Parable. Businessman and fisherman

Once a businessman standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village watched a fisherman in a small boat catching a quite big tuna. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long did it take to catch such fish.

“Oh, a few hours,” the fisherman replied.

“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” - The businessman then asked.

“This is enough for my family to survive tomorrow’s day,” the fisherman said.

The businessman then became serious, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman answered, “I sleep late, then go fishing for a couple of hours, play with my children, and take siesta with my wife. In the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, drink vine, and play the guitar. You see, I am enjoying the life.”

The businessman said, “Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help, you are doing everything wrong. You should fish longer every day and then you can buy a bigger boat”.

“And what’s then?” – asked a fisherman.

“Then you will catch more fish and will be able to buy more boats, or even ships, and one day you may have a fleet”

“And then?”

“Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman you’ll be able to sell your fish directly to the processor, or even open your own cannery.”

The fisherman continues, “And after that?”

“Then You could leave this tiny coastal village and move to a bigger city, where you could even further expand your enterprise, open a big office and become a CEO.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But how long will all this take?”

“Probably about 15-20 years”

“And then what,?” asked the fisherman

“That’s the best part!” answered the businessman with a laugh. “When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”

“And then?”

“Then you could happily retire with all the money you’ve made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a bit, play with children,  and take siesta with your wife. You could stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and drink wine.”