The Businessman and the Sea

Tuesday Jun 30th, 2020

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A businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with a fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The visiting tourist complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish.

"How long did it take you to catch them?" the businessman asked. "Only a little while" the fisherman replied. "Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the businessman then asked. "I have enough to support my family's immediate needs" the fisherman said.

"But" the businessman then asked, "What do you do with the rest of your time?"

The fisherman said: "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos."

The businessman scoffed: "I’ve started many companies and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat and, with the proceeds from the bigger boat, buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. You could leave this village and move to the city, where you would run your business."

The man asked, "But, how long will this take?" The businessman replied, "15-20 years."

"But what then, señor?"

The businessman laughed and said: "That's the best part. Eventually, you would sell your company and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions, señor? Then what?"

The businessman 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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