When Samuel Leeds left school at seventeen with no qualifications and £50 in his pocket, no one could have predicted that within a decade he would build a £20 million property portfolio.
His journey began in 2009 with a £100,000 house in the West Midlands. Using creative financing, he turned it into a house share that still earns him rent today.
“That first deal changed everything,” he says. “It gave me confidence. I realised I didn’t have to work for someone else. I could build something myself.”
Leeds’s career is a story of constant reinvention. From small buy-to-lets to lease options, HMOs, and finally large developments and hotels, each stage brought new challenges.
He openly shares his failures, including the costly renovation of Ribbesford House, a Grade II* listed castle that taught him about resilience and planning battles. “That project nearly broke me,” he admits. “But it also made me sharper.”
Today, his portfolio includes multiple hotels, developments, and long-term social housing projects. He mentors thousands of investors through his academy, teaching them the creative methods that allowed him to build wealth without large savings.
“People think property is about buildings,” he says. “It’s really about people and persistence. If you help enough people, the money follows.”
His story has been featured by outlets including GB News and TalkTV, and his book Buy Low Rent High remains a bestseller among new investors.
For young entrepreneurs looking for proof that financial freedom is still possible, Leeds’s story stands as one of the most compelling in Britain today.
This story originally appeared on Upscalelivingmag
