106 PEOPLE PEOPLE 107

FROM LEFT: property developer brothers Russell and Samuel Leeds outside Ribbesford House, a 16th century mansion near Bewdley which they will be renovating; Samuel, chairman of the Leeds Group, gets into his Range Rover; below, the brothers love to relax by playing a game of golf. MILLIONAIRE mission SAMUEL HAD FELT DEVASTATED WHEN HE WAS OSTRACISED BY HIS CHURCH When he was shunned by his church for being too materialistic, Samuel Leeds kept FOR BEING ‘TOO INTERESTED’ IN MONEY. ‘I GOT CALLED A MAVERICK AND the – and now he and his brother are using their fortune to help other people. OVER-ZEALOUS. THEY SAID RICH PEOPLE ARE GREEDY’ Philip Shanahan finds out how their shrewd business brains have made them rich

t the age of 20, Essington property older brother, Russell, merging their business Putting the brakes on his release me from the guilt of earning money, at holiday parks for his father. Russell had a – quite a change from the Skoda he used to investor Samuel Leeds was kicked interests into the newly named Leeds Group. entrepreneurship, he studied at but it has also helped a lot of other people.” longer spell as a magician, appearing on TV drive. Aout of his church after being told he Samuel is chairman while Russell, 29, also a Birmingham Bible Institute for the next three At the core of the Leeds Group is Property shows with the likes of Alan Titchmarsh. When Samuel set out, a deep recession could serve or money, but not both. committed Christian, is CEO. years to get to grips with the ethics. He put Investors UK, a national training business He went on to become a partner in one was looming, making the conditions for He had bought his first house at below The pair are the new lords of the manor his conclusions in a book, Do the Possible, teaching around 400 people a month how to of the UK’s biggest children’s entertainment buying property extremely difficult. So market value shortly before his 18th birthday. at one of Britain’s oldest country estates Watch God Do the Impossible, which has sold become financially free through property. The agencies and runs a successful lettings while still in his teens, he spent an entire After refinancing the property up to its having recently bought Ribbesford House, thousands of copies worldwide. brothers also run a construction company, agency, now part of the Leeds Group. year immersed in the property world and true value on the same day, he paid off the a dilapidated 16th century mansion near “I stopped subconsciously sabotaging a lettings agency and another firm sourcing Neither brother needs to do a stroke surrounded himself with successful people. bridging loan and pocketed a monthly profit of Bewdley, once used by Charles de Gaulle to my success because of stupid . properties for investors. The business of work ever again, thanks to their shrewd He went to his first property networking £950 in rent. It was the start of a multi-million prepare Free French troops for the D-Day I realised that money is not good or bad. headquarters is based at Hilton Hall, a property investing and other ventures. The event aged 17, wearing a £35 ill-fitting suit pound business. landings. Money is just a tool. I realised you can’t serve Grade I listed 18th century mansion in passive income they gain, mainly from rents, from Asda and had his eyes opened to the By the time Samuel was 19, he was Their company ethos is underpinned by a God and money, but you can serve God Essington. has made them rich. Incredibly, Samuel could getting more income from renting out a strong Christian faith. through money. We live well, but we are also Turnover is around £250,000 a month have retired at 21 and Russell a few years string of other properties than the average So Samuel was naturally upset when he passionate about putting a lot of money into with a net profit of 35 per cent. Ten per cent later. person’s salary. was ostracised by his church for being ‘too good causes.” of the profits, including the brothers’ wages, Samuel and his wife have a young This did not go down well at his place of interested’ in money. History is full of examples, he says, of go to the Church and helping impoverished daughter and have recently moved where his burgeoning bank account “I got called a maverick and over-zealous. generous entrepreneurs setting up hospitals, villagers in Africa. into a six-bedroom detached house was considered to be incompatible with his They said rich people are greedy. You’ve got orphanages and schools. The brothers’ story is even more in Lichfield. He drives a Range Rover faith. He set out on a voyage of self-discovery enough houses now. “As a Christian property investor I also remarkable given their ages and the fact they and enjoys holidays all over the world. to examine his conscience, concluding that “I started to have a slight complex about say that everything on this earth is leasehold. left school at 16, but they have other surprises Russell, meanwhile, lives in a seven- and can work in tandem. being a wealthy, successful entrepreneur We don’t own anything because we arrive up their sleeves. Before going into business bedroom Tudor home in a nearby Now aged 27, the Christian entrepreneur who is also a Christian. I really grappled with with nothing and leave with nothing. So we together, both were professional magicians. village with his wife and two children. has recently gone into partnership with his this.” are just stewards anyway. Not only did that Samuel worked regularly on ships and He owns a Porsche and a Mercedes 108 PEOPLE

fact that property investing can bring financial He personally funds it, regarding it as a and funds projects including the construction freedom. mission. of wells. In addition, he runs business “You don’t even have to use your own “Get out there, earn money and do some workshops and offers free start-up loans. money – you can use other people’s and pay good with it,” he says. “That’s the philosophy Although Samuel and Russell do not them back with part of the rent. Property behind it. Don’t be afraid about earning lots need to work, their motivation remains sky is an appreciating asset and growth of money or feel guilty about it, but do it in an high. can be spectacular. However, that is just the ethical way and make a difference with it. It’s “Through our training courses we’re on icing on the cake – it’s the monthly return on about trying to release people to help make a a mission to help people become financially investment through rent that should be the better world through business.” free,” says Samuel. “The goal is to have main focus.” Samuel now attends the Mosaic Church enough passive income to cover living He later learned a strategy called lease in Coventry. The pastor, Gary Spicer, is a good expenses. Last year we helped 36 people option agreement, enabling him to buy friend and speaks at his events. nationally to do that and this year we want a house and defer payment. It brought in The Leeds Group is going from strength to increase that number to 50. We’re on a rent and the property went up in value. He to strength. The acquisition of Ribbesford mission to make the world a better place and clinched several more of these deals. House is their boldest move to date. Part of we’re on a mission to be the best version of Then, with the profits from other joint the roof has caved in and Japanese knotweed ourselves that we can possibly be.” ventures and money he borrowed from his is threatening the foundations. Russell adds: “And it’s fun – we would be grandmother, he embarked on “a bit of a They plan to plough around £1 million bored otherwise.” property-buying spree”. He now owns 26 into sensitively restoring it to its former glory, houses. converting it into either luxury apartments or Samuel’s latest book, Buy Low Rent High, holiday lets. The estate has a history going has sold 42,000 copies in 15 months and his back to William the Conqueror and beyond. It regular online videos get thousands of hits. is also famous for its associations with Prime He has also appeared on various TV property Minister Stanley Baldwin and his cousin shows. Hundreds attend his free monthly Rudyard Kipling. property training programmes in London, The brothers believe the deal could earn Birmingham and Manchester. them around £1.5m, which would also help Many opt to pay for more advanced them further the charity work they do in training at his Hilton Hall headquarters where African villages. they are guaranteed to find a deal. Their Good News All Round organisation Russell with his beloved sports car. He has also set up Training Kings, a delivers food, clothes and clean water to TOP: The brothers outside Hilton Hall in Christian business network, with 14 branches people living in appalling poverty. Samuel has Essington with staff after shaking hands on across the UK. being going there regularly since he was 17 a deal to join forces in business.