Cars as Capital Thermometer

"A pattern had emerged. I used my vehicles to fund myself in business and then, when business was going well, they were able to fund me into ever-better cars. The cycle had its perks: I got to get myself into newer, faster, more iconic, more interesting cars with each passing year. But it also meant I often had to say goodbye to dream machines. Donna wasn’t having a bar of it. ‘You can’t sell the car,’ she replied. ‘People will think we are failing.’"

"The move from a stunning piece of engineering to a more basic engine was a humbling move, and not a great look when you’re trying to paint yourself as successful in business. But that’s what you do. You need capital, so you sell an asset to free up cash that you then invest back into the business. However, from the outside, in that moment, it looks like something is wrong or not going to plan. Like you haven’t done the research or prepared well enough in advance. Anyone who’s been in business knows that it’s not always that easy. You take diversions. Sometimes you take the wrong off-ramp. There are long, clear stretches where you can see just how fast you can take it. And then you come around a corner and the road’s backed up and all you can do is crash or slam on the brakes and crawl. In that moment, I was thinking about selling the Porsche. But Donna’s remark was the kick up the pants that I needed to start winning. Until that point, I’d been trying to model myself on Eric, with his insistence on working on the business, as opposed to in it. When I’d worked with Eric, I was largely his right-hand. He had had most of the ideas and moved the big chess pieces, while I was the implementer. Now, at Netco, we’d installed a telesales team to do the bulk of the work selling, and I saw my role as that of investor. I’d been content with owning most of the pie while appointing others to work in the business and execute on our plans. Donna had swiftly sorted that illusion out. Her pep talk wasn’t just the threat of being seen as a loser by our wider network. She explained that I had to work in the business – to roll up my sleeves and apply all that experience. So, I did. I went in more regularly. I got stuck in working and learning alongside my business partner."

"It was the start of my long and lasting love affair with Ferrari. There is simply so much passion built into these cars. They look good, they sound good, and they feel exceptionally good to drive. To me, nothing else compares to them. You can think all supercars are much the same, but having driven many other brands, they’re not. In those days, Ferrari had a reputation as an exotic car, definitely not a reliable daily driver. They were – and still are – something very special on the road. Yet this was my one and only car for a couple of years, and I drove it every day without any problems. Well, no major ones."

"Despite saying he’d give me a good deal on it, what Colin put forward originally was nothing special, in my opinion. I told him so. It took me walking away from the deal for him to sharpen his offer. (Lesson: Never underestimate the power of saying no.) We eventually got it done, though, and the subtle yet sexy green Porsche was mine. Business had, once again, been the enabler of cars."