Entrepreneurship story: The Fisherman's Life

One warm afternoon, a successful businessman found himself on the shore of a small Brazilian village, enjoying the gentle breeze and the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the sand. He had come to this quiet place to take a short break from his fast-paced life, hoping that a change of scenery would help clear his mind. As he sat on a wooden bench, sipping a cup of coffee, he noticed a small fishing boat making its way toward the shore. A lone fisherman rowed steadily, his tanned face calm and content. The boat wasn’t overflowing, but the businessman could see that it carried several large, fresh fish clearly enough for a good day’s catch. Intrigued, the businessman walked over as the fisherman tied his boat to the dock. “That’s quite a catch!” the businessman remarked, nodding at the fish. “How long did it take you to catch them?” The fisherman smiled and said, “Oh, just a couple of hours.” This surprised the businessman. “Only a couple of hours? Why don’t you stay out longer and catch even more?” The fisherman shook his head with a chuckle. “This is enough to feed my family and I still have some left to sell.” The businessman frowned. To him, this seemed like a missed opportunity. “But what do you do for the rest of the day then?” he asked.

The fisherman shrugged and explained, “Well, I wake up early, go to sea, and catch a few fish. Then I come back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife. When the evening comes, I meet my friends in the village and we drink, play the guitar, sing, and dance throughout the night.” The businessman nodded, but inside, he was astonished. He saw an opportunity that the fisherman was completely wasting. The businessman straightened his posture and said, “I have a Ph.D. in business management, and I see great potential here. Let me tell you how you can become successful.” The fisherman raised an eyebrow, amused but curious. The businessman continued, “Instead of fishing for just a couple of hours, you should spend more time at sea and catch as many fish as possible. Yes, it will mean less time with your children and no afternoon naps, but success requires sacrifices. Once you start catching more fish, you can sell them at the market and save up enough money to buy a bigger boat.” The fisherman listened patiently. “With a bigger boat, you could catch even more fish. Then you can hire a few people to help you sell them. Soon, you’ll have enough money to buy several boats, employ more workers, and expand your business. Eventually, you won’t need to fish at all, you’ll own a fishing company!”

The businessman’s eyes lit up as he imagined the success the fisherman could achieve. “With a company in place, you can open a fish processing plant, package your own products, and distribute them nationwide. Then, you’ll move to São Paulo, open a headquarters, and manage operations across the country. If things go well, you can even take the company public, sell shares on the stock market, and become incredibly rich!” The fisherman was silent for a moment. Then he asked, “And after that?” The businessman laughed heartily as if the answer were obvious. “After that, you’ll have all the money you need. You can finally retire! You can move to a quiet fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, return home to play with your kids, take a nap with your wife, and spend your evenings with your friends drinking, playing the guitar, singing, and dancing throughout the night.” The fisherman looked at the businessman, puzzled. Then he asked, “But isn’t that exactly what I’m doing right now?” For the first time, the businessman fell silent. He had spent his whole life believing that success meant always achieving more, working harder, and constantly expanding. But in this small village, he saw a man who already had everything he was working toward without all the stress, sacrifice, and years of struggle. The businessman had always thought of success as something distant and difficult, something that required decades of effort before one could finally enjoy life. But the fisherman had skipped all those steps and was already living his version of success