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How to get rich… by those who've done it: Now YOU can learn the secrets to making a fortune


What makes a typical millionaire? The answer is there is no such thing. Some are from wealthy families and have been inspired by their parents’ success to set up businesses of their own.

Others come from normal backgrounds and worked in other jobs for years before daring to take the leap.

Many start small, running side- businesses or investing in one or two modest properties to see how they get on. But there are also those who are more willing to take a risk and throw themselves in the deep end.

The fact is that anyone from any walk of life can make money by setting up their own business. Here, five self-made millionaires share their best nuggets of wisdom for those looking to get started.

First, look after your money

Anne Boden, 59, is founder and chief executive of digital bank Starling. She lives in Regent’s Park, London, and Buckinghamshire. 

Anne Boden, 59, is founder and chief executive of digital bank Starling

Anne Boden, 59, is founder and chief executive of digital bank Starling

Her new book, The Money Revolution: Easy Ways To Manage Your Finances In A Digital World, is out next month.

From an early age, growing up in Swansea, I was taught always to look after money. My father worked in the steelworks and my mother in a department store, so while we were not rich, we were always frugal.

At 11, I ran the school bank. I always wanted a job ‘with a briefcase’. I studied chemistry and computer science at university, but my mother encouraged me to ‘get a safe job’, so I applied for a Lloyds bank trainee scheme.

Moving to London aged 21, learning about the finance markets and working behind the counter at a branch —something a lot of chief executives have never done — was very exciting.

My first salary was £6,000 a year and I saved like mad to afford my first property — a tiny flat in London which cost me £17,500.

I continued working through the ranks — changing my job every five years to keep moving, including a stint in Zurich — but my attitude to money stayed the same.

As my salary grew, I would always save and even today I can tell you exactly what I am spending. My biggest luxury was getting a cleaner.

It was after the financial crash in 2008, when I saw how much heartache the banks had caused, that I decided something had to change.

I set up Starling, a digital bank which uses new technology to help its customers. We allow people to categorise their spending, offer security features whereby they can control their card spending and they can pay with their phones. We won Best British Bank in 2018 and 2019.

Anne’s top tips

1 Check your credit score and stay on top of it. It has nothing to do with how wealthy you are, it’s about how you handle debt and keep on top of payments.

2 Set a savings goal. At Starling, we have a tool in which you can upload a photograph of something you want. Then every time you spend, you can shift some money into an account to save for your goal.

3 Invest. Whether it’s in a pension, a property or shares. Start off with a small, regular amount. There are many online companies now such as Moola, Nutmeg, WealthSimple and Moneyfarm, which all make investing simple.

From hairdresser to fashion guru

Hellen Ward, 51, is MD of her husband celebrity hairdresser Richard Ward's Chelsea salon and Metrospa and promotes products such as detangling brush Tangle Angel

Hellen Ward, 51, is MD of her husband celebrity hairdresser Richard Ward’s Chelsea salon and Metrospa and promotes products such as detangling brush Tangle Angel

Hellen Ward, 51, is MD of her husband celebrity hairdresser Richard Ward’s Chelsea salon and Metrospa and promotes products such as detangling brush Tangle Angel. 

She is founder of fashion, accessories and jewellery brand Azulara, has two children — Elysia, 18, and Oliver, 15 — and lives in London and Ibiza.

I had a childhood of two halves. In the first half, growing up in Hayling Island, Hants, my sister and I had an idyllic, privileged life with a swimming pool in the garden and a Mercedes on the drive. But after my parents divorced, money was tight.

I got my first job in the corner shop at 14 and I’d always worked after school in my mother’s salon. I did a hairdressing apprenticeship under a Youth Training Scheme at 16 rather than continue with formal education.

I think the insecurity of going from being a ‘have’ to a ‘not have’ in my formative years led to a desire to create financial security.

My friends, television presenter Nicki Chapman and media guru Ali Sharman, call me ‘the hardest-working woman in London’.

I’m so happy to be launching Femhany with them (an empowerment programme for women.)

Helen’s top tips

1 Find your niche. If you can’t find a product you need, there’s a clue right there. But don’t hang around . . .

2 Recognise the tipping point. The salon business is 27 years old, but could have gone bust in the first six months. Have the courage to hang on.

3 Listen to customers! I overheard a salon client saying she was buying two Tangle Angels — one for her, one for her dog — and the seed was planted for Pet Angel.

4 Nothing runs itself. Having a business is like having a baby that never grows up.

Always have a goal to aim for

Rick Gannon, 47, is founder of New Era Property Solutions, which rents out homes and business premises

Rick Gannon, 47, is founder of New Era Property Solutions, which rents out homes and business premises

Rick Gannon, 47, is founder of New Era Property Solutions, which rents out homes and business premises. 

He lives with wife Lorraine, 43, a partner in the company, and their children, Ben, 14, and Charlotte, ten, in Worcestershire.

