Business Mentor PodcastMultimillionaire Property Developers Scale from 1 to 161 Properties in 4 Years; Andi Cooke & Lloyd Girardi of Whitebox Property Solutions Share Their Story
Today on the episode of The Business Mentor Podcast, we hear the stories behind the success of White Box Property Solutions from the Founders Lloyd Girardi and Andi Cooke as they answer some questions from Jay. Lloyd and Andi were working in very different fields before they went on a risky journey of building their own property development company. They had little to no knowledge about it, but it turned out very well since they were willing to learn along the way.
Aside from stories on building and growing their business, we also get to hear some great tips for aspiring business owners out there. Discover how you can get most out of mentorships, how to have the right mindset, why you need a great team, and why you need to create vision boards from Lloyd and Andi, so start tuning in.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Lloyd and Andi were two different industries before they decided to start a property company together. Lloyd was in the lighting industry while Andi was in the construction industry.
- It helped that they were both naïve and ready to learn new things when they stepped in the property industry.
- It’s best to approach people who have already has years of expertise and experience in property developments if you are just starting. There’s a lot of risks that you need to take so as much as possible, you should be backed up by the right team so that you make the right move.
- Andi and Lloyd’s top tip for those who want to start a business is to make your business ‘YOU’. Make sure that it suits your personality. Copying somebody else doesn’t give off a good result and self-fulfilment.
- If you really want to see the outcome from what you’re learning from your mentor, you have to put the work in.
- When is enough, enough? Lloyd says they don’t really have a specific end goal, aside from improving themselves and growing their businesses.
- Having a vision is essential, so you’ll know what direction you’re heading to. You can create your vision board, which can be in video, audio or print format, and it will effectively remind you to focus on your goals.
BEST MOMENTS
- “Sometimes, you just need to put a step forward every day and just keep moving towards whatever the goal is, isn’t it?” – Andi
- “If someone’s already done it the way that you would do it anyway, leverage their knowledge.” – Jay
- “Do what feels right. You are your own individual brand.” – Jay
- “The answer and results you get are as good as the questions you’re gonna ask.” – Lloyd
- “Get in the right knowledge and put the work in.” – Jay
- “Money is everything, but it’s how you spend that money that makes you happy.”
VALUABLE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Andi Cooke has been running a successful Construction Company, Red Box Property Solutions (Trading as Red Box Developments), since 2007 and continues to run the company. Red Box Developments are currently contracted by White Box Property Solutions Ltd for all of their property developments. In 2015 Andi restructured the company to manage the construction of some major developments.
Lloyd Girardi, previously worked for a major house builder (Taylor Wimpey) in the UK before being head hunted by ONN Financial, an independent mortgage broker in Northampton to work in the residential mortgage and insurance industry. Following the recession in 2007, Lloyd was made redundant after a corporate take-over of the company. Lloyd joined the lighting industry in a sales and marketing role before resigning in 2014 to start White Box Property Solutions Ltd.
The pair have grown their personal property portfolio from 1 property each to 161 between them in less than 4 years, with a mix of single buy-to-lets, HMO’s, Commercial Conversions and Development Projects. They now work closely with the Crowd Funding company, Funding Circle in order to get development finance for their projects. White Box Property Solutions Ltd offer competitive returns for private investors wanting to invest with them over various terms. Secured and Guaranteed.
ABOUT THE HOST
Jay Dhillon is a serial entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist based in the UK with a proven track record of growing businesses from start-up to success- and helping others do the same. From humble beginnings, Jay grew his first business from 0-500 employees and three locations, racking up sales of over £30 million – all without any investment other than a small amount of savings. The business went on to acquire major clients such as Landrover, Jaguar, Toyota and New Look, to name a few.
Its huge success inevitably brought about outside interest, and at the age of 33, Jay eventually sold the company to a London investment firm in Doyen Resources. Today, Jay owns several businesses in different sectors and helps entrepreneurs achieve success.
A calling to give back and help others led to Jay being chosen for the highly-coveted role as a Prince’s Trust mentor, where his achievements were marked by a personal invitation to Buckingham Palace to meet Prince Charles.
After helping several young entrepreneurs to success as a mentor for the Trust, Jay’s burning desire to bring his wisdom and knowledge to a wider audience ultimately triggered the concept of The Business Mentor Podcast.
Jay feels that anyone can achieve success in business with the right advice and mentoring and is now sharing his knowledge with his growing audience via his podcast.
In the UK alone, 95% of business fail within the first five years, and Jay’s aim is to reduce that number.
Backed with the hard-earned knowledge and experience from his time in business, The Business Mentor Podcast will share Jay’s personal business lessons as well those of other successful entrepreneur guests who share their wisdom and secrets on the show.
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