Scaling Beyond Buy to Lets
When I started out, I never imagined I’d one day be structuring multi-million-pound developments and running several businesses alongside them. Like most investors, I began with buy to lets, learning the basics of finance, management and risk. But if you want to move from being a landlord to becoming a developer, you have to change how you think. Scaling is not just about doing more, it’s about thinking differently.
The reality is that you can take on large projects with little or none of your own money if you learn how to leverage. That is what scaling really means. It is about using other people’s money, other people’s skills and other people’s knowledge to build something much bigger than you could alone.
Thinking Outside the Box
Most people see a plot of land and imagine a row of houses they can sell. I look at the same land and ask, “Could I structure it so that it pays me long term?” If there is enough profit in a project, why not build to let rather than build to sell? You can refinance the completed properties and end up with a strong portfolio without tying up your own cash.
One of the biggest opportunities people miss is working with councils. Every council publishes a local plan that shows what housing they need in specific areas. If you approach them with a solution, they will often help you make it happen. You might be able to negotiate lower Section 106 or CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) charges or even a business development loan. I looked at one site where the council was offering a business development loan and zero CIL, which would have saved around £600,000.
That kind of thinking separates a developer from a builder. You need to be strategic, understand what the council needs, what lenders want, and how to make the numbers work.
Creative Finance and Structuring Deals
I never looked at projects without asking two questions. First, can it be done with as little money as possible? Second, can I do it without using my own? The answer is almost always yes, if you structure it creatively.
Option agreements, for example, are one of the most powerful tools we have. They allow you to control a property without owning it, giving you time to get planning or secure funding. On a current project, I negotiated an option agreement with the right to purchase after 24 months. My rent is low, the purchase price is £210,000, and the building is already worth £350,000 to £400,000. By the time I refinance, the equity I have created becomes my deposit.
That building will soon become a bathroom showroom called Flow Luxury Bathrooms, which will operate alongside my other businesses. The uplift alone on that project is between £140,000 and £190,000, and it will also generate income. That is what I mean by scaling intelligently. You are not just building property; you are building cash flow, equity and multiple revenue streams at the same time.
Leveraging Skills and Collaboration
I learned about leverage in the military and later as a bodyguard. I managed teams and contracts worth close to a billion pounds. In property, I apply the same principles. I understand people’s capabilities and use them to fill the gaps in my own skill set.
If you want to grow, you cannot do it all yourself. You need architects, surveyors, contractors and consultants who know their fields. You need investors who trust you, and you need to be investable. That comes from professionalism and transparency. Do what you say you will do, and people will back you repeatedly.
Collaboration is also where you can make the biggest leaps. I am now working with several partners across development, finance and training. The aim is to show how effective collaboration can be, not just in building projects, but in building businesses.
Using the Planning System to Your Advantage
Permitted development rights are another area where people miss opportunities. If you understand how they work, you can transform commercial buildings into residential or mixed-use assets and create serious profit. I have converted industrial spaces to storage, offices to apartments, and even used planning strategies to disguise more ambitious projects until they were ready to go public.
The key is to understand how to balance permitted development with full planning applications. Sometimes you can run both in parallel, using one to support the other. It takes experience, but it is worth learning because planning gain can add hundreds of thousands to a project before you even start building.
The Flow Bathroom Project
This project is a commercial building I found on Rightmove. It was in poor condition, but I saw the potential straight away. I negotiated the lease option, rather than buying it outright, even though it was never even listed for rent. By asking the right questions, I got the deal I wanted.
The plan is to renovate it into a high-end bathroom showroom that will also serve as a trade hub for local contractors. I will be supplying my own teams, developers, and designers, which means I can control both quality and cost.
The building will have five-and-a-half-metre vaulted ceilings, glass façades and luxury finishes throughout. It will be a showroom, a workspace and a statement of what can be achieved through creative structuring and vision. Once finished, I will refinance, release the equity, and move on to the next project while the business continues to generate income.
Building Businesses That Complement Each Other
For me, property is the foundation, but business is the structure that holds everything together. Alongside development, I am launching a training business, a media company and now a bathroom showroom. Each one complements the others. The media company will document our projects, produce high-quality video content and help other developers showcase what they do. The training business will help people learn the strategies I use in real time, in buildings that I actually own.
Advice for Those Ready to Scale
If you are just starting out, focus on getting your first few projects right. Understand how deals are structured, how finance works and how to make yourself investable. When you move into development, consider working with a clerk of works or your architect to show you the ropes. Ensure you have a contract such as a JCT, (Joint Contracts Tribunal) with your perspective build team or principal contractor.
As you grow, start thinking creatively about finance. Could you use an option agreement instead of a deposit? Could you partner with someone who brings funding while you bring the deal? Could you work with your local council to meet their housing targets? There are countless ways to structure opportunities once you understand the moving parts.
Above all, be brave enough to think differently. You do not need to know everything yourself. You just need to know who does, and how to bring them together. Scaling is not about doing more of the same. It is about doing things smarter, faster and with leverage.
“If something can be thought and put on paper, it can be done.” That is a principle I live by, and it is the foundation of everything I build.
