The Businessman and The Fisherman

A wealthy businessman visited a small fishing village on the beautiful coast of Mexico, where he stumbled upon a fisherman who had just returned from the sea with several plump yellowfin tunas inside his small boat. The American businessman praised the excellent quality of the fish and asked the fisherman how long it took him to catch them. The Mexican fisherman replied with a smile, “Just a little while.”

Intrigued, the businessman asked why the fisherman didn’t stay out at sea longer to catch more fish. The fisherman replied that he didn’t need to catch more fish than what he had, as it was enough to provide for his family’s needs. The businessman couldn’t fathom why someone would be content with so little and continued to inquire what the fisherman did with the rest of his time.

The fisherman’s response caught the businessman off guard. He explained that he slept late, basked in the sun, played with his children, took a nap with his wife in the afternoon, strolled into the village in the evenings, sipped some wine, and played guitar with his friends. The businessman sneered and said, “I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you.”

The fisherman listened politely as the businessman went on and on about his grand plan to help him. The businessman suggested that the fisherman spend more time fishing, buy a bigger boat, and then purchase a fleet of boats. He further suggested that the fisherman should sell his fish directly to the processing plant instead of selling them to middlemen. Eventually, he could even open his own cannery, controlling every aspect of his product, the process, and the distribution channels.

The businessman went on to say that the fisherman should leave his small fishing village, move to Mexico City, and then to Los Angeles. The fisherman was curious and asked, “But sir, how long will all of this take?”

The businessman replied, “Oh, just 15–20 years or so.”

The fisherman looked thoughtful and then asked, “And then what?”

The businessman grinned and said, “That’s the best part! You can announce your company’s IPO and sell the company’s shares to everyone. You can become very rich and earn millions of dollars!”

The fisherman thought for a moment before asking, “Millions of dollars? And then what?”

The businessman replied, “Then you can retire, move to a small fishing village by the sea, sleep late, play with your children, take a nap with your wife in the afternoon, stroll into the village in the evenings, sip some wine, and play guitar with your friends.”