I recently went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed with my son, who is a petrolhead (no idea where he gets it from 🤷♂️). As well as cars racing up the track and all the different car stands and garages, there’s the carparks. My son loved these, taking photos of all the supercars. He wasn’t the only one, the car parks were jammed with other car enthusiasts taking photos and my son complained of not being able to get good photos.
On our way over to the supercar paddock, he spotted a Rolls Royce driving down a side road and decided to take a wander to check it out. To his delight, he found another car park, full of supercars but with no one around!! He was in his element and could take as many photos as he wanted without people getting in it way.
As it was late Saturday afternoon, people were beginning to leave. A man was getting ready to drive off in his Ferrari (worth about €650,000 according to my son), so I went over to him and asked him what he did to be in a position to afford a Ferrari? Utilities was his reply. He said “do you know those BT boxes on the side of the road, when you see someone working on them, it’s most likely my company.”
In today’s world of social media, people are easily influenced by what they see online. However, the most exciting jobs are the riskiest. They are hard to succeed in and the quickest to fall apart. It is the boring, unsexy jobs (like fixing phone stations on the side of the road!), that can create real long lasting value.
If you are looking to build wealth, you have to build your income. Find something you are good at and work really hard at it. If you can, go out on your own, so you are the beneficiary of the profits that your employees will make for you. But be prepared to put in the hours too. In all my years talking to clients about their money, I have never met a high earner who didn’t put in the hours.
(watch with the sound on so you can get an idea as to how loud these cars are)
Steven Barrett
21 July 2025