TV winner boosts Tyneside property firm

Nov 19 2009 By Iain Laing, The Journal

A YOUNG entrepreneur has turned his life around and more than quadrupled the size of his property business over night after a successful contestant in a television game show added 800 properties to his portfolio.

Jarrow-based Darren James set up Red Square Residential at Jarrow’s Tedco Business Centre two years ago after being made redundant from his job as a printer at Cramlington-based Ravensworth Digital and has now managed to grow his portfolio to 1,000 properties.

Although he was able to secure contracts on 200 properties in his first year, his big break came earlier this month when he says he was contacted by a man who won a large sum in the hit ITV quiz Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

His new client, who wants to remain anonymous, was looking for someone to manage his 800-strong estate of properties which he had built up since coming away from the show with £750,000.

Mr James, 27, now believes he can grow his turnover from £100,000 to £1m in the space of three years with the help of the deal and is now looking to double his workforce to eight to help him cope with the increased workload.

The road to success wasn’t easy for Mr James as redundancy brought subsequent financial difficulties but it also gave him the drive and determination to turn his life around.

He set up a website with help from Business Link, and has now moved into his own property shop in Laygate, South Shields.

He said: "It certainly was difficult getting things off the ground during the early stages and it was a challenge to find the motivation after everything that had happened.

"However, things are going really well now and I am excited about the chance to work with such a large portfolio. I now wish to grow it even more and create more jobs along the way."

One of the most unusual properties in Mr James’ portfolio is The Alkali in Jarrow, one of the oldest public houses on Tyneside.

Rebuilt in 1899, the listed building was named after a washing process in the chemical works which stood on the site until the 1850s.

Mr James said that he will not forget the difficult times he has gone through and is doing what he can to help others by attempting to raise £10,000 for disadvantaged children as part of Metro Radio’s Cash for Children appeal.