An American businessman was standing 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 yellowfin
tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
"How long it took you to catch them?" The
American asked.
"Only a little while." The Mexican replied.
"Why don't you stay out longer and catch
more fish?" The American then asked.
"I have enough to support my family's immediate
needs." The Mexican said.
"But," The American then asked, "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 American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA
and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds
you buy a bigger boat, and 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 consumers, eventually opening your own can
factory. 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 NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor,
how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15-20 years."
"But what then, senor?"
The American laughed and said, "That's
the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial
Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very
rich, you would make millions."
"Millions, senor? Then what?"
The American said slowly, "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..."
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