JJ Thompson has a very varied CV. He came ninth on The X Factor in 2013 as part of a boy band, spent years as a radio presenter before launching a podcast production company during Covid, which ultimately failed.
Then, in June 2024, he walked away from a job offer at one of the UAE's biggest radio networks to start from scratch in real estate with no salary.
More than two years later, he's earning an average of Dh130,000 a month at Dubai-based property brokerage Strada.
How did money feature in your childhood?
I think I have some financial trauma. My dad was a business owner and we seemed to have a little bit and then very little.
I've always had a bit of an issue with finances. I don't know if it's through ADHD or childhood, but I'm good at spending money.
I'm learning to get a hold of money and get rid of it as quickly as possible – forcing myself to buy property, which is weird to say, because either I’ll spend the money or I'll invest in property to make sure it doesn't get spent.
What was your first job? What did you earn?
A waiter when I was 16 years old, £4.50 an hour. I moved to London from Coventry when I was 19 and had random bar jobs for those three years. I worked for my dad doing roofing but he fired me after a couple of months.
When I moved to London, I worked in Harrods, spraying perfume on the ground floor. That's where I met my now-wife.
Then I worked in a call centre selling Grazia and Heat magazines for about £6 an hour. Then I got into a boy band, and I did The X Factor. We came ninth in 2013 when I was 22.
How did you end up in Dubai?
After the band, I did radio in the UK, for Capital Radio, then I moved over to the UAE in 2016 to do it full time for Channel 4. I did the evening show, then the breakfast show.
During Covid, there weren't many people advertising, so we didn't get paid. I went down from around Dh18,000 a month to about Dh2,500. I started a podcast company to try to bridge that gap. We got an investor but it failed dramatically – I had to sell my car to pay staff.
I gave the business to the investor and said: “I'm going to go into real estate.” It was called a midlife crisis by a few people, which added fuel in the fire. It's gone well. I'm very happy I took the leap and took the risk.
What do you earn now?
It's month to month, but it's around Dh130,000 a month. My max in radio was Dh19,000.
When [the money] came – and it happened so quickly – it was a bit of a Will Smith Pursuit of Happyness moment. I wasn't mentally ready because I was so used to having very little, but always wanting more, always knowing one day I'd get it somehow because I'm very financially ambitious.
We had a baby, and I'd turned down a stable job for something where I didn't know if I would earn anything for six months. But I landed my first deal within six days and that got me about Dh150,000. I burst into tears looking at my child. I thought: “We're on to something here and all the risk paid off.”
How do you grow your wealth?
Mainly real estate. I've invested in two off-plan properties in Abu Dhabi with a client. We've got a property in the UK and we're looking to expand that to three as an Airbnb business in Scotland with my wife.
I prefer off-plan investments. I look for higher-risk investments for higher reward rather than safe rental income from a ready property that will net me six per cent.
What has been your best investment?
They haven't come into fruition yet because they're off-plan, but I would like to think my investment in Hudayriyat Golf Estates in Hudayriyat Island, Abu Dhabi, will probably yield the best return by 2030.
Any cherished purchases?
I bought a nicer car and then I bought a Rolex, which was always a bit of a goal of mine.
What luxuries are important to you?
Travel and holidays – that's the most important thing for me, and the most expensive. I've been away once a month this year. My favourite thing is to go away with the family.
What financial advice would you give your younger self?
I was right in always thinking it's going to be all right. Keep working, keep being ambitious, keep allowing people to laugh at your goals because they're bigger than theirs. Keep going, it will all be all right.
