I Lost Everything & Built It Back Through Property - Tony Crook | Self Unemployed
Description
🔴Get the Newsletter, Become Self Unemployed: https://self-unemployed.ck.page/3d198...
📈 Samuel Leeds Property Training: https://www.samuelleeds.com/ref/319/
From selling photocopiers to building an £8M printing business… and then losing it all to the internet.
In this episode of the Self Unemployed Podcast, Tony Crook — mentor to Samuel Leeds — shares his brutally honest journey through entrepreneurship, real estate, failure, reinvention, and global impact.
🎙 What You’ll Learn:
- How Tony built (and lost) an £8M/year printing empire
- The mistake that almost ruined his business: ignoring the internet
- How he pivoted to property investing and found financial freedom
- The true meaning of being “self-unemployed” — and how to fire yourself from your own business
- Why he believes property is the last industry standing in the AI age
- Real estate strategies: BRRR, super rents, serviced accommodation, and social housing
- Inside look at building schools and hospitals in Uganda with Samuel Leeds
- This one’s not just a business masterclass — it’s a wake-up call for every entrepreneur.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:54 Rise and fall of the printing business due to digital disruption 03:27 Urgent advice: adapt early to AI and industry shifts
06:44 Pivot from printing to property investing
09:35 Key lesson: treat property as a business, not a hobby
10:53 Why property remains a powerful long-term investment
17:08 Accidental landlord during 1987 crash – first big property lesson 19:14 From sales to launching a successful print business
24:03 Business mistake: not systemizing early
25:42 Growth mindset: “Fire yourself yearly” to scale
32:07 Serviced accommodation as top strategy
33:55 BRRR strategy explained
36:07 Focus on ROI, not just pulling all money out
41:15 Choosing purpose over retirement
44:02 Samuel Leeds Foundation: real-world impact in Uganda
49:20 New initiative: remote digital education center in Uganda
53:34 Dual nature of Samuel Leeds: direct leader with genuine care
56:23 Why confronting critics worked better than staying silent
👀 If you're into real estate, mentorship, or building wealth with purpose, don’t miss this.
🎧 Listen now & drop your biggest takeaway in the comments.
#PropertyInvestment #RealEstateUK #TonyCrook #BRRRStrategy #PassiveIncome