A small fishing boat is docked in a tiny Mexican village. A tourist
compliments the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asks
how long it took to catch them. Not very long," answers the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" The Mexican
explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and
those of his family. But what do you do with the rest of your time?" "I
sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, play a little golf and
take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to
see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few
songs...I have a full life."

The tourist says, "Look, I've got 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 bigger boat
will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you
have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a
middle man, 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 Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there
you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asks
the Mexican. Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," says the American. And
after that?" "After that? That's when it gets really interesting,"
answers the tourist laughing. "When your business gets really big, you
start selling stocks and make millions!" "Millions? Really? And after
that?" "After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near
the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, play
golf, take siestas, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your
friends!"