That is a fair question.

You have spent years (sometimes decades) building something real. You have carried the payroll, made the hard decisions, and kept going when it would have been easier to stop.

You do not want to hand that to someone who sees your business as a line on a spreadsheet.

Here is why you will not have that problem with me.

I will not hide behind a title or a corporate structure. I will speak to you directly.
I will earn your trust throughout this process.
You can rely on me to look after what you’ve built, to respect your team, and to do exactly what I say I will do.

Since I was 20 years old, I’ve found myself in positions of trust and responsibility. I used to ask myself why, until someone said:

“Shep, that is your calling, and you get a buzz from being relied on.”

And they were right. I do.

As a tennis coach in Wavertree, Liverpool, back in 2005, parents trusted me with up to 30 children at the club.

For the past 14 years, I have worked with well over 100 employees and suppliers (including solicitors) who rely on me daily to make decisions, honour my promises, and be accountable as a business owner.

I have tenants who have relied on me for more than 19 years.

National newspapers like the Sunday Times and Daily Express rely on me for expert opinions on property statistics and key issues, delivered on time to meet publishing deadlines.

The Property Ombudsman has relied on me to review and contribute to the Code of Practice for Residential Property Buying Companies.

In 2007, I started buying property. Within six months I had a portfolio of 29. A friend gave me £20,000 to source five properties for him, and that was where the deal flow began.

I was not just an investor. I was an operator.