NFA Finance

If you had to get a tattoo right now, what would it be and why?

I’ve never been much of a tattoo guy.

That’s actually kind of funny when you think about it.

I’ve bought cars on impulse. Started businesses without knowing exactly where they were going. Moved across the country. Taken risks that probably looked completely insane to other people. Reinvented myself more than once.

But permanently putting something on my body?

Somehow, I’ve never pulled the trigger.

So when today’s blog prompt asked:

“If you had to get a tattoo right now, what would it be and why?”

I didn’t have to think very long.

NFA.

Three letters.

That’s it.

But those three letters represent a hell of a lot more to me than a company name or a logo.

They represent a huge piece of my life.

They represent the car business. The deals. The wins. The losses. The money made and the money lost. The people I’ve met. The mistakes I’ve made. The lessons I had to learn the hard way.

They represent entrepreneurship.

Betting on yourself when nobody else can see what you see.

Building something from nothing.

Getting knocked down and deciding you’re going to build again anyway.

NFA has followed me through different chapters of my life, and the meaning has almost gotten bigger with time.

Because at 47, I look at things differently than I did at 27.

Back then, success was probably more about proving something.

Make the money.

Buy the car.

Build the business.

Win the deal.

Today?

I still want to win. Probably more than ever.

But now I understand that the real game is longevity.

It’s about building something that lasts.

It’s about creating something my daughter can look at someday and understand what her dad spent his life trying to build.

It’s about refusing to become comfortable.

Refusing to quit.

Refusing to believe that your best years have to be behind you just because you’ve accumulated some mileage.

Maybe that’s what those three letters would really mean if I tattooed them on myself.

Not nostalgia.

Not a company.

A reminder.

A reminder of where I’ve been.

A reminder of who I am.

And maybe most importantly, a reminder that I’m still building.

There are businesses I haven’t built yet.

Cars I haven’t bought yet.

Roads I haven’t driven yet.

Videos I haven’t made yet.

Deals I haven’t done yet.

Places I haven’t seen yet.

There is still a hell of a lot of life left to live.

So if somebody dragged me into a tattoo shop today and told me I couldn’t leave until I picked something?

Keep it simple.

Three letters.

NFA.

Because some things aren’t just brands.

Sometimes they become part of your story.

— Nicholas Francis
NFA
Still building.