From The X Factor to Real Estate Success: How JJ Thompson Built a Dh130,000 Monthly Income in Dubai

JJ Thompson has a diverse career history, starting from his ninth-place finish on The X Factor in 2013 as part of a boy band. After spending years as a radio presenter, he launched a podcast production company during Covid, which ultimately failed and forced him to sell his car to pay his staff.

In June 2024, Thompson walked away from a job offer at one of the UAE's biggest radio networks to start fresh in real estate with no salary at Dubai-based property brokerage Strada. More than two years later, he now earns an average of Dh130,000 a month.

Reflecting on his childhood, Thompson admits to having some financial trauma due to his businessman father's fluctuating fortunes. He notes that he tends to spend money quickly or force himself to invest in property to prevent spending it.

His early work history includes being a waiter at age 16, working random bar jobs after moving to London from Coventry at age 19, spraying perfume on the ground floor at Harrods—where he met his now-wife—and working in a call centre selling Grazia and Heat magazines.

After his time in the boy band, Thompson worked in radio in the UK for Capital Radio before moving to the UAE in 2016 to work full-time for Channel 4, hosting both the evening and breakfast shows.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, advertising dropped and his income fell significantly. To bridge the gap, he started a podcast company that ultimately failed, leading to the sale of his car. Handing the business over to an investor, he decided to transition into real estate despite some labeling it a midlife crisis.

The risk paid off when he landed his first deal within six days, earning about Dh150,000. Today, his monthly earnings reach around Dh130,000, vastly outperforming his maximum radio earnings of Dh19,000.

Thompson primarily grows his wealth through real estate. He has invested in off-plan properties in Abu Dhabi, including Hudayriyat Golf Estates in Hudayriyat Island, and owns a property in the UK with plans to expand into an Airbnb business in Scotland with his wife.

Reflecting on his journey, his financial advice to his younger self is to keep working, maintain ambition, and trust that everything will work out.