Meet Multi-Millionaire Richard Dickson: From Deprived Council Estate To One Of Scotland’s Biggest Entrepreneurial Successes
Omar Malik
19/03/24
(Image Credit: Richard Dickson/Calacus)
Forget the American Dream; Richard Dickson encapsulates the Scottish Dream - whereby a young person from one of the country’s most deprived estates can turn their life around to establish a successful entrepreneurial empire.
But Richard’s journey certainly wasn’t a straightforward path to attaining affluence and esteem.
(Video Credit: Omar Malik)
Humble Beginnings
The 27-year-old entrepreneur was raised in South Glasgow, an area which has significantly higher levels of deprivation compared with the Scottish average.
When daunting issues such as drug crises, poverty and gang issues permeate your surroundings growing up, the prospect of transforming your situation for the better can feel non-existent. But Richard defied these setbacks, utilising his innovative drive to push his successful vision forward.
(Image Credit: Richard Dickson/Calacus)
Richard told Blether that these humble beginnings “gave me a drive and an edge to succeed in business. My main advice would be to find your path and to remain determined.”
Despite getting by as an electrician’s apprentice and a budding junior MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter, Richard had greater ambitions for his career.
(Credit: Richard Dickson/Calacus)
A Determined Entrepreneur
The young entrepreneur subsequently researched the business trends of Britain’s prominent millionaires via the Sunday Times Rich List - surmising that property was the most lucrative business endeavour.
Realising how social media could expand engagement and followers, Richard decided against the academic route: “I did my Highers and was starting to consider my options for university, but I came to realise that wasn’t the only path. The advance of the internet and social media has unlocked so many more opportunities.”
While finding grounding as an entrepreneur by dedicating his efforts and investments into online trading markets, everything only started coming to fruition for Richard following an encounter and subsequent friendship with property educator Paul McFadden.
(Image Credit: Richard Dickson/Calacus)
Richard explains that his successful partnership with McFadden arose thanks to an inspiring podcast: “I started to listen to a podcast by an American called Grant Cardone. He was coming to speak at an event in Glasgow, so I bought myself the cheapest ticket, and it was there that I met Paul McFadden who was running the event.”
“Through hard work and dedication, I was able to build up a network and form strong relationships to help my business grow”, Richard added.
When Dreams Become Reality
Upon gaining significant insight into how lucrative property investment can be, Richard decided to take the plunge and focus his efforts predominantly on that industry.
Richard’s role transformed from budding businessman to that of an established broker - in which he would source locations and deal with prospective homeowners, as well as those who wanted to refurbish their property.
(Image Credit: Richard Dickson/Calacus)
The business venture propelled Richard’s brand, with the broker eventually selling over £10 million in property.
By founding an ever-growing business based primarily on determination, without affluence and prior experience, Richard became a spokesperson for ambitious young people from similar backgrounds.
Mentoring Promising Businesspeople
The overwhelming success of the business encouraged the ambitious entrepreneur to set up his passion project, the Young Entrepreneur Society, back in 2021.
The project seeks to inform young people across Britain - and possibly globally in the near future - how they can establish and sustain their own businesses.
Sharing his entrepreneurial knowledge with Gen Z is fundamental to the project, Richard explained: “It doesn’t matter what you buy, what you achieve, how well you do - there is always another level to aspire to and that’s what gets me going, improving myself and helping others to push themselves to higher levels than they might have thought possible.”
Continuing his multifaceted business approach, Richard's Growth Getters venture may be his most Gen Z-focused pursuit yet.
(Image Credit: Richard Dickson/Calacus)
Growth Getters sees Richard advise young entrepreneurs how to expand their start-ups in a more mentor-based approach - with social media being heavily utilised to reach a younger demographic of promising businesspeople.
The venture has certainly made a profound impact, with Richard telling us that it's Britain's top social media mentoring programme!
On the programme's success, Richard said: “We guide businesses to become digital money makers; unlocking the income potential of their online audience.”
With such a vast range of successful and lasting endeavours, it is evident that those who partake in Richard's entrepreneur-supporting ventures have witnessed a boost to their prospective businesses.
An Alluring Car Collection
(Image Credit: Richard Dickson/Calacus)
Richard is perhaps most recognisable in public because of his flashy assortment of expensive vehicles. Many consider the entrepreneur driving around in such extravagant, instantly noticeable cars to be for mere bragging purposes.
But Richard finds that his impressive car display encourages other youngsters to set their sights on entrepreneurial success: “My gold cars have always been marketing tools. People notice me when I’m driving around Glasgow, even now. It’s social proof that what I am doing works and that I can coach people to get the results.”
Richard’s Advice For Budding Entrepreneurs
(Image Credit: Richard Dickson/Calacus)
But how should young entrepreneurs focus their initial finances to kickstart their website’s growth?
“Funding support is key. Everyone should be spending money on online paid traffic: Facebook, Instagram, Search Engine Optimisation, whatever it is. To grow your business, you need to build your audience by investing in digital marketing”, says Richard.
Click here to find out more about becoming a member of Richard’s entrepreneur-boosting Growth Getters programme.