Fifteen years ago, Samuel Leeds was living on a council estate in Walsall, driving an old Ford Ka that often broke down. Today, he lives in one of the most exclusive parts of Britain, drives a Range Rover, owns three hotels, and has built a hospital ward in Uganda. By the time he was 29, his net worth had passed £20 million. His journey has been captured in Coming Clean, a feature-length documentary that premiered at Cineworld O2 London, where he revealed his full property portfolio to the public and his students.
Samuel’s success story began far from glamorous. “At school, I was put on the special needs desk,” he recalls. “I don’t even know why. I think the teachers just didn’t understand me. I was always distracted and full of ideas.” His mum was a mobile hairdresser and his dad a gardener who later became a magician. “We didn’t have much money, but I learnt about selling from my dad. He showed people magic tricks on a market stall and sold them the tricks. I started doing the same at school and made a profit. That was my first business.”
By fifteen, he had saved enough to pay for a crash course in plastering. “Plasterers were earning £150 a day and I thought that was amazing,” he says. He registered a small business called Pellisore Plastering, hiring older tradesmen to complete jobs while he managed the clients. “It was my first lesson in business. I realised I didn’t have to be the best at the trade, I just needed to organise the best people.”
At sixteen, he left school to work with his dad, but his focus soon shifted after his stepfather, Tim, an accountant, began buying rental houses. “I was fascinated by how property worked,” Samuel says. “He explained mortgages and cash flow, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.” He attended his first networking event, nervous but inspired. “Everyone was talking about financial freedom. I thought, “This is what I’m going to dedicate my life to.”
He began reading Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and studying mentors like Jim Rohn. “Jim said,” Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. ” That became my motto.” At seventeen, he bought his first property with his stepfather’s support. “I bought it for £100,000, it was worth £120,000, and I refinanced it the same day. I still own it now.”
When the recession hit, many people gave up, but Samuel didn’t. “Everyone was saying to get out of the property, but I doubled down,” he says. “That decision changed everything.” By nineteen, he bought another house using £15,000 borrowed from his grandmother, paying her 10% interest each year. “It was a win-win. She used the interest to go on cruises, and I got another property. That taught me that money is everywhere if you know how to structure a deal.”
At twenty, he was in a serious car accident that nearly cost him his life. “It made me think deeply about what really matters,” he says. During his recovery, he studied theology at Bible College and wrote a book called Do the Possible, Watch God Do the Impossible. “I learnt that wealth is a tool. Money itself isn’t good or bad. It depends on what you do with it.”
After graduating, he founded a national business network called Training King, which brought together people of faith who wanted to run businesses with integrity. Around the same time, he met his wife, Amanda, at a wedding. “I told her I was a million pounds in debt,” he laughs. “She said maybe I’ll work some overtime. That’s when I knew she was the one.”
As Samuel’s property income grew, people began asking him to teach them. He launched his mentoring academy, offering live training and ongoing support. An independent study by Survation, who also works with the BBC, The Telegraph, and major universities, found that 86% of graduates completed a property deal within their first year and 95% said they would recommend the academy to a friend. For full transparency, the Survation report is publicly available here.
His property portfolio now includes three boutique hotels and multiple developments. One of his best-known acquisitions, Willingham House in Cambridgeshire, was secured with just a £1 deposit and now generates over £80,000 a month. “It’s all about creative strategy,” he says. “The key to success isn’t how much money you start with but how you think.”
In 2024, Samuel founded Samuel Leeds Finance, a funding company that helps other investors grow their projects. “Too many great deals fall through because people don’t have access to capital,” he explains. “Now I can help fund their projects, support them, and take a share in their success. It’s about building an ecosystem of property entrepreneurs.”
His documentary Coming Clean showcased his £20 million portfolio, with students travelling on a coach to see every property, title deed, and deal. “I wanted to prove that what I teach is real,” he says. “People talk about transparency, but very few actually open their books. I did.”
Alongside business, his humanitarian work has grown. Through the Samuel Leeds Foundation, he has helped fund several schools and completed construction on a 64-bed hospital ward in Uganda. “When I first visited Africa, I saw children walking twelve kilometres just to get clean water,” he recalls. “I made a promise to myself that if I ever became wealthy, I’d give back. Building that hospital ward was one of the proudest moments of my life.”
Today, Samuel continues to teach, invest, and expand internationally. “Property gave me freedom and purpose,” he says. “I want to show people that they can achieve the same with the right training, mindset, and belief. My goal now is to bring financial education into schools and help people become free, not just rich.”
He smiles. “I wasn’t born into money. I just decided to never stop learning and never stop moving. That’s the secret. Keep learning, keep believing, and never quit.”
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