Companies pay thousands to hear me talk since I won last year’s Apprentice clip tc
Q What did your parents teach you about money?
A MY dad was a successful businessman who went bankrupt because he did not invest properly in what he had built. I took that as a lesson about what not to do when you start making serious money.
My older siblings had a different upbringing than I had. They lived in a nine-bedroom house and had six holidays a year. I was born in a two- bed council house in Scotland. I had to save for anything I wanted. There was no money for luxuries and I went to a state school.
Q What was the first paid work you ever did?
A AT age 10, I set up a car- wash business. By 13, I was cleaning cars full-time at the weekend and earning £150. I had business cards and would take appointments.
Q Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?
A YES. I had a good time at university and spent a lot of money I did not have. When I graduated, I had run up a £ 15,000 debt on credit cards and bank overdrafts – on top of my student loan debt. It was a real struggle for me to make the minimum payments.
Luckily, I got a job in recruitment and by earning lots of commission managed to clear all my debts.
Q Have you ever been paid silly money?
A YES, companies will pay up to £4,000 to hear me talk for as little as ten minutes since I won The Apprentice.
Q What was the best year of your financial life?
A THE year from June 2015 to June 2016, the last year in my old company. I made £250,000 and used some of the money to treat myself to a £45,000 white BMW 3 series M Sport and an £ 8,500 special edition Rolex Submariner Hulk watch.
Q What is the most expensive thing you bought for fun?
A THREE weeks of holiday in America that cost £24,000. I rented a supercharged car and went to LA, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Mexico.
I stayed in five-star hotels, ate in the best restaurants and had a fantastic time.
Q What is the best money decision you have made?
A GOING on The Apprentice. As a result of that decision I am sitting here now with a one-yearold business that employs 20 people and i s turning over up to £200,000 a month.
It is brutal and cut-throat in Lord Sugar’s boardroom, but I knew that each week I survived I was one step closer to what I wanted. I am quite calm and do not tend to react to issues emotionally. I think that is why I got on with Lord Sugar. He could see I did not fall out with anyone. I came out of that process more motivated than I have ever been. Since then I have not looked back.
Q Has Lord Sugar ever given you any money advice?
A YES. His advice is: ‘ Cash is king’. I think his view is that your turnover is vanity, net profit is your sanity, but cash is your king. Without cash, you cannot operate.
It is so motivating to work with Lord Sugar. He is a man of few words and the ones he uses he does not mince. I like that. He is direct. He is always saying to me: ‘What is next? How are we going to get there?’ It is an old school approach.
Q Do you save into a pension or invest in the stock market?
A I DO both. I have a work pension I contribute to and I have a small investment of £5,000 in the stock market.
The equity market is a gamble unless you know what you are doing and I am a novice. As for pensions, I only started saving because I was automatically enrolled i nto t he work place scheme.
But I would rather put my money into property as a way of saving for retirement. I think pensions are a good idea, but they do not suit my personality.
Q Do you own any property?
A NO. I am currently in the market for a £ 500,000 four- bedroom house i n Birmingham. I would also like to buy an investment property with friends.
Q What is the one luxury you treat yourself to?
A HOLIDAYS. This year I have been to Barcelona, Marbella and Madrid and I am going to the Caribbean at Christmas.
Q If you were Chancellor what would you do first?
A I WOULD look into how big global corporations pay their taxes and close all l oopholes. Smaller business like mine pay our taxes in full and I think that big businesses should too.
Do you donate money to charity?
A OH yes. I donate £150 a month and currently sponsor a child in the Gambia via SOS Children and give to Macmillan Cancer Research.
My business also fundraises for Acorn Children’s Hospice Trust and I volunteer for them as a trustee. I think giving to charity is important and everyone should do more of it.
Q What is your number one financial priority?
A GET rich. My plan is to become a millionaire before I am 30. Even then I will not be satisfied.