The U.K.’s football fans might be used to the idea of their favorite athletes taking private jets, suiting up in designer clothes, and spraying champagne after big wins. But former footballer-turned-entrepreneur Tom Beahon still pinches his pennies—that is, despite also cofounding the £950 million pound ($1.29 billion) premium sportswear brand Castore.
“I’ve never bought an expensive watch, I don’t spend lots of money on clothes. I don’t fly business class…even to Australia, I flew economy,” Beahon recently told the Financial Times. “The whole concept of spending also just doesn’t make me happy.”
Beahon used to be a professional youth football player, starting off by playing for the Tranmere Rovers in his late teens, then joining Spanish club Jerez Industrial CF. But his athletic career abruptly came to an end in his early 20’s, as he and his brother Philip ditched the sport to work finance jobs in London, aiming to raise capital for their sportswear venture. Tom joined Lloyds Bank while Philip worked at Deloitte—and by 2015, Castore was up and running. But their pockets were incredibly tight.
For the first three years, the cofounders and co-CEOs paid themselves £1,000 ($1,355) a month in order to preserve money for the business. Tom said he moved back in with his parents, while Philip’s soon-to-be wife paid his rent. The ex-footballer noted these were “rough times financially,” but even after his sportswear business neared a £1 billion valuation in 2023, none of his frugal habits changed. In fact, he lives a low-key lifestyle out of concern he’ll hit rock-bottom by overspending—with no safety net to catch him.
