MONEY MAKER
Property tycoon, 28, no longer needs to work after learning how to make millions by watching YouTube videos
Nathan Winch from South Yorkshire rakes in more than £10,000 a month from investments and his property portfolio
NATHAN Winch learned how to make millions of pounds by watching YouTube videos, and now claims he no longer needs to work.
The 28-year-old entrepreneur says he rakes in more than £10,000 a month from investments and his portfolio of cheap properties in Barnsley, South Yorkshire - worth "over half a million pound" in total.
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This is despite him only beginning to really work on the business - Winch & Co - in September last year.
In addition to owning nine properties, Nathan also completes deals for investors - including finding properties and then charging a "finder's fee".
He finds these investors through constant networking.
'I earned £13,500 in one day'
He even earned £13,500 in a single morning by completing two property negotiations, he said.
Nathan claims his success comes from watching "property investor crash course" videos on YouTube.
One of the strategies he's learnt and started doing himself - "lease option agreement purchases" - involve taking on a property "because the owner can't sell it or it's in negative equity".
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Negative equity is a term to describe when the current value of your home is less than the amount you have outstanding on your mortgage.
Nathan offers to pay the mortgage, bills, and take responsibility for the repairs of the property before letting it out and keeping the rent.
After a set agreement period is up, Nathan can either buy the property and sell it at a profit - if house prices have risen - or return it to the original owner if house prices have gone down. And arguably it's going really well.
The businessman said he could now live off the monthly incomes from his portfolio without having to go into work - but says his drive to keep achieving means he will never retire.
He said: "I could technically work for three or four hours a month if I wanted to."
Learning from success
THE Sun asked Nathan for his best tips for other wannabee entrepreneurs. Here's what he said:
- Read as many books as you can: You should read as much as you can. Books are a really cheap way to educate yourself.
- Take action: It's important to not be passive. A lot of people say they want to do certain things, but then never get round to it. If you really want to run your own successful business, you'll need to be proactive and put in the time and effort.
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"But I want to keep going and, because I enjoy working so much, I am putting more time into buying more properties and completing more deals.
"People tell me I should be sat on a beach somewhere but I don't think I will ever retire."
In just one morning, he claims he negotiated a huge £100,000 reduction on the sale price of a block of flats - before passing the negotiation to an investor who bought the deal from him for £12,000.
The same day, he also earned £1,500 as a "finder's fee" by sourcing a buy-to-let property in his hometown for another investor.
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Of course, investing involves taking risks so just because Nathan's making a lot of money now doesn't mean he will forever.
"The real risks with property investing is buying a ‘lemon’ property that has lots of hidden costs and repairs, other risks are finding the wrong or bad tenants," Nathan told The Sun.
"But if you know what you’re doing you can usually avoid such risks."
If you're considering doing something similar to Nathan, you'll need to carefully consider whether you're prepared to lose money before you start.
Risks of property investing
INVESTING in property in common, but it doesn't come without risks.
Here's what you need to be aware of, according to the Money Advice Service.
Your investment is for the long-term: Property prices and demand for rentals can go up and down, so you need to be prepared to invest your money for the long term.
Wait if prices drop: If you’re able to wait even if prices fall, you can ride out the losses in a slow housing market and earn profits again when times are better
Spread the risks: If you’re over-invested in property – for example, if most of your money is tied up in a buy-to-let property – you might end up in trouble when housing markets slow.
To avoid this, you should spread the risks of your property portfolio by holding different kinds of investments.
The two main ways to invest include selling a property at a profit or renting out a house that you own, but it could also include buying into a property fund.
'I realised the NHS was getting ripped off'
Nathan studied for A-levels at Barnsley college in his hometown before completing a Molecular Biology degree at the University of Huddersfield
He then started a career in the NHS within the research and development department.
But, Nathan realised he could provide liquid, gel and foam hand sanitiser products for cheaper than the hospital currently purchased them for externally.
Nathan said: "I realised they were getting ripped off and I thought I could provide the same products cheaper.
"I just spotted an opportunity."
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So in 2011, he quit his job to start his own business - WinchPharma.
Nathan's new company quickly beat off competition from several of the large pharmaceutical firms to win a share of a huge £39million contract to supply the NHS.
He ran the company for six years before he eventually sold the business in March 2017 to an investor for a confidential sum, he told The Sun.
'I started watching tutorial videos on YouTube'
Despite becoming a consultant for other businesses for 18 months, Nathan decided to enter the property market "full time" in September 2018.
He said: "I had a few properties from my time in my previous business but I never really spent any time on them or adding to my portfolio.
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"In September, I started watching tutorial videos on YouTube and realised I had been doing it wrong before and could earn a lot more money without having to put anything down myself.
"I had money from my previous business and it is difficult to really lose money by investing in property, so I thought it was the best way to go."
Nathan has now completed nine deals for properties - five of which he rents out to tenants and four of which he completed as a "lease option agreement".
With the income from the deals Nathan has completed alone, he has enough cash coming in to cover his bills with a few hundred pounds over - without having to work.
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Nathan said: "I don't even need to get out of bed to work anymore, but I'm a driven person, so I want to keep achieving goals.
"Having all this free time now also means I can spend more time with my family.
"I can decide when and where I want to work and it a great mental state to be in."
He said he still works around four days a week for roughly four hours each day, but it can vary wildly too.
"Some days I won't do anything, and other days I'm up and down the country for meetings."
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Nathan, who bought his own house and car after selling his previous business, said he tries to be "the best landlord" he can be.
He said: "It is all about making a difference to people's lives and helping them."
Going forward, he plans to carry on in the same way by investing, and looking for joint ventures and new deals.
Recently he also invested an undisclosed sum in start-up Barnsley Card - a loyalty scheme in his local area - to help get the business off the ground.
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