Samuel Leeds, a 35-year-old property investor and founder of Samuel Leeds Academy, who pays himself £100,000 per month, has said that young people have "no excuse to be poor" in today's world. Leeds, who lives in Dubai with his wife Amanda and their four children, made the comments in an interview with Metro. He argues that with AI at everyone's fingertips and universal internet access, there are more opportunities than ever to make money.
From humble beginnings to property empire
Leeds grew up in Walsall, West Midlands, in what he describes as "humble beginnings." His parents separated when he was seven, and his mother worked as a mobile hairdresser to raise the family. His father, a gardener, later became a magician, and Leeds worked for him on market stalls and at children's parties. He also sold magic tricks to schoolmates, which once led teachers to suspect him of dealing drugs.
Leeds left school at 16 without sitting most of his exams. He took on multiple jobs, including paper rounds, cleaning tables at a snooker club for £6 an hour, and plastering on building sites, earning on average £25 a day. Reading Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki reframed his approach to money, shifting him from trading hours for money to building assets that work independently of his presence.
He bought his first property in 2009 for £100,000, fully financed by the bank because he negotiated it 20% below market value. At 17, he couldn't legally put it in his name, so his stepdad Tim went on the deeds. Leeds says Tim "didn't put in a penny, but he lent his name, and I'm still grateful for it."
Building a multi-million-pound business
Leeds used purchase lease options—a buy-now-pay-later approach for property—to control properties with no capital. By age 20, he owned seven properties. He then began sourcing deals for other investors, charging fees typically between £3,000 and £5,000 per deal. His company Deal Connect currently sells around 25 property deals monthly.
He started creating YouTube content in 2014, with his channel now at around 650,000 subscribers, and launched his education business in 2016. He later founded Samuel Leeds Finance, which lends his own money to investors, and expanded his portfolio to include hotels. He now employs around 60 people, mostly remote. His businesses reached £100 million in revenue earlier this year.
Monthly income and spending
Leeds pays himself £100,000 per month, derived from rental income, hotels, and returns from Samuel Leeds Finance. He reinvests all income from YouTube, social media, and his training business back into the company. His monthly outgoings include £45,833.33 for rent (paid annually at £550,000), £20,000 for charitable giving, £6,000 for utilities, £20,000 for travel, £5,000 for food and drink, and £2,000 for his wife's "no questions asked money."
He gives away £20,000 per month to charity, including through his Samuel Leeds Foundation. He has built schools in Uganda with over 2,000 pupils and a 64-bed hospital, and he houses homeless people in Walsall in his properties for free, organised through local church connections.
Defending his position and advice to young people
Leeds acknowledges receiving criticism online, particularly for being a landlord. He argues that rents are determined by market supply and demand, and that blaming landlords is like "blaming Richard Branson because airline prices have increased." He also defends discussing money and tax openly, saying he's on a mission to help others build wealth.
On young people, he stated: "Young people have no excuse to be poor. There are more opportunities than ever to make money, with AI at our fingertips and everyone having access to the internet." He advises focusing on increasing earnings before cutting expenses, and being generous with money, noting "Nobody became poor from being generous."
