In 2009 I founded East Eight, a boutique property development company. Over the next few years I developed over 110 units of residential and commercial real estate with a gross development value of £120m mostly around Hackney, East London. During that time I was at the forefront of the alternative finance industry crowdfunding over £6.4m across six sites.

By 2017 I feared that there was a lack of transparency among the stakeholders across the property portfolio. The scale of the issues unfolded over the next few years. Unravelling the portfolio took a huge toll on my health, both mentally and physically. I came treacherously close to losing it all.

I tell my story as an antidote to the many who sell the dream of property as the golden ticket to financial freedom. While it can be rewarding, as I wrote about in my book Bricking It, it doesn’t come without significant risk.