The Fisherman and The Businessman
A wealthy American real estate investor took a much-needed vaca- tion to a sleepy town on the coast of Mexico. After a stressful morning call to solve a few problems back home, he finally got away to walk on the beach. As he strolled past a small pier, he noticed a single fisherman docking his boat. Inside were several large yellowfin tuna.
The American complimented the fisherman and asked, “How long did it take you to catch the fish?”
“Only a little while,” was the fisherman’s reply.
Noticing an opportunity, the investor then asked why he hadn’t stayed out longer to catch more fish.
“I have enough fish to feed my family and to share with friends,” answered the fisherman as he began unloading the fish into a cooler. “But … what do you do with the rest of your day?”
Smiling, the fisherman said, “After cleaning the fish, I’ll walk the kids to school, work on my hobbies, and take a siesta with my wife. Each evening, I stroll into the village, where I sip a beer and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full life.”
Surprised at the wasted business opportunities, the American inves- tor cleared his throat. “Señor, I think my years of business experience could help you here. If you spent more time fishing, you could sell the surplus to generate more cash. With that extra cash, you could scale your business and buy more boats and hire more fishermen. With this fleet of boats, you could then catch even more fish and generate even more cash flow.”
“What then?” asked the fisherman.
“With your increased supply of fish, you could cut out the middleman and sell directly to consumers. Then you could open up a cannery and increase your profits even more. You would now control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small fish- ing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually New York City, where you could run your expanding empire with proper management.”
“But Señor,” asked the fisherman, “how long will this all take?”
“Fifteen to twenty years,” replied the investor.
“But what then, Señor?”
The American laughed. “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? Then what?”
“Then you would retire,” said the investor. “You could move to a small coastal village where you would walk your grandkids to school, work on your hobbies, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll into the village each evening, where you could sip beer and play guitar with your amigos.
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