Property expert brings cut-price course to Bradford packed with tips for would-be investors
Mixing with millionaires, forging a career in property and becoming a professional Thai boxer is an impressive CV for any 22-year-old but especially for one suspended from school as a teenager.
And Teshi Cheema says he still has to pinch himself when he thinks about his progress from an inattentive pupil to a force to be reckoned with both in and out of the boxing ring.
Teshi grew up living with his grandparents in Leeds after his mother died and says he’d always dreamed big. He was learning about the stock market while his peers were mugging up for A levels.
Would-be entrepreneur
He managed to leave school with a few qualifications and landed an apprenticeship in maintenance engineering. It paid the bills but was never a long-term option for the would-be entrepreneur.
“When I was working as an engineer, I was always making somebody else rich. That was not sitting well with me at all,” he explains. “I felt like a slave having to clock in and my income was capped.”
Teshi clearly needed a different plan and had already developed an interest in the property market after watching YouTube videos of property millionaire Samuel Leeds.
Intensive courses
Samuel runs a property investors training academy and Teshi tried out a couple of intensive courses before enrolling for a year-long programme in 2022.
“I was nervous but knew I could make it work. I just knew if I submerged myself into it, got into the nitty gritty and took massive action, it would pay off because the network was so powerful,” he explains.
After that he started working from home to keep his costs down and set about trying to source property deals for which he could charge a finder’s fee.
Success takes time
Like many Samuel Leeds’s students, he found that success didn’t come overnight but his training and persistence paid off when he struck his first deal with an investor.
He now says he has nine properties which he either manages or rents out as serviced accommodation in Leeds.
Business may be going well but Teshi stays in regular contact with his academy friends and mentors to give him the edge to keep moving forward.
Personal recommendations
Much of his work comes from word of mouth recommendations, often from landlords passing on his name to others.
“They know I pay the rent on time and cover maintenance issues. I don’t give them a headache. So they’re passing me these properties which I can then package and sell or take them on for myself.
“I’ll say to the investor, this property is in Leeds. You might be in Manchester or London or Scarborough, I’ll manage it for you. What do you think? Because it’s fully hands off and passive, they’re all in for it.”
Mix and match strategies
Teshi spends most of his time on sourcing deals and boosts his earnings with rent-to-rent agreements which involves renting a house or flat from a landlord and letting it at a higher rate.
These two approaches, plus managing other people’s properties, are his top three favourite strategies. He learned them all at the academy and says the experience there and mixing with the right people helped him to succeed.
“The network is so valuable and being surrounded by so many like-minded people. You can’t put a price on it,” says Teshi.
Public speaking
He’s now in the happy position of being able to support his grandparents which provides a big motivation and he takes pleasure in being able to give something back to the people who raised him.
In between property deals and boxing bouts, Teshi finds time to share his insight with others speaking at investors events. Among the advice he gives is to have confidence and believe in yourself and to find the best mentors and coaches.
Samuel adds: “Teshi has been surrounded by millionaires and multi-millionaires and he’s dominating Leeds at the moment. I’m really proud of what he’s achieved and I know this is just the beginning.”
Samuel is currently on tour in the UK and will be bringing his investors crash course to Bradford this month. The full-day event costs just £1 to attend (although late cancellation/no show fees apply).
It takes place on Saturday, October 21 at Cedar Court, Rooley Lane, BD5 8HW and tickets can be booked online.
Disclaimer: This article is paid for, sponsored content and does not reflect the views of YorkshirePostToday or National World. People should always seek independent advice in matters of finance and investments.