A management consultant, on holiday in a African fishing village, watched a little fishing boat dock at the quayside. Noting the quality of the fish, the consultant asked the fisherman how long it had taken to catch them.

"Not very long." answered the fisherman.

"Then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the consultant.

The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The consultant asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, have an afternoon’s rest under a coconut tree. In the evenings, I go into the community hall to see my friends, have a few beers, play the drums, and sing a few songs….. I have a full and happy life." replied the fisherman.

The consultant ventured, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you…… You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have a large fleet. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to a city here or maybe even in the United Kingdom, from where you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the fisherman.

"Oh, ten, maybe twenty years." replied the consultant.

"And after that?" asked the fisherman.

"After that? That’s when it gets really interesting," answered the consultant, laughing, "When your business gets really big, you can start selling shares in your company and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" pressed the fisherman.

"After that you’ll be able to retire, move out to a small village by the sea, sleep in late every day, spend time with your family, go fishing, take afternoon naps under a coconut tree, and spend relaxing evenings havings drinks with friends…"

Taken from *Inethouse*

5 Responses to “The businessman and the fisherman”

  1.   Z U L F I K A R said:

    dedicated to my best friend COMEBEING: listen to this song that i’ve just d/l: check in your winamp playlist:-

    “Love’s A Game”

    Oh maybe I think, maybe I don’t
    Maybe I will, maybe I won’t
    Find my way this time
    I hear you calling me soon

    One of these days
    Somebody stays and somebody pays
    It happens all the time
    I’ll be leaving, believing you wanted me to

    Maybe I’m a fool
    For walking in line
    Maybe I should try to lead this time
    I’m an honest mistake that you make
    Did you mean to?
    Did you mean
    Did you mean

    Love is just a game
    Broken all the same
    And I will get over you
    Love is just a lie
    Happens all the time
    Swear I know this much is true

    And they collared you up
    And collared you down
    And coloured you in
    And I’ve been waiting so long
    To take you home

    And maybe I think, maybe I don’t
    Maybe I will, maybe I won’t
    Find my way tonight
    But I hear you calling me soon

    Maybe I’m a fool
    For walking in line
    Maybe I should try to lead this time
    I’m an honest mistake that you make
    Did you mean to?
    Did you mean
    Did you mean

    Love is just a game
    Broken all the same
    And I will get over you
    Love is just a lie
    Happens all the time
    Swear I know this much is true

    Maybe I’m a fool
    For walking in line
    Maybe I should try to lead this time
    I’m an honest mistake that you made
    Did you mean to?
    Did you mean
    Did you mean

    Love is just a game
    Broken all the same
    And I will get over you
    Love is just a lie
    Happens all the time
    Swear I know this much is true

  2.   Jeopardise said:

    thanks for you and salihin :)

  3.   Z U L F I K A R said:

    your virgo today

    The Bottom Line
    Tidy up today. An uncluttered environment is what your busy brain needs right now.

    In Detail
    You’re not mean-spirited — not one tiny little bit. You can, however, be goaded — at times — into behavior that’s beneath you. That only happens if someone shows anything less than total respect for a worthy cause or someone you love. If you’ve already warned them about this, or if you know they’ve heard about your recent dealings with someone impolite, you won’t hesitate to come out with both guns blazing. And well you should.

  4.   Jeopardise said:

    aku cita pasal fisherman ngan businessman lah. merik lagu ngan horoskop indah kau

    anyway thanks sebab sanggup menggago dirik.

  5.   Z U L F I K A R said:

    hahahahhahahahah

Leave a Reply