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak. As a child, I mucked out at the local farm and sold bags of horse manure to gardeners at £1 a bag, and I had at window cleaning round at 13.

But being a police officer was one of my dreams and I joined the force at 31. I did it for 13 years, but I knew I didn’t want to do it for ever.

It was something my son, Ben, said in 2012 that prompted the change. Ben has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and was upset he would never be able to play football like his mates. That night I discussed with Lorraine what we could do.

We decided I should take a break from the police — where my monthly net salary was £1,800 — to invest in property. 

We bought our first property for £177,000 with an £80,000 investment from family, plus a £100,000 mortgage. 

We did it up as a multiple let. We had no savings and only Lorraine’s consultancy business to support us, so it was a risk. 

But it paid off. Within four months I had replaced my police salary and we went from there. Today, we have around 120 tenants and a property portfolio worth more than £4million.

For me, the best thing is knowing that my children will be ok. It has allowed us to set up a wheelchair football club for disabled children — so Ben gets to play football after all.

Rick’s top tips

1 Invest in your own education. Local colleges or universities are excellent places for courses. The most useful book I read was The One Thing by Gary Keller, which teaches us that multi-tasking is a great way of doing several things badly!

2 Surround yourself with like-minded individuals. We become the average of the people we spend most of our time with.

3 Network, network and network some more. Whichever field of business you’re in, there will be a group. Try social media such as Facebook.

4 Do one thing each day that will move you towards your goal.

I get up at 4.30am to run my firm!

Angela Middleton MBE, 56, is a careers and recruitment entrepreneur and CEO of MiddletonMurray Group. She lives in London and has two children

Angela Middleton MBE, 56, is a careers and recruitment entrepreneur and CEO of MiddletonMurray Group. She lives in London and has two children

Angela Middleton MBE, 56, is a careers and recruitment entrepreneur and CEO of MiddletonMurray Group. She lives in London and has two children.

Growing up in a working-class household where my father was a manual worker, it was drummed into me that I had to work hard in school for a better life. Getting good grades meant I was able to step onto the corporate ladder with BP and later Barclays.

I worked my way up over 20 years and enjoyed some of the finer things in life — a lovely house, Ferraris and world travel. I was on a very good salary when I left Barclays, but I’ve never been someone who need all their ducks in a row before they take a leap of faith.

When I was looking for premises for my new firm, I offered to pay a whole year up front with savings. I remember my husband at the time saying: ‘Are you sure?’ At our last valuation, the company was valued at £30million.

Don’t let anyone tell you that running a successful business is easy. My alarm goes off at 4.30am, I have coffee and try to meditate and then look at emails and social media before walking to the gym 40 minutes away to do an hour’s workout before the office.

I always tell people never to assume having lots of ‘things’ will make them happy. Your physical and mental health is more important.

Angela’s top tips

1 Visualise where you would like to be in ten years’ time and then work towards that.

2Find a niche. What kind of business do you want, what will your financial model be, who is your audience?

3 Don’t think small. I hear so many women in particular say things like: ‘I just want to start a little catering business.’ But it could be huge!’

4 Trust your gut. Do you really think this idea can fly?

Take a risk to build a business

Adam Kamani, 29 — son of billionaire boohoo.com fashion website founder Mahmud Kamani — founded the Kamani Property Group, which develops luxury homes and offices. He and wife Charlotte, 29, who works with him, live in Manchester.

Although my father is successful, I was taught never to take money for granted. 

Adam Kamani, 29 — son of billionaire boohoo.com fashion website founder Mahmud Kamani — founded the Kamani Property Group

Adam Kamani, 29 — son of billionaire boohoo.com fashion website founder Mahmud Kamani — founded the Kamani Property Group

I had part-time jobs as a kid and we were never spoilt. Dad was always teaching me and my siblings how to get on in business.

I went to university, but knew that my heart wasn’t in it and wanted to be part of the family business. I learned so much simply by sitting in on meetings. Dad taught me you should never be afraid of asking something if you don’t understand.

After a few years in fashion, I wanted to break out on my own and property has become a passion. It can be daunting going into business on your own and you’ve got to be prepared to have a few doors slammed in your face. But believe in your idea 100 per cent.

It’s important to make mistakes. I let my heart rule my head on one of the first properties we bought because I was so excited about the purchase.

We spent far too long doing it up to my taste when we should simply have done what was most commercially viable. But I’ve never done it again.

Adam’s top tips

1 Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Too often people sit in meetings and pretend to know what’s being said.

2 Every successful business has its ups and downs. When something isn’t working, take a risk to change it.

3 Skip buying coffee for a week and use the money to buy a book or attend a seminar. There’s a great book called The Execution Factor by Kim Perell. The idea is you don’t need a high IQ or even a great idea.

4 Use the internet to learn. I follow lots of news sites, business and property blogs such as Forbes.com. Use business networking site LinkedIn — it’s good for business connections.



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