From earning $12 an hour to more than $4 million-a-year: how David Warner is making the most of his business acumen
You will be good at nothing when you grow up.
This is what a teacher told David Warner while handling his high school report card where he was ranked 34 among 44 students.
Twelve years later, the 29-year-old cricketer is on his way to be one of the most successful batsmen of Australia today. He says,
I practiced what I knew best and that was Cricket.
But the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain is more than a cricket maestro.
Warner is the first Australian cricketer in 132 years to be selected for a national team in any format without experience in first-class cricket. Apart from his cricketing excellence, the Australian media has also praised Warner for his wealth management skills in the last one year.
He has also been in the news whether it was buying the Lamborghini Huracan for $450,000 or splashing $6.25 million for a house which was later sold for more than $7 million.
Recently, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli in a press conference spoke about the similarities between him and David. Twenty-seven-year-old Kohli, who was ranked #3 in the list of 50 most marketable athletes in the world, said,
As a leader, you try to execute things what you ask your team-mates for, first on the pitch. Even on the field if you want someone to give 120% efforts, we want to give that to every ball when we field.
Kohli’s 919 runs in the ninth edition of Indian Premier League might have overshadowed Warner’s 779 runs averaging at almost 60. But the eight fifties in 16 matches so far by Warner, shows that he can give Kohli a run for his money in terms of consistency.
Also read: Run machine Virat Kohli is scoring big time on the business field, one venture at a time
Warner – the investor
Warner is on a $2 million-a-year contract with Cricket Australia, but he makes majority of his bucks elsewhere. His contract with SRH fetched him $1.1 million for the two-month-long tournament. An article published in The Daily Mail about Warner puts things in the right perspective,
What many don’t realise is that Warner has countless projects off the pitch after setting up lucrative endorsements and savvy investments, including three properties, six race horses, a vodka line and a book range for children -- and he isn't showing any signs of slowing.
The newspaper went on to say that he is set to become Australia’s richest ever cricketer and is on track to have an empire worth more than $50 million before he is 40.
We tracked a few of Warner’s investments which are also the secret to his wealth managements.
- 666 Pure Vodka: In October 2015, Warner invested capital to become a “significant shareholder” in Australian brand 666 Pure Tasmanian Vodka. He said,
As an active investor I can see a lot of potential in Australia’s growing artisan spirits sector.
Earlier in May 2016, the liquor brand was launched in India.
2. The Kaboom Kid series: Warner has authored a series of books for kids based on his childhood adventures. The first book of the series was published in December 2014 and so far six books have been published with two more on their way.
3. Kaboom bat: There is also a Kaboom-trademarked Gray-Nicolls bat for which Warner received a royalty (on every Gray-Nicolls Kaboom bat sold) and a retainer from the company as an ambassador. Junior bats and sets are big sellers for him.
4. The real estate Moghul in the making: Warner believes that one can’t go wrong on bricks and mortar. Probably that’s why he’s on a real estate buying spree. His first property purchase was a two-bedroom apartment in a block of four in Maroubra for $562,000 in 2009, which he sold in 2014 for $650,000. He owns two apartments in Matraville, the first bought in 2010 for $695,000 and another in the same Bunnerong Road complex in 2013 for $685,000. In 2014, he purchased a prime property for $6.25 million, only to sell it off early this year for more than $7 million. And just before selling it off, he bought another one by the ocean in Maroubra for just shy of $4 million. He mentioned in an interview,
The hard thing about life is that sometimes you’ve got to gain on someone else’s loss.
5. Race horses: Warner owns six race horses which roots from his genuine interest in sports. One can find him posting regular updates about the same.
According to a report by Daily Telegraph, Warner has trademarked his Kaboom brand for toys, clothing, sporting goods, and food products, such as energy bars and protein shakes. He also earns from his association with brands, including Asics, LG, and the Nine Network, as well as Cricket Australia sponsors CBA, VB, KFC, and Optus. Warner leverages his 1.2 million twitter followers along with his presence across other social media channels to make his reach wider and more appealing.
A corrected man
But Warner wasn’t always like that. He spoke about his gambling habits in an interview. He mentioned that eventually, counselling helped him change his mindset from spending to saving.
In his childhood, he once earned $12 an hour and today, David Warner is the exemplar of rags-to-riches success, emerging from a housing commission estate to become the Australian cricket's sensation.
If it’s Kohli for India, Warner can certainly be the man of the moment for Australia and given his current form and dedication towards the game, he can become one of the greatest the game has ever seen.
