A=
vacationing American businessman standing on the pier of a quaint =
coastal fishing village in southern Mexico watched as a small boat with =
just one young Mexican fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small =
boat were several large yellowfin tuna. Enjoying the warmth of the early =
afternoon sun, the American complimented the Mexican on the quality of =
his fish.
&=
quot;How long did it take you to catch them?" the American casually =
asked.
&=
quot;Oh, a few hours," the Mexican fisherman replied. =
&=
quot;Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the =
American businessman then asked.
T=
he Mexican warmly replied, "With this I have more than enough to =
meet my family’s needs."
T=
he businessman then became serious, "But what do you do with the =
rest of your time?"
R=
esponding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, "I sleep =
late, play with my children, watch ball games, and take siesta with my =
wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see =
my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs…" =
T=
he American businessman impatiently interrupted, "Look, I have an =
MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can =
start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the =
extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. =
With the additional income that larger boat will bring, before long you =
can buy a second boat, then a third one, and so on, until you have an =
entire fleet of fishing boats."
P=
roud of his own sharp thinking, he excitedly elaborated a grand scheme =
which could bring even bigger profits, "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. Eventually, you could =
control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this =
tiny coastal village and move to Mexico City, or possibly even Los =
Angeles or New York City, where you could even further expand your =
enterprise."
H=
aving never thought of such things, the Mexican fisherman asked, =
"But how long will all this take?"
A=
fter a rapid mental calculation, the Harvard MBA pronounced, =
"Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really =
hard."
&=
quot;And then what, se=F1or?" asked the fisherman. =
&=
quot;Why, 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." =
&=
quot;Millions? Really? What would I do with it all?" asked the =
young fisherman in disbelief.
T=
he businessman boasted, "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, play with your grandchildren, watch ball =
games, and take siesta with your wife. You could stroll to the village =
in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your =
friends all you want."
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] www.grif.net =
"Jesus Knows Me, This I =
Love!"