NFA Finance

It wasn’t real estate, stocks, or a business.

The Best Investment I Ever Made Was My Network

People ask me all the time what the best investment I’ve ever made was.

Real estate?

Cars?

Businesses?

Stocks?

Honestly, it wasn’t any of those.

It was coffee.

Years ago, when I first moved to Florida, I didn’t know many people.

I remember making a decision.

I’m going to get up every morning, go to Starbucks, and meet people.

There was only one problem.

I didn’t even drink coffee.

At 36 years old, I wasn’t a coffee guy.

In fact, I used to joke that Starbucks was too expensive.

Back then everybody called it “Five Bucks.”

Today I call it “Tiny Bucks.”

It’s a joke between me and my friends because looking back, I completely missed the point.

The coffee was never what I was buying.

I was buying access to conversations.

I started showing up every morning.

Not once.

Not twice.

Every day.

Eventually I met one person.

Then another.

Then another.

Business owners.

Entrepreneurs.

CEOs.

Guys who had built companies.

Guys who had sold companies.

Guys who had made mistakes.

Guys who had won.

Guys who had lost.

Over time, those morning coffee conversations turned into friendships.

Real friendships.

The kind where you can pick up the phone years later and ask for advice.

The kind where people genuinely want to see each other win.

And that’s when I realized something.

People will spend thousands of dollars to attend a seminar.

Thousands more to join a mastermind.

Some people spend fortunes trying to get five minutes with successful people.

Meanwhile, I was sitting at a coffee table having conversations with incredible people almost every morning.

Looking back, I couldn’t tell you how much money I’ve spent on coffee over the years.

And honestly, I don’t care.

Because the return on that investment has been immeasurable.

Business opportunities.

Friendships.

Advice.

Perspective.

Encouragement.

Lessons.

The occasional kick in the ass when I needed it.

All because I decided to show up.

That’s the lesson.

The best investment isn’t always the one with the highest percentage return.

Sometimes the best investment is putting yourself in a room where better conversations can happen.

The coffee wasn’t the investment.

The people were.

And if I had to do it all over again?

I’d buy the coffee.

Every single time.

— Nick Francis