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“START SAVING AS SOON AS YOU CAN AND EVEN IF YOU CAN ONLY AFFORD A STUDIO WHICH ISN’T IN THE BEST AREA, IT’S A STEPPING STONE”
Dan Miller is a trailblazing entrepreneur who at just 17 years old, from his bedroom in Derby, foundedYoung Professionals with a laptop, a bold idea and a mission to level the playing field for students from all backgrounds. He talks to Lynda Clark about how it all began, his first home and has some sound advice for first time buyers At home with: Dan Miller
were mostly full of universities trying to get potential students to spend £36,000 and study at their colleges. While attending one of these fairs I had a lightbulb moment and realised there was a huge gap in the market for students to go to an event where there were opportunities for alternative career routes and they were able to meet large companies who were looking for potential employees and could offer everything from apprenticeships to training programmes. In Derby the two biggest companies are Rolls-Royce and Experian, so I called them up and explained that I wanted to put on an event where companies could talk to students about what opportunities there were and advise them on their career path and they loved the idea. They even gave me some money up-front to get it started. So I then approached Derby County football club and told them I wanted to put on an event there and hire it out. They also liked
bedroom apartment in Richmond which offered the best of all worlds. I really enjoyed living there and sold it three years ago and upgraded to a much bigger property in Barnes. FTB : Where do you live now? DM: I bought a Victorian two bedroom, two bathroom home with a huge open- plan kitchen/diner and a garden. A family had lived there for 20 years so I gutted it and probably spent about £80,000 on the renovations. I took my own advice to buy the cheapest property on the most desirable road and I love it!
FTB : Tell us about your first step on the property ladder? DM: I was brought up in a small village near Derby and when I left school after taking A-levels I had already started Young Professionals and decided to have a gap year. I wanted to spread my wings and decided to pack my bags and move to London, which was obviously a big move! I rented in Bayswater for four years and then decided I really needed to get a home of my own as renting was so expensive and I was also really fed-up living there as it was always so busy. I had already saved £30,000 from starting my business and I have always been a saver. I needed a 5% deposit but actually by the time I bought my first home I had saved around £50,000 so was able to put down a 10% deposit. As I had been brought up in the countryside I missed being near green spaces so I bought a one
FTB : Tell us about your career? DM: I have always been a bit of an
entrepreneur and used to sell sweets out of my locker at school and did car washing for people in the village. The school, like most schools, used to take us to career fairs which
14 First Time Buyer February/March 2026
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