A short story from The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha Illustrated by Jef Franssen
"... I can help you."
In a small coastal Mexican village a tourist, wearing expensive sunglasses and a fancy watch, is standing on the pier when a small boat docks. Inside the small boat is a fisherman with his catch of several large yellowfin tuna. The tourist compliments the fisherman on his tuna and asks how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long," answers the fisherman. "But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asks the tourist. The fisherman explains his small catch is enough to meet his needs and those of this family. Curious the tourist asks what he does with the rest of his time.
"I have lunch with a glass of wine on the beach with my wife and children and take a siesta after that. In the evening I might stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar and sing a few songs."
The tourist jumps in. "I am an investment banker and have a Harvard MBA. I can help you.
You should start by fishing longer every day and sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the bigger boat will bring, you can buy a second boat, and a third one until you have an entire fleet. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then sell directly to the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to the big city. From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asks the fisherman. "Ten, fifteen years, at most," replies the tourist. "And then what?"
"Then what? Well, my friend, that is when it gets really interesting," says the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, we'll sell your company stock to the public, an IPO that is called, and we'll make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And then what?" asks the fisherman. "Then," the tourist explains, "you can retire to a small coastal village, have lunch with a glass of wine on the beach with your wife and children and take a siesta after that. In the evening you might stroll into the village to see your friends, play the guitar and sing a few songs."
