From Council Estate to £80M Exit: 7-Year Journey to Retiring at 37

What if the biggest barrier to building a multimillion pound business isn't talent or strategy, but your willingness to go all in, hire the right people, and build a culture that makes people want to stay? In this episode, **Paul Avins sits down with Andrew Hulbert**, a former council estate kid who started a facilities management business from his bedroom, scaled it to over £50 million in turnover with 550 staff, and exited for £80 million at age 37. Andrew shares his journey from earning £8 a week stuffing newspapers at age eight, to director at 24, to starting Pareto FM at 27 and growing it through two exits. A private equity deal let him take money off the table, pay off his mortgage, buy his parents and sisters houses, and give his dad £250,000 to retire early. He explains why he built a personal brand before it was a thing, how winning 50 awards opened doors to multimillion pound contracts, why he hired mums on flexible contracts as his secret weapon, and why he gave away 20% of the business in sweet equity to a management team of 15 who never left. Paul and Andrew explore hitting an organic ceiling at £18 million, realising the business was worth three times what he thought, working with a psychologist for two years before exiting to prepare for sudden wealth syndrome, and building a "social heart" business in a sector that had lost touch with people. Andrew also opens up on the cost of going all in: the strain on his marriage, the 1000-day countdown he put on the wall to keep his promise to his wife, and the £25,000 he spent on donuts in one year to win contracts. **What you'll learn:** • Why Andrew started earning money at age eight and how working class values shaped his path. • How he became a director at 24 and why a mentor changed everything. • Why he started Pareto FM at 27, spotting that big businesses were terrible at serving small customers. • How he won his first contract with Bulgari Hotel through relationship building. • Why he built a personal brand early through articles, awards, and relentless networking. How he scaled from £1.2m to £18m in six years and hit an organic growth ceiling. • The moment he realised his business was worth £20m, not £6m. • Why he sold to private equity instead of trade, taking money off the table to secure his family. • How investing £1m into overhead took him from £18m to £32m in one year. • Why hiring Bill as his first serious hire freed him to focus on sales and ops. • How giving away 20% in sweet equity to 15 senior leaders kept every one of them for 10 years. • Why hiring mums on flexible contracts built loyalty and cut turnover. How he built a movement around social value in facilities management. • Why he spent £25,000 on donuts in 2019, and how small gestures built unbreakable culture. How working with a psychologist for two years prepared him for life after the sale. • Why he put a 1000-day countdown on the wall and promised his wife he'd retire at 37. How he answered 854 due diligence questions in three and a half weeks. • Why he hired an entire hotel on Christmas Day for 75 family members after the sale. • The cost of going all in, and why his wife Heather is the hero of the story. **Apply this:** Spend your 20s learning skills, not chasing money — go work for a fast growth company first. Build your personal brand before you need it: articles, awards, relentless networking. Hire for trust and cultural fit, not just skills, especially for senior roles. Invest in overhead when you hit a ceiling — sometimes a million pounds unlocks the next level. Give away equity to the people who matter; sweet equity creates loyalty and alignment. Work with a psychologist before you exit to prepare for sudden wealth syndrome and identity shift. Set a get-out date — without one, the business takes you hostage. **About Andrew Hulbert** Andrew Hulbert started Pareto FM from his bedroom at 27, scaled it to over £50 million in turnover with 550 staff, and exited for £80 million at 37. He grew up on a council estate in Oxford, became a director at 24, and built a business that won over 50 awards by putting people and social impact at its heart. He's now a business coach, podcaster, and advocate for social value in business. Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewhulbert/ **Scale with Paul Avins** If this episode resonated, Paul's work focuses on helping founders step out of the day to day and scale with structure and confidence. Connect with Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulavins/ Book a call with Paul: https://www.paulavins.com/book-a-call Subscribe to the Scale Up Newsletter: https://www.paulavins.com/newsletter-opt-in **Level Up. Team Up. Scale Up. Fire Up.**