The businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican
village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat
were several large yellow fin tuna. The businessman complimented the Mexican on
the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican
replied only a little while.
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, senor?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions, senor? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"
The businessman then asked why he didn't stay out longer
and catch more fish? The Mexican said he
had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The businessman then asked,
but what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said,
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my
wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play
guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, senor."
The businessman scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could
help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger
boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats;
eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your
catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually
open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and
distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and
move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run
your expanding enterprise."The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, senor?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions, senor? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"
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