a dinner table to discuss their day; our family sits in the conference room to see how we can better provide value for our clients and service their needs.

I could go on about our quality of work, our accreditations, awards, our track record, the quality of our team, our competitive pricing, etc… but if I had to put it in a few simple words it would be this; that the world of business is competitive, and that our partners and clients look to us to work together with them to provide solutions to the problems they have, or the ones that they don’t even know they have yet. We go above and beyond what a normal company would do for their clients, as we look to work with our clients for the long run.

Tell us a little bit more about your latest project in Zanzibar?

Our latest project in Zanzibar is definitely the most exciting one that we have recently launched. We are building a resort and residences in Nungwi (The northern part of the island). We picked what we believe was the best of the of the true last large sized beachfront plots on the entire island. Our project contains 111 hotel rooms, and approximately 70 apartments; which are all available for sale through our offices in Dubai, and in Zanzibar.

Our project is quite interesting, given the geopolitical climate around the world today investors are looking to place their investments away from the proximity in conflict zones. Today as a global investor, this is something that you would have to consider in terms of evaluating the longevity of your investments performance.

We have seen a lot of very strong demand from the Russian clientele very specifically who are looking to place investments outside of Russia given the ongoing conflict that is taking place. We also have the only international five-star project available on the island for investment, and have considered ourselves very fortunate to be working together with Minor Hotels, and the Anantara brand.

Their level of commitment to quality and excellence is at the top of this world, and held to the same high standard that we at Infinity Group hold ourselves too.

The Anantara Zanzibar Resort is also the only project on the island that has all of the amenities that we do. There is no other project on the island that has the number of amenities, and recreational facilities that we have put in place. These range from padel courts, tennis courts, a state-of-the-art gym, spa, six restaurants, etc… We even have a helicopter pad, where guests will be able to get picked up from the airport, or take tours around the island.

We really do only have two products though; the first is the residences, and the second is the hotel rooms. We are selling beachfront apartments in Zanzibar, that will have access to all of the state-of-the-art amenities and facilities in the property.

We have seen a lot of feedback from a large variety of different customers who are looking to either place their parents/grandparents in these beachfront properties where they will enjoy a quality of life that wouldn’t necessarily be able to be find in more developed countries for affordable prices. We have also seen some interest from Russian/Middle Eastern clients whom are looking to have a holiday home that they can be proud to call their own.

The other product that we have for sale is hotel rooms, we are selling a portion of the rooms to investors whom will have access to benefit from the proceeds that will be earned by the hotel. Those familiar with the hospitality market in Zanzibar will be able to quickly understand that our product, once completed in the beginning of 2027 is set to be what we believe to be the best resort on the entire island.

This investment option will allow the owners two weeks a year to use the hotel room, which we feel is adequate as most investors would never really spend more than two weeks a year to holiday in Zanzibar. More importantly though, it forms part of a diversification strategy for international investors.

Most people would not have the financial capacity to go and build a $200m resort outright as a single investment. It’s quite nice that this investment avenue has allowed what I would describe in essence as “fractional ownership” of a hotel for retail investors.

Allowing investors to benefit from the results of an asset class that generally demands high ticket prices. We have kept approximately 30 percent of the hotel rooms under ownership of Infinity Group as we very strongly believe that the hotel once operational will give consistent double-digit returns and that it will form a part of our international diversification strategy.

Do you have any advice for new Entrepreneurs?

For sure. Forgetting all of the normal pieces of basic advice that you have probably heard repeatedly over and over everywhere else; work hard, stay disciplined with your savings, manage your investments, try your best to improve your business, etc… The real first piece of advice that I would give to an entrepreneur, or would-be entrepreneur is to think big.

The first step to doing anything you or anyone else has ever done in life is to think of that idea that you would want to do. This requires getting a little bit outside of your comfort zone. Then of course comes execution, planning, funding, building a team, dealing with lawyers, etc… but before all of that can happen, you need to really think of what it is that you want to commit many years of your life too. Knowing full well that the possibility of failure might exist, and result in time and money wasted.

The second piece of advice is that when you commit to that idea – Give it your absolute very best, but most importantly to have a lot of patience. The world of business is very tough, and very competitive and sadly not all businesses are able to succeed immediately despite the best of efforts. There are a lot of things you can learn before you start your business, but there is no better teacher than practice.

Lastly, and the most important piece of advice that I would give to anybody is to enjoy the journey. The world of business, despite its hardships and stresses is also potentially one of the most rewarding; financially, and personally. There are very few things in life that will give you the satisfaction and excitement that comes from the world of business.

You will learn lessons, make professional relationships, build a career, and a business that could potentially change the world, and the lives of everyone you choose to employ, deal with, or serve!