Leaving the 9-5: How a Corporate Career Can Set You Up for Success as a Property Investor
The hardest part of leaving a corporate career is that money becomes a drug. You get hooked on the lifestyle and the sense of security. Whether you book time off or don’t push yourself as hard as you can, that lump of cash still lands in your bank account at the end of the month, no matter what.
Now, compare that to running your own business or relying on income from your property portfolio. Suddenly, you’re entirely responsible for everything that goes right and wrong. If you don’t put in the effort, you feel it—financially and otherwise.
When you see it written down, you might wonder why any of us choose to steer our own ship. But after a lifetime in the corporate world, I knew two years ago that I was ready to take the leap. I wanted to take control of my future and carve out the time to live life on my terms.
In this article, I’m going to share the lessons I’ve learned along the way—and show you how a corporate career can actually set you up for success as a property investor.
If the Corporate Life is Good, Why Leave?
Writing this, the corporate life almost sounds appealing. Working in IT sales, I wasn’t stuck in a job I hated, and life was comfortable. I’d worked my way up the corporate ladder, earning a nice income, managing teams, and still having enough money left over each month to invest in buy-to-lets.
But I think what drove me away was the same spark that fuels most entrepreneurs. It’s that nagging question: “Could I do this myself?” I also knew deep down that no matter how many 60+ hour weeks I put in, redundancy was always a possibility.
I wanted control. I wanted freedom. And that’s why, despite the comfort, I decided to take the leap in 2022.
However, just before I left, I set up three businesses:
The first was a Limited Company created to expand and manage my buy-to-let portfolio.
The second was a property and block management company, which now manages 72 apartments across two locations.
Finally, I ventured into serviced accommodation (SA), catering to short-term stays.
Tip for Leaving Your Job: Avoid Desperation
Before you hand in your notice, make sure you have enough money in the bank to sustain you for at least one year. Finding the right deals takes time. If you don’t have enough money to sustain yourself, then you may start to become desperate and chase the wrong deals. It can be tempting to tell your boss where to go, but take your time, save up, and give yourself the breathing room you’ll need to make smart decisions.
Serviced Accommodation: Corporate vs Leisure
In the early days, I initially welcomed leisure and corporate guests but soon realised that corporate guests were more straightforward and easier to manage, feeling like a natural fit from my corporate background.
I prefer contractors as guests because they usually stay longer, often booking a property for a month or two. My longest booking to date has been six months.
There are a few steps I take to ensure I’m attracting the right guests:
I research the areas where contractors are coming into the area to work on redevelopment projects.
I don’t allow one-night stays. Guests can only book for a minimum of three nights.
Building Relationships to Secure Future Long-Term Bookings
Most of my bookings initially come through online platforms. After a day or two, once they have settled in, I reach out to the companies directly.
Thanks to my corporate background, I have no problem speaking with large or small businesses; I see it as my superpower. I know the jargon to use and the buzzwords they want to hear!
On these calls, I ask a few probing questions, like:
“How long are you working in the area for?”
“What is the nature of your business?”
“How many staff are you looking to accommodate?”
Sometimes they will have more staff than my properties can cater for, so I will reach out to other hosts to see if they can accommodate and charge a referral fee. This is a win-win for all parties.
I find that businesses will book their staff for a few days, call to check with them if they’re happy with the property, and then extend the booking. If you can step in at the start, you increase the chance of the company rebooking with you—and by having them book directly, you save yourself those hefty online platform fees!
Advice for Taking the Leap from Employment
Before I round off this article, I want to share some of the core lessons I learned when going full-time into property. I hope that they help you in your own journey:
Get educated: If I’d taken the time to educate myself before investing in property, I could have built a stronger, more diverse portfolio much sooner and recycled money from my buy-to-lets more effectively.
Join communities: In corporate life, you’re surrounded by teams, but self-employment can be isolating. Joining groups of like-minded investors and entrepreneurs has been essential for support, advice, confidence, and growth.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help: In the corporate world, it’s often every person for themselves, with everyone competing to climb the ladder. In the property industry, it’s different. There’s enough wealth to go around, and most people are happy to help. It’s a genuinely supportive environment.
Focus: The property world is full of tempting opportunities. It’s easy to get distracted by shiny new investment strategies, each one looking better than the last. Stay focused on your goals and create a clear plan to achieve them.
What the Future Holds: Commercial vs Residential
One of the perks of working in corporate is your employer’s contributions to your pension. This can be a game-changer if you decide to open a SSAS pension, which can be used to fund certain types of investments (though not residential property directly).
During COVID, my pension took a nosedive. To take control, I opened a SSAS and used some of it to invest in three industrial units.
After seeing the results of investing in commercial property, I’m seriously considering selling the majority of my residential units and reinvesting the money into commercial.
Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of two projects I’ve invested in, showing how commercial looks more attractive than a vanilla buy-to-let:
Residential Project (Buy-to-Let):
Purchase Price: £165,000
Annual Rental Income: £13,200
Mortgage Repayments (Annual): £4,380
Deductions (Maintenance): £960
Total Costs (Annually): £5,340
Net Profit: £7,860
Building Insurance: Paid by the landlord (me)
External and Internal Repairs: Paid by the landlord (me)
Commercial Project (Three Industrial Units):
Purchase Price: £165,500
Annual Rent: £16,120
Deductions: None (funded by SSAS)
Net Profit: £16,120
Building Insurance: Paid by tenants
Estate and Service Charges: Paid by tenants
External and Internal Repairs: Paid by tenants
Even with a mortgage, the profit from commercial property is higher, with far fewer headaches!
If you’re not investing in commercial property already, it’s definitely worth considering. Especially with all the draconian policy changes happening in the private rented sector for landlords, this could be an opportunity to pivot or diversify.
Good Luck!
Taking control of your future isn’t easy, but with hard work and persistence, it’s absolutely worth it. If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Email: admin@prhpropertyservices.co.ukInstagram: @_patriciamcintosh
