A serious question on trading with leverage

28yo here. Been investing for 5 years, but over the last year I’ve taken it much more seriously, mainly swing trading alongside some longer-term holds. What’s frustrating is that around 70% of the stocks I’ve added to my watchlist have gone on to do 100%+ moves. I haven’t been in all of them obviously, but the ones I have traded have done well. My biggest issue has probably been not fully riding my winners.

So far I’ve turned £3k into £10.5k, which I know is solid progress, but seeing people online hit £100k+ portfolios still messes with my head a bit. My ultimate goal is to build a £100k portfolio within the next 5 years. It sounds ambitious, but I genuinely think it’s achievable if I stay disciplined and keep improving.

I’m planning to start adding around £500/month from my salary too. I know that alone won’t massively move the needle at first, but consistency matters.

The thing I’m debating is taking out a £20k loan to invest. I know that sounds reckless to some people, especially considering we’re in a strong AI-driven bull market right now, which is the sector I spend most of my time researching. Part of me feels like meaningful capital is the only way to really accelerate towards that £100k goal.

For context, I’m in the UK and can get a loan around 5% interest with manageable terms. I haven’t agreed to anything yet, just weighing it up carefully.

Has anyone here actually used leverage/a loan successfully to build their portfolio? Or is this the kind of thing that only sounds smart in a bull market?