When I was young, my parents constantly told me to study hard, work for a big company when I graduate. I've known that none of these are correct. I'm not good at office politics. I'm creative, think differently, work extremely hard, and am relatively ok with investing. I never had the guts nor encouragement to do business.
Over the past couple of years, the idea of merging investing and business constantly played out in my mind. Real estate is a business. I've also networked with Fintech startups which I know will transform the industry. I intend to mix real estate, fintech and running a biz soon. It's a lot better I believe compared to working for an employer who's main interest is to get the most out of you and pay you as little as possible without you quitting.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/gary-martin-ive-brought-billionaires-to-northern-ireland-30462812.html
Gary Martin: I've brought billionaires to Northern Ireland
By Joanne Sweeney
PUBLISHED
28/07/2014
And while he may still only be 26, the Londonderry man
already has a multi-million pound company to his credit as well as running
several companies with annual turnovers in the millions.
From when he was a teenager, Gary was already showing his
promise as a businessman, as he helped run a nightclub when he was only 15,
bought his first property at the age of 16 and by the age of 19 had accumulated
a joint share in a multi-million property portfolio in Northern Ireland.
With a hairstyle that may one day rival Trump’s famous
quiff, Gary has now begun establishing a media profile and possibly creating a
future career in TV punditry as a business expert in the mould of Lord Sugar,
star of the UK’s The Apprentice. Already, he is one of the new stars of an
independently-produced show, Million Dollar Intern, which is currently on BBC
Watch on the Sky network.
The premise of the show is a well-worn one with a twist;
Gary is one of six highly successful and articulate young millionaire
entrepreneurs who work as interns in troubled businesses to get an insight into
the issues before ‘revealing’ themselves and offering advice as to how to re-engerise
the business.
London-based Gary was initially contracted to appear in one
of the 10 shows but such was his ‘TV gold’ quality that he ended up doing three
programmes.
Indeed, in one memorable scene, he interrupts one business
owner’s “correct me if I’m wrong” retort, by replying in his clear Derry
accent: “Just let me stop you there, for you are wrong.”
Nevertheless, he has certainly helped more than hindered the
businesses he worked with, although he admits to finding the experience
challenging.
"You land in and realise that these businesses are
seriously in trouble, that these people are crumbling, mentally and
emotionally, and they need help," he says.
"Then you realise that you have to sort them out with
something; whether or not it looks good on camera, we need to make sure that
these guys don't go bankrupt. Although I may only be seen speaking to the
business owners for a minute or two on the show, those conversations were three
to four hours long in reality."
Not only has Gary become the breakout star of the show –
he's been approached by other television companies about other shows – he's
also ended up dating one of the producers he met while filming last summer,
although he declines to name her "in case she kills me".
What the show does not make clear is that Gary's
considerable success comes as part of a formidable duo, as he is joint managing
director of Martin Construction & Development along with his 29-year-old
brother, Paul Jr.
The pair, sons of Paul and Bridgin Martin, showed an
interest and aptitude for business from an early age, which was fostered and
encouraged by their father who ran a successful construction company in the
North West. A younger brother, Mike (20), now also works for the group, and
concentrates on running several of their e-commerce businesses.
"Ever since I can remember, I was always interested in
business and buying and selling things," says Gary. "My dad gave me a
Richard Branson book when I was about 10 years old. I was intrigued by all the
adventures an entrepreneur could go on, so I decided this is what I wanted to
do with my life."
He and Paul started small, running a car boot stall and a
fruit machine business. Then, when Gary was just 15 and Paul was 18, their
father threw down the business gauntlet, asking them to run a nightclub he had
bought until he was ready to redevelop it into office accommodation.
Although Gary was technically not allowed to be on the
licensed premises after 9pm, the brothers turned Fusion nightclub in Derry into
one of the busiest clubs in Northern Ireland.
Gary also took £7,000 of his own savings to help buy his
first property. Purchasing it for £45,000, he went on to sell it within weeks
for £86,000. He spent the next three years developing the property company,
making his first million by the age of 17.
Despite all that, the former St Columb's College student is
modest about his achievements, crediting his father for his success in
business.
"He basically came from nothing and was a builder with
a huge amount of expertise and reputation. He's the real genius of the family,
we are standing on his shoulders.
"I spoke to my family and thought it over a lot before
I agreed to do the show as it's obviously putting me in the limelight, which
also puts them in the limelight to a degree.
"As a family, we've always tried to keep our reputation
quite strong. My dad's always had a very good reputation and I realise that if
we did anything that affected that, it jeopardises anything he's doing as well.
"When you watch programmes like The Apprentice, you
want to make sure you are going to be portrayed in your true light. I think
that a lot of those shows are for entertainment purposes and I was initially
concerned about that.
"However, I was happy with the first programme we did,
on the History Studios business – where they do portraits of people wearing
historical costumes – and thought it was a fair enough reflection."
