To recognise these people and support the amazing work they do, we are thrilled to announce the LOWE Works Innovator Programme. Our Innovators are passionate members who are driven in their work or individual projects, and our aim within the Programme is to support local businesses, provide space and infrastructure, and connect them with resources.
With that, we are excited to introduce Ross and Andrew, co-founders of MILHUB and our inaugural members of the LOWE Works Innovator Programme.
MILHUB is an inventive start-up which looks to challenge the ongoing issues within the housing market, whilst benefitting the modern-day tenant. Their main objective is to improve the process and experience of renting a home, in a way which brings about change as well as benefitting both the landlord and tenant.
Acting as an intermediary between the landlord and tenant, MILHUB will look to rent HMO properties directly from the landlord, and then sub-let each room individually for an all-inclusive cost, as well as including benefits such as a Netflix account, weekly cleaner and discounts to local businesses. Their aim is to create a community, carefully screening prospective tenants, primarily creatives and young professionals, who they think will be compatible and live well together.
Both 28 from Hackney, Ross and Andrew grew up together and are childhood friends. Growing up, they had a real lack of support, resources and networking opportunities, so they put in every effort and opportunity to learn, grow and evolve their ideas. In 2015 they attended a seminar on the property industry, which blew them away. They began their trajectory in this sector, carving out their own pathway which eventually lead them to the launch of their company, MILHUB, in 2017.
Unfortunately, in 2018, whilst MILHUB was still in its infancy, Ross was side-tracked into a life of crime and started selling drugs. He admits that he let his environment and personal circumstances get the better of him and saw it as an easy way out. He fell in with the wrong group of people and after just 6-months was arrested and subsequently sent to prison on a 28-month sentence.
Ross says his experience was eye-opening, “The experience gave me a lot of time to think about my actions and develop a new perspective. I made a commitment to myself to learn as much as I could and make the best out of a bad situation, so I set myself a goal of reading a book a week until my release. I ended up reading 58 books in total.” Ross was released after only 10-months due to good behaviour and says, “Spending almost a year of my life in prison was a wakeup call, but looking back at that time in my life, I think of it as a steppingstone to where I’ve got today.”
Whilst in prison Ross was connected with the charity, Caring for Ex-Offenders, which joins ex-offenders coming out of prison with a local church community in order to support them reintegrate back into society, and it was through this charity that Ross met Tim in 2019.
Through the Innovator Programme, Ross and Andrew gain networking connections, business advice and mentoring on topics such as accounting, budgeting, and how to modify their strategy to adjust to changes within the industry, most notably the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Andrew says, “Sometimes we don’t take the advice, but the guidance and support opens up our business to new ideas, different angles and new ways of thinking, which is invaluable as we continue to grow.” Ross adds, “The mentoring has given us a platform to evolve our business and build it up from nothing to where it is today. We’re grateful for the guidance, and so proud of what we’ve achieved over the past four years.”
The Innovator Programme will provide members with access to three-months desk space in London, at no-cost, and subsidised desk space thereafter, monthly mentoring sessions, financial planning and business advice, using all of LOWE’s available support channels to help pursue their passions.
For more information on LOWE Works or the Innovator Programme, contact us today.