The Fisherman and the Banker

A banker who was a hard nosed businessman was vacationing in a small coastal village. While walking near a pier he saw a small boat with just one fisherman. Inside the boat with the fisherman were several yellow-fin tuna. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his catch and asked how long it took to catch them.

“Only a little while,” he replied.

The businessman then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish.

The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

“But what do you do with the rest of your time?” the banker asked.

The fisherman responded, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a nap in the afternoon, and stroll into the village each evening with my wife where we relax and sing and I play guitar with our friends. I have a full and busy life.”

The businessman scoffed, “You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat and with the proceeds buy a fleet of boats. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you could sell directly to a processor. You could eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this small village and move to a big city where you could run your expanding enterprise.”

The fisherman asked, “But how long will this take?”

The businessman replied, “15 to 20 years!”

“But then what?” asked the puzzled fisherman.

The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. You can sell your business and retire and move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take afternoon naps, stroll to the village in the evenings with your wife where you could relax, sing and play guitar with your friends. You would have a full and busy life.

The fisherman smiled at the businessman, quietly gathered his catch and walked away.