The Costa Rican Fisherman and the Gringo with the Harvard MBA
A vacationing American businessman was standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
A small boat with just one young fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Costa Rican on the quality of his fish.
“How long did it take you to catch them?” the American casually asked.
“Oh, a few hours,” the Costa Rican replied.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the American businessman then asked.
The Tico warmly replied, “With this I have plenty to support my family’s needs.”
The businessman then became serious, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
Responding with a smile, the Costa Rican fisherman answered, “I sleep late, play with my children, watch soccer 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…”
The 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, you can then buy a second boat, a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats.
“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 San José, or possibly even LA or New York City, where you could even further expand your enterprise.”
Having never thought of such things, the Costa Rican fisherman asked, “But how long will all this take?”
After a rapid mental calculation, the businessman pronounced, “Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really hard.”
“And then what, Señor?” asked the fisherman.
“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.”
“Millions? Really? What would I do with all that money?” asked the fisherman in disbelief.
The 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 soccer games, take siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want.”
And The Moral of The Story Is?
Know what really matters in life, and you may find that it is already much closer than you think.
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Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
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