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:   / 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:   / paulavins   Book a call with Paul: https://www.paulavins.com/book-a-call Subscribe to the Scale Up Newsletter: https://www.paulavins.com/newsletter-... Level Up. Team Up. Scale Up. Fire Up.