An American businessman, on vacation in a small Mexican coastal village, observed a fisherman returning from the sea with a small boat filled with large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
“Only a couple of hours,” the fisherman replied.
“Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the businessman asked.
The fisherman smiled and said, “I have enough to support my family’s needs.“
“But what do you do with the rest of your time?” the businessman inquired.
The fisherman responded, “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.“
The businessman answered, “I could help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the profits from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually, you’d have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You could move to the city, where you could oversee your expanding enterprise.“
The fisherman asked, “But how long will this take?“
The businessman replied, “15–20 years.“
“But what then?” asked the fisherman.
The businessman laughed and said, “That’s the best part! When the time is right, you would announce an IPO, sell your company stock to the public, and make millions!“
“Millions? Then what?“
The businessman said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas 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?”
