James Rogers: From Rock Bottom to Building Property & Poppadoms
Sometimes the best things in life come from the most difficult times. My latest guest on the Freedom- Driven Founder Podcast is James Rogers, founder of Property & Poppadoms, one of the UK's biggest property networking communities. And what a journey he's had! From leaving school at 14 and working as a painter and decorator, to becoming a plumber, property investor, broker and eventually building a hugely successful networking business. But this conversation goes much deeper than property. James shares some incredibly difficult personal experiences, including family mental health challenges, divorce and the financial and emotional impact of starting again. In November 2022, he launched the first Property & Poppadoms event, partly as a way of getting himself out of the house and moving forward. What started as something to help him through a difficult period has grown into an incredible community. We also chat about property flips, HMOs, the changing property market, networking, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people and what's next for Property & Poppadoms. Including the Poppadom Academy and Business & Baltis! One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this conversation was James's openness about the messy bits of life and business. Because building a freedom-driven business isn't about everything going perfectly. It's about creating choices, finding your way through the difficult times and building something meaningful along the way. A cracking conversation, and well worth a listen. 🎙️ Paul Lanfear's Freedom-Driven Founder Podcast Helping entrepreneurs build businesses that support the lives they want to live. Chapters: Introduction – Meet James Rogers Leaving school at 14 and starting in the trades From plumbing to property investing Flipping properties and making money in a rising market HMOs, BRR and building a property portfolio What makes a successful HMO? Why property investing is harder today Family challenges, divorce and starting again The story behind Property & Poppadoms Building a successful networking community Poppadom Academy and coaching Business & Baltis – What's next? Choosing the right people in business and life Finding opportunity in difficult times Final reflections on life, business and freedom Links: https://www.instagram.com/property_and_poppadoms/ https://propertyandpoppadoms.co.uk/ And please join me at the FREE Strategy Session: https://www.paullanfear.com/events/paul-lanfears-breakfast-strategy-sessions A Freedom Lifestyle Business Breakfast FREE Strategy Session over Zoom. Stop being busy. Start being free. Let's build your One-Page Freedom Plan, live. If you're a property investor or business owner chasing financial freedom, you already know the feeling: full days, moving deals, real effort — and somehow often no closer to the number or the life you're actually building toward. Goals scattered across notebooks, spreadsheets, and your head. Strategy that changes every few months because nothing's had time to compound. That's what this session is for. This is a live Strategy Session, not a lecture. We'll work through the same process I use on One on One calls with clients — pinpointing exactly what's keeping you stuck in the "busy but not free" loop, whether that's your numbers, your priorities, or your execution — and turn it into the start of your own One-Page Freedom Plan: the assets, income targets, strategy and milestones that let you follow one clear path instead of twenty half-started ideas. It's a practical working session on the plan that actually gets you free — property and/or business, whichever you're building. By the end, you'll leave with the first draft of your own One-Page Freedom Plan, and total clarity on the one or two moves that actually matter next. https://www.paullanfear.com/events/paul-lanfears-breakfast-strategy-sessions If you want to stop spinning your wheels and actually build a Freedom Lifestyle Business — health, wealth and happiness, without the stress of a huge portfolio — this is where you start. Please connect with me on social media: Facebook, Insta, Twitter and Linked In. https://www.paullanfear.com/ https://www.facebook.com/paul.lanfear.3 https://www.linkedin.com/in/paullanfear/ https://www.instagram.com/paul_lanfear/ https://x.com/Paul_Lanfear #FreedomDrivenFounder #PropertyAndPoppadoms #PropertyInvesting #Entrepreneurship #FindingFlow









