Business in Paradise

In a small village, on a small atoll in French Polynesia, a vacationing businessman walks on the beach along the lagoon. A fisherman in an outrigger canoe returns from the ocean through the pass and pulls the canoe on the beach. Several big tunas are lying inside the boat. The foreigner admires the size and the freshness of the fish and compliments the Polynesian fisherman, asking him how long it took to catch them.
" Not very long ", answers the fisherman.
" But then, why didn't you stay out there to catch more ?" the tourist asks.

The Polynesian replies that these few fishes will be sufficient to feed his family.
The visitor then asks:
" But what then do you do the rest of the day? "
" I sleep late, I fish a little, I play with my children, I take a nap with my wife. In the evening I go to the village to see my friends. We drink a little beer and play the guitar. I have a simple but well filled life. "

The "Popa'a" (foreigner) interrupts him :
" Listen! I hold a Harvard MBA, I even studied a year at Yale. I am an educated man. I can help you. You should begin with fishing much longer and sell the fish you don't need. With these profits, you can then buy a bigger boat. With the money which this boat will earn for you, you'll be able to buy a second boat, and so on, until you possess a whole fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to wholesalers, you could directly negotiate with the cannery, better still, build your own factory. You could then leave your small village and move to Papeete, then maybe on to Paris, where you would run your business from. "

The Polynesian thinks things over, then asks:
" How long would it take to do all this?
" 15 - 20 years " answers the businessman.
" And after that, what do I do? "
" After that ? But this is where things really get interesting ", announces the expert, beaming: "you will then be able to sell shares of your business on the stock exchange and this is how will earn you millions, hundreds of millions! "
" Yes ? Hundreds of millions !!!? But then, what do I do with these millions? "
" Then, let's see. You will be able to retire, to go and live quietly in a small village on some small island, on the shore of a nice lagoon. You can then sleep late, play with your grandchildren, go fishing a little, take a nap with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and playing the guitar with the few friends you'll still have.
You'll be able to do what the whole world dreams about! "

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Alex W. du PREL


 
 
 

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Last modified 15-Oct-2006.