There was once a businessman who was camping next to a man pitching a simple but sturdy tarp over simple bed on the ground with a wool blanket. The businessman had a large, palatial tent, the latest 4x4 vehicle, a generator, a full kitchen and a refrigerator.
The businessman was intrigued by the simplicity of the man's setup, and asked him, "I like your tarp, who made it? But why don't you have a proper tent?"
The man said, "I made the tarp, it's what I do for a living. I make simple, durable goods for the indoors & outdoors. I came out here to connect with nature, so, through this simple setup, I am able to be close to the nature I came out here to enjoy."
The businessman looked at the tarp and other wares the man had. He liked how well they were made and asked him how big his company was. The man replied "it is just me, and sometimes my wife."
Perplexed, the businessman asked how he managed to run a business entirely on his own, to which the man replied "I make a small number of things, very well, and charge a fair price" - the businessman asked how many days a week he worked, "I try to work 3 to 4 days maximum", the man replied.
The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the week?”
The man replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, do some sewing in my workshop, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink — we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.”
The businessman offered a suggestion to the man. “I am a PhD in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you should spend more time sewing and make as much as you possibly can. When you have saved enough money, you could buy better machinery to make even more products. Soon you will be able to afford to buy faster equipment, set up your own company, employ staff, and own your own production line, warehouse and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this small town by the woods and into a larger bustling city, where you can set up HQ to manage your other branches.”
The man continues, “And after that?”
The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house, and when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the Stock Exchange, and you will be rich.”
The man asks, “And after that?”
The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire. You can move to a house by the woods, wake up early in the morning, go for a walk, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!”
The man was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”
Adapted from the classic Brazillian tale of the fisherman and the businessman.