A BARMAN who worked for £4.50 an hour has revealed how he transformed his life and became a multi-millionaire.
Dad-of-two James Dooley, 40, used £10,000 of his savings to start a business from his bed – and is now CEO of 30 different companies.
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The entrepreneur, from Manchester, worked day and night to build his first SEO company, Promo SEO, now worth more than £20million.
It was a feat made possible thanks to the teachings of his parents.
James said he and his two older brothers “never had money” while growing up, but their parents were both “extremely hard working”.
His dad, who managed a steel company in Sheffield, and his mum, a secretary, “taught me that life is all about what you put into it”.
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The CEO explained: “My dad died when I was only 16 years old and it turned our entire family life upside down.
“Both my older brothers, David and Mark, moved out and it was a tough few years with my mum doing everything to keep us all together in a very hard time.
“At the time, I got myself into debt, but she was my absolute hero and cleared all my debts, putting me on a repayment plan to make it up to her.
“It stretched my mum and she had to remortgage her house.”
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James said he was determined to start earning decent cash – even if it meant working three jobs and cleaning toilets – because if he didn’t pay his mum back, she’d lose her home.
He recalled: “I started working in a call centre to pay the bills, which was a really hard period for me.
“I was being told to f*** off 20 times a day, cold-calling people constantly – it was a very tough job.
“I was on £4.50 per hour – but the shifts were long and included doing evenings and weekends.
“I absolutely hated every single minute of it.”
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Despite the hardships, James remained positive and focused on achieving success – in the form of freedom, not money.
He wanted his own company.
It took eight years of hard work, but eventually, he made it happen.
James said: “Growth was never linear and, in the first six years, I failed so many times.
“When I made my first million, the first thing I thought was, ‘My dad would be proud of me’. It felt amazing because I earned it.”
Knowing very little about search engine optimisation, because the process was still new in 2011, the self-proclaimed “digital landlord” had to learn the ropes by making some costly mistakes.
It was “really tough”, he said, particularly in the beginning, but after many hours spent playing with Google algorithms to get websites to rank higher in searches, he was successful.
James said: “I had a lack of money and I just had to fail on the job in order to understand and learn from my mistakes.
“I woke up in sweats worrying about money, it was always tight. But in a strange way, I thrive off my failures.
“It makes me more determined than ever.”
Spurred by the feeling of making his first £1million, James launched a second business, PromoPixa, and then a third.
He managed to make his second £1million just four years after making his first – from then, the money snowballed.
Today, he lives a comfortable life with his wife Kerri, 37, and their two kids, Anastasia, three, and Tommy, one.
The family of four are able to enjoy plenty of experiences and travel and James, although not a fan of flashy cars or fancy Rolexes, is the proud owner of 13 racehorses.
He now has 30 companies under his belt, including advertising business Promo Media, marketing company Uniplay Ltd, and Dooley Investments.
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To those hoping to make it like he has, he said: “If you set up a good quality business, you can spend two hours a night on it and you’ll be amazed how quickly it can earn you more than a full-time job.
“I’m not saying you can make millions overnight but if you work at it, you could make something you’re really proud of.”
James’ top tips for hopeful business owners
JAMES Dooley, 40, is a multi-millionaire with 30 companies.
His top three tips for anyone wanting to run their own business are as follows:
1. Don’t quit your job willy-nilly
James advised not to “cut corners”, “cheap out”, or “underestimate the cost of things” – you want to be happy with the work you put in.
He said: “Start with a side hustle, make it something you’re proud of.
“But don’t quit your job until you’re earning double a minimum wage job.”
2. Network, network, network
Networking saved James’ business, according to the CEO.
He suggested going to functions, meeting new people, and learning from experts where possible.
James said: “I believe your network is your net worth.
“By joining forces with others you can share failures and learn from other people’s mistakes.”
3. Trust your staff
Once you start hiring, elevate and improve your staff.
He said: “Find the right people, train them directly, and allow them to make their own mistakes.
“Some people say a job well done is one done by yourself, but that is a really bad mentality.”
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