Disclaimer: This article is paid for, sponsored content and does not reflect the views of Peterborough Today or National World. People should always seek independent advice in matters of finance and investments.
Leaps of faith come in many forms but switching from a job as a plasterer to a role as a property tycoon probably counts as quite a big one.
And making that decisive move while still only a teenager could have made it an even bigger gamble.
But that’s the way a West Midlands boy entered the cut and thrust of the business world. And, to the surprise of some, he’s stayed firmly in the centre of it in the 15 years since.
By his own admission, Walsall-born Samuel Leeds wasn’t obviously destined to hit the academic high spots. He talks of “failing” at school and says he even shared jokes with a like-minded classmate that they’d be lucky to work as binmen when they left.
With low expectations of passing his GCSE exams, he managed to achieve three B and C grades and left at the age of 16.
Knowing that he was unlikely to find a high-paying job, pragmatism won the day and Samuel trained as a plasterer. He knew he could earn a regular income which mattered to him because he didn’t want to have to ask for help to buy the essentials in life.
It was a philosophy that may have influenced his next step because, while carrying out plastering work in various properties, he gradually came to realise that the housing sector might have more to offer than the chance to smooth out walls and ceilings.
His stepfather Tim was making small property investments at the time after paying off the family mortgage and he was happy to explain the potential benefits when asked. Samuel liked what he heard and a few more seeds were sown.
Soon he was reading books about business and finance from best-selling authors and other achievers and becoming ever more inspired.
Believing that you might not necessarily have to be a high-earner to get rich, he started a business course at night school and networked with property professionals in his spare time, taking every opportunity to pick their brains and make connections.
Before long he was passing on property deals to investors and offering to manage their accommodation.
Still aged only 17, Samuel managed to buy his first investment property – choosing one on familiar ground in Birmingham – after Tim agreed it could go in his name.
He later arranged a loan with his grandmother to make a second purchase and the beginnings of a portfolio began to emerge.
It was the start of a lucrative new life for Samuel who generally negotiated cheap purchase prices and then refinanced the properties to recover the initial investment, often renting them out to pay their expenses.
By the age of 25 he was a millionaire. He is adamant that anyone can make a good living from property and says he wants to help as many people as possible to become financially free. He runs an investors training academy that offers short, intensive courses as well as an in-depth 12-month programme.
He also makes short tours of the UK to host introductory crash courses. They address topics that range from rentals, refurbishments and different sources of finance to deal-selling, landlord relations and making that all-important pitch.
With tickets costing just £1, it’s an affordable way to find out more. According to Samuel, many of his students start their property journey by trying out a crash course first.
If people find that the approach and teaching style suit them and training is an option, then they can ask for further details. But if not, they haven’t broken the bank to find that out.
Samuel’s latest round of crash courses will focus on deal-selling where people will learn how to choose properties in the right places and price bracket plus tips on growing a list of investors. It will also cover the art of selling, branding and making a favourable impression on estate agents and investors.
The course will be held at the MacDonald Burlington Hotel, Birmingham on Saturday, December 9 and the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London on Friday and Saturday, December 15 and 16.
Full details of the venues and timings can be found online.
Tickets can also be booked via the website for £1 each (although late cancellation/no show fees apply) while places remain available.
Disclaimer: This article is paid for, sponsored content and does not reflect the views of Peterborough Today or National World. People should always seek independent advice in matters of finance and investments.