I was sacked from my job at 21 – now I’m a millionaire aged 35 after bingeing BBC show… it all started with trainers

A FORMER financial institution employee who was made redundant turned a millionaire after binge-watching a BBC present.

Chris Bunn, 35, was pressured out of Barclays in his early 20s and “vowed to by no means be on the mercy of a job loss once more”.

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He had been working there since he was 16, even holding down part-time hours whereas learning at college earlier than becoming a member of the shopper retention division full-time.

However when his job was outsourced overseas, as a substitute of discovering one other place, Chris determined to start shopping for and flipping trainers and garments.

He would goal common branded trainers and promote them on-line for double the value at a time when the trade “wasn’t as massive as it’s now”.

Chris then bought his aspect hustle for £10,000 earlier than organising a digital advertising and marketing firm in 2014, previous to the saturation of social media businesses, and Fb and Instagram advertisements.

In 2018 he bought that firm to a Swedish tech agency for £350,000.

As a part of the deal, he signed a non-compete deal, that means he could not work for or arrange an identical enterprise for an agreed interval.

“I used to be sat on an enormous lump of cash and, for a very long time, I’d been watching Houses Underneath The Hammer,” Chris instructed the Every day Telegraph.

“Someday, I used to be on Rightmove and noticed a home shut by that was fairly run-down. It had been available on the market for ages, so I put in a foolish provide.”

It was a rundown three-bedroom semi-detached house in Fairfield, County Durham, available on the market for £180,000.

Chris provided £108,000 and it was accepted as a result of he was a money purchaser and will full rapidly.

He then forked out £28,000 doing it up, together with re-wiring – with a lot of the work finished by himself.

Inside 12 month, it was revalued at £185,000 and Chris realised flipping properties “has a little bit of legs”.

Now aged 35, Chris has 15 properties, all rented out, and a portfolio value £2.8million – with £1.7million is fairness and the remaining mortgaged.

He solely buys in and round Teesside, County Durham, and has quite a few golden guidelines.

“They aren’t essentially run down, however they’re at all times discounted not directly so I can add a little bit of worth,” he stated.

One property proprietor was so determined to promote he gave Chris a 30% low cost.

He favours three-bedroom houses as they provide tenants longevity, with smaller properties having a extra frequent turnover.

He has additionally gone from proudly owning properties underneath his personal identify to having them underneath a restricted firm as – regardless of “added complexities” – he’s afforded mortgage curiosity reduction.

Chris initially feared Labour growing the stamp responsibility surcharge within the Price range, forward of the Renters’ Rights Invoice coming in, had “ruined issues”.

However he’s now assured landlords will merely regulate affords going ahead, with extra affords accounting for the additional share factors “so the one one who suffers is the individual promoting”.

And whereas the Renters’ Rights Invoice is “doubtlessly worrying”, Chris can be assured he can simply adapt.

The entrepreneur – who lives together with his spouse and four-year-old daughter, and twin boys welcomed 9 months in the past – plans to “aggressively upscale” this yr.

He needs so as to add 5 extra properties to his portfolio in 2025, and within the long-term enhance the worth to £5million.

SIDE HUSTLES

Chris is not the one individual raking within the cash from a aspect hustle.

Grace Cassidy and her husband Joe are making £20,000 a month promoting second-hand clothes on-line, and it is turn out to be their full-time job.

Each aged 29, the couple truly began promoting odd ins and outs on-line years in the past, however again then it was only a passion.

In June this yr, they determined it was time to stage as much as one thing greater.

Hannah Koumakis, in the meantime, beforehand hit the headlines after revealing how she earned £67 a month from her dad and mom with out doing any chores earlier than studying the way to make her personal cash on the age of 14.

The 24-year-old took to washing automobiles and strolling canine to earn some spare money, which taught her a invaluable lesson in budgeting.

Now, she shares her money-saving suggestions together with her 127,000 followers on TikTok, (@hannahkoumakis), to encourage others – and claims she has saved £80,000 in two years, enabling her to purchase her first property.

Thomas Ryder, 41, began well being model Utilized Vitamin a decade in the past in his grandparents’ council home in Knowsley, Merseyside – and has now bagged £62 million.

The fitness center bunny was residing in his grandparents’ council home when he first began promoting protein powder aged 18.

He labored as a scaffolder for the council whereas constructing the model.

In November, his life modified when he bought 19 per cent of his shares of the enterprise, valued at £350million, on the London Inventory Change.