A California-based startup is positioning itself for future growth through a strategy what will focus on building a “Mercedes” brand image in the months ahead. To say that Sage Credit Corp. is a new company is a bit of a misstatement. The Irvine-headquartered company was incorporated in 2003. But founder and President Quentin Caruana took a bit of a different approach to building a lending operation. Instead of setting up shop and making loans…