Steve Bolton

In a UK first, Bolton united the private rented sector by forming a Coalition of all of the major organisations who are opposed to new government legislation that restricts landlords’ ability to deduct mortgage finance costs as a business expense. Coalition stakeholders represent more than 100,000 landlords who provide housing to more than 1 million tenants in the UK.

Following what he describes in his book as the ‘best worst experience’ of his life when the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Britain and the economic fallout that followed the 9/11 attacks, meant that the market demand dried up and pushed Ropes Course Developments into liquidation, Bolton had to sell his family home to avoid bankruptcy in early 2002.

Still an entrepreneur at heart, Bolton set about starting his first ‘virtual’ business and Mobile Team Challenge Europe (MTC) was formed. The company became the European distributor for Mobile Team Challenge in America and it imported training equipment from the US and sold it to clients in the UK and Europe. MTC was a business where Bolton employed no staff, needed no office premises, never handled the products and was able to work on a very part-time basis by outsourcing most of the work. The business generated a consistent six figure annual net profit for several years in succession before being sold to an investor.

The business supports it Franchise Partners in sourcing and buying products wholesale from places like China and the US and then marketing and selling them through retail ecommerce platforms like Amazon, Shopify and others. It also helps existing retail business owners pivot and turn their ‘bricks and mortar’ business, into a ‘bricks and clicks’ business.

His primary keynote talk is ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’ which promotes the core concept Bolton believes in passionately - ‘everyone should have a mentor’.

PPP is a franchise business that has helped over 250 Franchise Partners (as of January 2017) to source, own, develop and manage more than 800 buy to let properties) with a combined value of £250 million and an annual rent roll in excess of £36 million per annum. This portfolio provides homes for over 5,000 tenants in over 100 towns, cities and London boroughs in England.

In 2017, Bolton and media entrepreneur Natasha Courtenay-Smith launched the digital marketing agency Bolt Digital.

In 2016 Bolton and his partners expanded the tried, tested and proven Platinum franchising brand and system diversified into ecommerce and became the co-Founder of Platinum Business Partners (known as PBP), which helps its clients set up their own successful ecommerce businesses. The organisation currently has over 80 Franchise Partners selling more than 300 product lines to 100,000 individual online customers globally.

Always keen to lead by example, Bolton also formed an ecommerce business in 2016 with two partners and this provides a growing range of dog supplements under the Buddy & Lola brand.

In 2016 Bolton co-founded and continues to lead a grassroots not-for-profit campaign called Axe the Tenant Tax.

Their Judicial Review was thwarted at the High Court on 6 October 2016. Bolton and Cooper have since focussed their campaign efforts on lobbying the UK government and working with MPs and Tenant Tax coalition members to get the government to do a U-turn.

Bolton and fellow landlord Chris Cooper were co-claimants in a Judicial Review against the UK government in relation to the legality of Section 24 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2015. Their legal team was led by Cherie Blair CBE QC and their legal challenge campaign broke two legal crowdfunding records in 2016 by raising over £200,000 within the fastest recorded timeframe.

Bolton's book, Successful Property Investing, was an Amazon bestseller and has been updated three times since first publication in 2008.

Bolton founded and launched Platinum Property Partners on 1 July 2007, with the goal of enabling its Franchise Partners to quickly, safely and successfully build profitable residential property portfolios in the UK, and to create more new and affordable rental homes for key workers and working professionals.

During his involvement with Peace One Day from 2007 to 2015, Bolton created and led the Patrons programme where he helped to ensure that the organisation was on a sound financial footing. He also led a project to acquire, fund, purchase and convert offices premises in Richmond, Surrey, which continue to be the headquarters for Peace One Day.

Bolton and his Platinum businesses have also provided funding to the King's Kid Orphanage in Mitiana, Uganda since 2007. This funding and investment has resulted in the purchase and construction of housing, classrooms, a deep water well, farming land as well as food, teachers’ salaries, secure accommodation for the orphanage director, medical procedures and further education funding for orphanage. The orphanage is home to 300 children and is self-sustaining.

Between 2004 and 2007, Bolton purchased £6 million of residential property and converted most of them into high quality Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs), producing average annual returns of 15% and providing affordable shared homes to 80 tenants.

Steve Bolton lives in Bournemouth with his wife, four children and two dogs. He takes three months holiday every year with his family and has done since 2004. His personal interests include parenting, world-travel, boating, sport and spear fishing, free-diving, health and juicing, running and he is a keen AFC Bournemouth season ticket holder. Bolton is also an avid reader and learner with a personal library of books, audio programmes and DVD's valued in excess of £100,000.

Bolton decided to exit all business interests related to ropes courses in early 2002.

Alongside running MTC, Bolton invested significant time and money to learn how to build a robust income stream for himself and his family through investing in property. Two years of very intensive research, learning and development between 2002 and 2004 took him all over the world and he was mentored and taught by the best investors that he could find.

In the early 2000s, Bolton and his partners set up the outdoor activity facilities and businesses, Aerial Extreme and Head 4 Heights.

Bolton decided in 1994 that he wanted to ‘be his own boss’ and he joined the recently established Ropes Course Developments (RCD) as a shareholder and Director.

Bolton worked as an outdoor pursuits instructor at the Joseph Allnatt chain of activity centres on the south coast of England where he was quickly promoted to hold the position of head of activities, with 25 staff reporting to him at the age of 19. He was then headhunted in 1992 to help set up and establish Brenscombe Outdoor Pursuits as the most senior member of staff.

Steve Bolton (born 18 December 1967) is a leading British entrepreneur, property investor, author and philanthropist. He is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the franchised businesses Platinum Property Partners and Platinum Business Partners.