BIO: Fabrizio has always wanted to fly jets and has had a career flying both private jets and for various airlines worldwide. He has shared the cockpit with pilots from over 65 nationalities, giving him a broader perspective on people and life.

STORY: Fabrizio invested in a luxury car business in Italy but chose the wrong person to run the show, and because of this, he lost all his money and a very good friend.

LEARNING: Do not mix business with friendship. Hire the right people.

“Business decisions need to be made to make money. If that money helps people as well, great. But trying to mix charity with business is a very bad idea.”

Fabrizio Poli

Guest profile

Fabrizio Poli has always wanted to fly jets and has had a career flying both private jets and for various airlines worldwide. He has shared the cockpit with pilots from over 65 nationalities, giving him a broader perspective on people and life. For the last 14 years, Fabrizio has been buying, selling, leasing, and chartering private jets for the ultra-wealthy.

Fabrizio is the author of “The Quantum Economy” and other books. He often shares his aviation expertise in the media and is featured in the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Social Media Examiner, and Chicago Tribune.

Worst investment ever

Being in the private jet business, Fabrizio decided to venture into the car business a few years ago. He figured people who buy private jets also collect cars. Fabrizio teamed up with a friend of his in Italy. The idea was to buy Vespers, Alfa Romeos, and Ferraris in Italy and sell them internationally. They bought a bunch of cars and opened a showroom in Italy on the road where the first Ferrari was driven. However, Fabrizio was in England at the time. He assumed that his friend was doing things properly.

Since the showroom was on a popular road with all these flashy cars parked outside, many people were walking into the showroom, unfortunately not to buy but to look at them.

Fabrizio sent over a web designer to help tweak the website and suggested that his partner let people into the showroom by appointment only. This way, he’d avoid spending 90% of his day talking to people who are not there to buy a car. The friend did not heed his advice, and eventually, the business went under.

Fabrizio had invested in the right business but in the wrong person, and because of this, he lost all his money and a very good friend.

Lessons learned

• Hire the right people and create a supportive environment for them.
• Separate business decisions from personal emotions and make independent evaluations.
• The product and the process can be great, but if you pick the wrong people to run it, they’ll screw the whole thing up.

Andrew’s takeaways

• Find an independent, objective, knowledgeable third party to help pick a business partner.
• Separate the business idea from the person in charge of bringing it to life.

Actionable advice

If you are going to invest with your friend, you are emotionally engaged, and that’s dangerous. Bring somebody else to play the bad guy, someone who can make tough decisions and keep emotions in check if you cannot take the emotion out.

Fabrizio’s recommendations

Fabrizio recommends reading a lot—both fiction and nonfiction—to open up new possibilities and perspectives. He also recommends listening to other business leaders to learn from their experiences. This practice can inspire and inform your business decisions.

No.1 goal for the next 12 months

Fabrizio’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to start and launch a new business by September. He is also planning on publishing another book this year.

Parting words

“Fly high. Think high.”

Fabrizio Poli

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• How to Start Building Your Wealth Investing in the Stock Market
• My Worst Investment Ever
• 9 Valuation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
• Transform Your Business with Dr.Deming’s 14 Points

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