Series: Here's How This GenZ Entrepreneur Is Building A Property Empire With Her Mum

Awallprintss' Fadeke Banjo sat down with entrepreneur and Youtuber Leah Miller who is bringing a whole new meaning to partnership by building a property empire alongside her mother Sheryl Miller.

Leah Miller began her property journey aged 22 (Credit: Leah Miller)

Gen Z diving head-first into entrepreneurship has become something of a phenomena in recent times. Typically, most embark on business ventures with friends or perhaps even a partner but 24-year-old Leah Miller is bringing a whole new meaning to partnership by building an empire alongside her mother Sheryl Miller.

The entrepreneur and lifestyle YouTuber, from Birmingham, first began working with her mother in 2019 at the age of 22 when they started decided to start property development business LCM HOME.

The mother-daughter duo have set out to change the narrative around co-living spaces by transforming commercial and residential properties into stunning modern homes for professionals and families alike.

Leah and her mother funded their first venture, an old property house they purchased for £74,000 in the West Midlands, by refinancing their family home and using the equity as the deposit. They converted this two-bedroom property into a five-bedroom HMO (house in occupation). The total renovation took four months to complete and cost the team £24,000.

Leah and Sheryl have renovated four properties to date (Credit: Leah Miller)

The pair then proceeded to rent out each room and refinanced it to invest in another old property in the same county, which they bought for £125,000. They converted this office space into an eight-bedroom house share worth a sizable £295,000.

On the back of their earlier projects they have gone on to invest and renovate four properties, one of which has been split into two, and transformed them into stunning co-living spaces.

Leah’s property and investment journey began at the age of 21, a passion which was fuelled by her love of the television series Homes Under The Hammer. It was subsequently nurtured by her discovery of Robert Kiyosaki’s world-renowned financial help book Rich Dad, Poor Dad and a flurry of successful young people on YouTube beginning their own investment property journeys.

These all played an integral role in her pursuit of a career in property development and earning a university degree in Business. Through her journey, Leah inspired her mother, a serial entrepreneur & business coach, to delve into property development with her, forming a joint business partnership.

Leah’s self-titled YouTube channel, which currently has 10.2k subscribers, is home to an array of content including videos on her journey into the property investment & development sector, recent renovation projects, tips on beginning property investment, apartment tours and vlogs. From her catalogue of content, house makeovers typically pull in the largest viewership among Leah’s audience.

Q. What initially got you into property investment?

Leah: When I was younger I used to watch Homes Under The Hammer and I was obsessed with it and I thought it could be something you could do as a hobby. So, I thought I would have my 9-5 job and then renovate houses on the side in my spare time. Then I read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and that opened my eyes to seeing property and property investment as something you can have as your full-time income stream and I thought okay, this is interesting. When I was about 20, I got into YouTube and tried to figure out how other people were doing it full-time and it kind of all started from there.

Q. I recently saw an interview you did on YouTube on how you started property investment at 21. That’s a huge achievement, especially with you being a young person. Would you say more Gen Z like yourself and the younger end of Millennials are making space within the UK property investment industry and making themselves known?

Leah: Yeah, I think I have seen quite a few younger people that are kind of my age and I think it is great. I feel like people are trying to figure out how they can get into property and get on the ladder, even if it means they end up buying their first home and it’s just a little flat and they renovate it and sell it for more. So, people are trying to see how they can get into it and it’s just amazing.

Q. What made you want to document your property investment journey on YouTube and were you surprised by people’s responses?

Leah: Yeah, at first I was [pretty] shy to share about property and things like that. Still, I knew I wanted to document our first renovation and then as that got traction, I was like, okay, this is useful for people and people are finding it beneficial. So, I think as time went on, I got more comfortable sharing what we were doing. I just wanted to help other people out because sometimes people think that the information is so ‘hush hush’ and hidden that they don’t know where to get it. So if I can show people what I did in this situation then I think it can help people out and show people that they can do it. Sometimes people don’t know what they can do because they haven’t seen it.

