The new car

Marcus had always been the kind of guy who circled the same dream in his mind, over and over: owning a Ferrari. Growing up in Tobago, that dream seemed almost comical a European supercar roaring down narrow coastal roads where pickups and old Toyotas reigned supreme.

Every Sunday, he scrolled through right hand drive car listings from the UK to Latin America, eyes fixed on that iconic prancing horse. But every time, the same thought shadowed his excitement: “I’ll never be able to afford one. People like me don’t own cars like that.”

For years, he let that mindset limit him. He saw the Ferrari as a symbol of wealth, something reserved for people born into privilege, or those who lived in big cities with highways and luxury car dealerships around every corner. Resources, he believed, were the deciding factor. But deep down, it wasn’t the money holding him back, it was the belief that the dream was out of reach.

One day, a chance conversation with a visiting businessman flipped the switch. The man, a self-made entrepreneur from the same island, had imported a Porsche years before, not by waiting until he was “rich enough,” but by learning the loopholes, negotiating with customs, and setting up a side hustle that paid for it piece by piece.

Inspired, Marcus stopped staring at listings and started studying the system: the import duties, the freight logistics, the licensing rules. He launched a small detailing business on weekends, reinvested every dollar, and built relationships with dealers abroad. Two years later, he wasn’t just importing his dream Ferrari, he was setting up a boutique import service for other dreamers on the island.

The car was never out of reach. His mindset was.