I was sacked from my job at 21 – now I’m a millionaire aged 35 after bingeing BBC show… it all started with trainers

A FORMER bank worker who was made redundant became a millionaire after binge-watching a BBC show.

Chris Bunn, 35, was forced out of Barclays in his early 20s and “vowed to never be at the mercy of a job loss again”.

He had been working there since he was 16, even holding down part-time hours while studying at university before joining the customer retention department full-time.

But when his job was outsourced abroad, instead of finding another position, Chris decided to begin buying and flipping trainers and clothes.

He would target popular branded trainers and sell them online for double the price at a time when the industry “wasn’t as big as it is now”.

Chris then sold his side hustle for £10,000 before setting up a digital marketing company in 2014, prior to the saturation of social media agencies, and Facebook and Instagram ads.

In 2018 he sold that company to a Swedish tech firm for £350,000.

As part of the deal, he signed a non-compete deal, meaning he couldn’t work for or set up a similar business for an agreed period.

“I was sat on a big lump of money and, for a long time, I’d been watching Homes Under The Hammer,” Chris told the Daily Telegraph.

“One day, I was on Rightmove and saw a house close by that was quite run-down. It had been on the market for ages, so I put in a silly offer.”

It was a rundown three-bedroom semi-detached home in Fairfield, County Durham, on the market for £180,000.

Chris offered £108,000 and it was accepted because he was a cash buyer and could complete quickly.

He then forked out £28,000 doing it up, including re-wiring – with much of the work done by himself.

Within 12 month, it was revalued at £185,000 and Chris realised flipping properties “has a bit of legs”.

Now aged 35, Chris has 15 properties, all rented out, and a portfolio worth £2.8million – with £1.7million is equity and the rest mortgaged.

He only buys in and around Teesside, County Durham, and has a number of golden rules.

“They aren’t necessarily run down, but they are always discounted in some way so I can add a bit of value,” he said.

One property owner was so desperate to sell he gave Chris a 30% discount.

He favours three-bedroom homes as they offer tenants longevity, with smaller properties having a more frequent turnover.

He has also gone from owning properties under his own name to having them under a limited company as – despite “added complexities” – he is afforded mortgage interest relief.

Chris initially feared Labour increasing the stamp duty surcharge in the Budget, ahead of the Renters’ Rights Bill coming in, had “ruined things”.

But he is now confident landlords will simply adjust offers going forward, with more offers accounting for the extra percentage points “so the only person who suffers is the person selling”.

And while the Renters’ Rights Bill is “potentially worrying”, Chris is also confident he can easily adapt.

The entrepreneur – who lives with his wife and four-year-old daughter, and twin boys welcomed nine months ago – plans to “aggressively upscale” this year.

He wants to add five more properties to his portfolio in 2025, and in the long-term increase the value to £5million.

SIDE HUSTLES

Chris isn’t the only person raking in the money from a side hustle.

Grace Cassidy and her husband Joe are making £20,000 a month selling second-hand clothing online, and it’s become their full-time job.

Both aged 29, the couple actually started selling odd bits and bobs online years ago, but back then it was just a hobby.

In June this year, they decided it was time to level up to something bigger.

Hannah Koumakis, meanwhile, previously hit the headlines after revealing how she earned £67 a month from her parents without doing any chores before learning how to make her own money at the age of 14.

The 24-year-old took to washing cars and walking dogs to earn some spare cash, which taught her a valuable lesson in budgeting.

Now, she shares her money-saving tips with her 127,000 followers on TikTok, (@hannahkoumakis), to inspire others – and claims she has saved £80,000 in two years, enabling her to buy her first property.

Thomas Ryder, 41, started health brand Applied Nutrition a decade ago in his grandparents’ council house in Knowsley, Merseyside – and has now bagged £62 million.

The gym bunny was living in his grandparents’ council house when he first started selling protein powder aged 18.

He worked as a scaffolder for the council while building the brand.

In November, his life changed when he sold 19 per cent of his shares of the business, valued at £350million, on the London Stock Exchange.