Q. You mentioned that you started your property development business with your mum. What was the reason behind you deciding to go into business with your mum rather than do it solo or with someone else?

Leah: [My mum and I] have always been really close and I thought it would be something nice that we could do together. I think it was a no-brainer to get her involved and as I watched videos and read books, she was also getting more interested in it. So I thought if she is getting more interested in it, I can’t do it on my own, there was no point in us doing it separately, so we just thought to start it together.

Q. What would you say was one of the most challenging points in your journey into property?

Leah: I think the hardest thing to deal with is that you get such random challenges [for example], dealing with different people who maybe might slow down the renovation. There is constantly challenge after challenge and you have to think about how you can solve the problem.

Q. Did it have any mental health tolls while on this journey - I know it can be quite frustrating and stressful?

Leah: I think it’s been okay but there were definitely points where I felt so overwhelmed and [felt] like I can’t do this. So, I definitely deal with being overwhelmed but I think having mum in the team does make it easier. While on my own I would crumble but because we have each other it’s nice to be able to share the pressure of everything with someone else.

Q. What has been the proudest moment in your property investment journey?

Leah: I know this isn’t one moment but the feeling of finishing the renovation project and just having it done. When you look at the before and after photos and see how you have transformed something, it’s a really rewarding feeling, and when people come and view it, they are like, ‘this is amazing!’ We have created something, and people like it. So it’s always a good feeling finishing it and seeing how other people respond to it.

Q. Who are your top three property investment content creators you follow and look up to and how have they inspired you when it comes to your journey into property?

Leah: Good question, there is a lady on Instagram called Bee Space and I love the renovations that she does. I think she inspired me to kind of step it up a bit with the interiors and the branding, I think before we kind of played it a little bit safe, it was just like white walls and nice bedding and things like that but seeing her on Instagram, really inspired me to push the boundaries and go for it. There is another person called Anthony Laville, also from Birmingham, a young guy doing massive development projects. Again, he is just someone I find super inspiring to see what he has created. I don’t know about three, but these are the main two.

Q: Do you think there has been more diversity within the UK property investment scene over the years?

Leah: Yeah, 100%, I think at first I was just expecting white men. I was like okay, this is the industry I’m going to step into, but I feel like now there are a lot more black men, black women, and people from all different races and I really love to see it. I’m glad and I feel like more black people want to get into it and are looking at how they can get into it.

Q: What do you like to do outside of property investment and YouTube that fans that follow you might not know about?

Leah: I like to keep fit, so I am always working out in the gym, I go out to eat a lot, I go out to drink and spend time with my dog. I feel like I live like a normal 24-year-old, watching Netflix, reality tv, Love and Hip-Hop and things like that.

Q: What are some common misconceptions when it comes to property investment that you think Gen Z’s considering getting into property investment should be aware of?

Leah: I think definitely don’t ever think that property is something for rich white men in their 50’s and 60’s. It’s definitely not. If you feel that you want to get into it and you are in your 20’s and you are young and your black, you definitely can get into it somehow, some way, so definitely go for it. As long as you have belief you can do it, you can always figure things out and work out how you can get into something. So, definitely don’t think ‘this is not for me’, there are so many people in property that they will probably find someone on Instagram that is similar to them. If they need someone to relate to, there are definitely people out there.

I’ve heard people say that I might just quit my job and flip houses but do you know how long it takes and by the time you find somewhere, renovate it and sell it? You are looking about a year and even if you make a profit of let’s say ten grand, that’s like ten grand for a year. So, I think people think they can just get into and do like a lick of paint and that’s enough but you have to do major refurbishment, especially as a developer.

Q: What advice would you give to fellow house hunters looking to get a house post-pandemic - is the process as hard as people make it out to be?

Leah: It’s a very long process, the first thing is just to be patient, everything will work out eventually but I know how painful going through these processes can be. Things can take so long so be patient and just go for it.