Britain's youngest property developer started with money from his barmitzvah - The Jewish Chronicle

Brandon Johnson has always been able to turn something into nothing according to his mother Jane.

Mrs Johnson, like many Jewish mothers is incredibly proud of her son, who at 18 has used his entrepreneurial skills to build a property portfolio worth a projected £1.6 million.

Mr Johnson, who attends Bushy United Synagogue, has never spent his spare time playing computer games like his friends; instead he has set up businesses - starting with £200 from his barmitzvah.

The Mill Hill school pupil, used his barmitzvah money to start selling silver and gold coins and his latest venture makes him one of Britain’s youngest property developers.

Mrs Johnson explained: “He has done all this while still at school. It is incredible he has a talent you can’t teach somebody.

“From as young as I can remember we would give him money for lunch or a school trip and he would come back with more than he went with.

“I don’t know how he does it but he does. It hasn’t been through us helping him.”

When the teenager, who has just finished his A Levels, noticed that a neighbour had used their garden to build a house on it and resell it, he was fascinated.

“I kept thinking about how they did it and I was working out all the costs," he said.

"I realised that if I find some land and build a house on it I could sell it for more than my costs. I researched where all the empty land was in my area and sent out letters to everyone that owned it asking them if they would agree to sell it.

“I got 15 replies back out of 100 and after some negotiations I came to an agreement with one person who agreed to sell to me.

“I had to get planning permission but once I had that in place I was contacted by developers who wanted to buy the land off me for £150,000.”

Having acquired the land using money he has made through different business projects he secured planning permission to build two houses – which have been projected to sell for £800,000 each.

“I have been doing business ideas since I was 13,” he said.

“I used the money I saved from every business I have done since my barmitzvah to get into property. I don’t spend any of it I just re invest it in my ideas and i no have a investor on board.

“When I was about 14 I saw a video advertising this hydrophobic spray that keeps your clothes from staining.

“I used the money I had made from selling the gold and silver coins to ship the product in from America.

“At the time it wasn’t being sold in the UK, so I started selling it through Amazon and eBay.”

It was when the spray was featured on BBC’s The One Show that his orders exploded and he had his first big business success.

“One evening I suddenly got 100 orders in. I was selling the product for £40 a box and I was buying them for £20,” Mr Johnson explained.

He used the money to make a website and watched his orders roll in, packing and shipping items from his parents’ living room.

Mrs Johnson explained: “Some people might think we have helped him but we haven’t. He comes up with the ideas himself and uses his own money.”

Another idea he had was installing irrigation systems for private clients.

“We needed an Irrigation system at home so I taught myself how to install one,” he explained.

“I went from installing small pipes in my garden to getting clients who wanted something bigger.

“It is all self-taught. I installed one for a client which cost £8000 and then the year later I did one double the size.”

Mr Johnson has never paid himself a salary from the money he has earned.

“I don’t do it to show off, I just do it because I see other people doing it and think why can’t I?”