Gary will back on our screens this Thursday as an intern
working in a book and coffee shop in Nantwich in Manchester, having already
kicked off the series by working in the aforementioned historical photographic
business. He'll also will be appearing for the third time on August 21 as the
intern for a pet food supply business called Pet Paks.
His big media break came when he was spotted by a producer
after a story appeared in a national newspaper last year about him and a few
other entrepreneurs with the headline 'Young, gifted and rolling in it'.
"The producers didn't want a pair of brothers to appear
so it ended up with just me, though Paul's a lot nicer and shyer than I
am," he says.
Paul leads the property development company in Derry while
Gary runs the London side of the business, where it is fast developing into a
major player in its own right.
Gary believes that one of their greatest achievements was
not only making it through the property crash of 2007, but actually thriving.
"Myself and Paul started off buying and selling houses
in Derry and had a residential trading business from 2004. We built it up
mainly in the North West and had a residential estate agency business called
Trinity as well.
"When the market fell apart in 2007, we sold off a lot
of properties while managing to retain a good portfolio.
"I think that why we survived was that we were very
proactive in 2007. We were slightly ahead of the game but had no idea that it
would be as bad as it was.
"I think that's why the banks that were working with us
lent us money; we weren't burying our heads in the sand and saying 'Let's wait
until the market comes back', we knew we needed to do something fast.
"We looked at doing two things – diversifying into
different businesses and spreading ourselves geographically, so we chose going into
construction and getting into the London market.
"Coming out of the credit crunch at home, it almost
gave us a certain element of desire to get back in and be active again. The
attraction with London is it is very busy compared to Northern Ireland so I
went in with all guns blazing as we would normally do."
For Gary, it wasn't the question of his age that was an
issue when he tried to establish a company in London but the fact that he was
an unknown player in a very crowded and often cut-throat market.
"I always get asked if the age thing was a problem but
generally no ... at least not after people see that you are talking sense and
you have some credibility," he says.
He first established a construction company in London in
2010, building small projects for other larger developers in order to establish
a reputation for delivery, as well as making contacts.
"Having that building arm really gives us
strength," says Gary.
"When I looked at London, I thought 'How the bloody
hell are we going to get into this market as there is just so much
competition?'.
"We decided to build for other people as that would
give us a base of people with expertise on the ground, to help get us contacts
and connections while setting up the office.
"We started off doing small extensions and very quickly
this led us to building for a couple of larger companies. We work for two main
people – Galliard Homes and the Howard de Walden Estate.
"The rationale behind that was to get involved with
companies who we knew would be able to pay their bills at the end of the day
and there would be ongoing work coming our way.
"I now have a team which delivers all the construction
work while my job is going out to seek new partnerships and new developments. I
could be looking at half a dozen properties a day. I'll go and do the numbers
on them and assess what we can buy it for, the refurb numbers and what are the
resale values, talking to banks and arranging debt."
It's a level of success that the firm is happy to bring back
to Northern Ireland as Gary says he is already investing some of the £50m pot
that his high-net worth business contacts are willing and happy to bring to the
province.
"I'm always selling the story of Northern Ireland as I
really believe it is such a great place and there's such great opportunities
there," he says.
"Several billionaire individuals have come and looked
around over the last six months with me. They see the potential here, too, and
that's really exciting as well for us.
"We know the place better than anywhere else, we love
it, so we are keen to be doing more things there and partnering with these
people has allowed us to do it.
"The one thing that the property slump taught us is
that anything is possible and I think that now we probably realise how much we
don't know compared to what we do know. It has made us quite cautious and able
to protect ourselves from the downside should the market change again."
Baking, Branson and thinking big
Q How old were you when you started your first business?
I was 12 or 13 when I got into business, initially baking
cakes and selling them door-to-door. But my parents have told me that it
started long before this, and that I was always trying out little ventures even
before I really knew what I was doing.
Q What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been
offered?
Success leaves clues — find them and copy them. Business is
not rocket science — there’s a formula to it. With enough hard work and by
cracking the formula, it’s just a matter of time before it works.
Q Who do you admire in business?
I admire anyone who has the guts to set up a business and
stick with it through thick and thin. Whether it's a shopkeeper on the corner
of the street or Richard Branson, the challenges are all the same — the numbers
are just a little different. Donald Trump is a particular favourite of mine
because of his successes in the world of property and the brand he has built.
Q What does it take to build and maintain a successful
business?
You have to work at a business every day. It’s like going to
the gym — you can’t go once and think you’re going to be fit for life, it needs
to be consistent. On top of hard work and persistence, you need to have the
right strategy and be able to make changes quickly so you can stay up to speed
with where your sector is going.
Q What is your motto?
Hold yourself to a higher standard than anyone else would
ever expect of you. As Donald Trump said: “If you are going to be thinking, you
might as well think big!”
